Sea Sickness?

7 Natural Strategies to Tackle Travel Sickness on a Ferry

The next 4 minutes of reading could really save your life, well your sea legs at least. I took a ferry from Mallorca to Menorca yesterday afternoon. It was the worst ferry trip I have ever had, and I have had a few hairy ones over the years. It was a small and fast car ferry, so little weight to hold it down. It is called Jaume III, some of you may know it well. On calm seas it is a great boat. However when sailing against the swell and a strong side wind, it is not so great. The boat was doing what is known as corkscrewing apparently. Rises up, and to one side, then corkscrews down and to the other side. It reminded me of a slow roller coaster at Alton Towers. Usually this would make me reach for the speciality bags they have on the back of every seat. Many others were suffering badly, really badly. But not me yesterday thankfully, here are some life savers that I wanted to share!

1. Go Ginger

Who knew, but there is untold power in ginger - a natural remedy renowned for its ability to calm even the most turbulent waves of travel sickness. I did not know this, but bought some natural travel sickness tablets that contained ginger one hour before travel. Life saver!! You can also get inventive and have a shot of ginger (Pret sell them, if in UK), or a ginger lozenge, ginger ale. Not sure about a Moscow Mule though.

2.

Seasickness Survival Kit

Arm yourself with a well-prepared collection of anti-nausea essentials, carefully chosen for your comfort. Explore the world of acupressure wristbands (arm yourself pun), aromatherapy oils - ginger oil and grapefruit oils are great, and effective herbal remedies, like the one I took that will keep motion discomfort at bay.

3.

Fix Your Gaze, Steady Your Course

Fixing my gaze upon a stable point on the horizon really helped, allowing my brain to recalibrate its perception of motion. This time-tested technique really helped me maintain balance while others were not so balanced! Helps stop the dizziness.

4. You are What you eat

Look to eat easily digestible, non-greasy snacks and meals that won’t burden your stomach. Naturally I failed here, I had tried to get some healthy food on the way to the ferry terminal but failed as the amazing place I stopped at only opened yesterday and it took a cafe con leche 15 minutes to arrive. So I arrived hungry and ferry food was useless. Don’t be me, stock up on healthy stuff pre-trip. (In fairness to me, I was having a great time driving about little lanes off the beaten track to get to know Mallorca, hence sacrificing food, which I do a good job of eating every other day ;-)

5. Breathe

Another game changer for me yesterday was focusing on taking long slow, deep breaths. 5 seconds in through the nose and then I made the exhale as long as I could stomach. Bonus - escape the ship’s interior and experience the invigorating embrace of the open air. Soak up the natural light too, unless it’s a night crossing. I didn’t escape the interior as i was so focused on staying where I was.

6. Mindset: Calm Amidst the Waves

I had to fight with my mind. It was telling me how bad the trip was, that my car would move it’s position, that I was going to be sick. I was hearing others doing the last part and I had to ‘have a word’ with myself and reset my mind. The breathing helped with this. You may want to listen to calming music. In hindsight I should have as it would have taken my focus away from the people around me and the stewards walking about with sick bags and wearing rubber gloves ;-)

7. Pick your seat wisely

Seat position is important. Explore different areas of the ferry, from the centre for stability to the lower deck for added comfort. I sat right in the middle, as the ferry was not full. I also paid a little extra for a reclining seat as laying as flat as you can helps too. This makes a big difference.

Conclusion:

I was lucky yesterday. I think taking the ginger supplement was the main factor, but they all came into play. Well apart from number 4. Be prepared and save this as you never know it may be a lifesaver one day as it was for me yesterday.

PS the boat in the pic is the pilot boat that greeted us just as we arrived at Ciutadella, Menorca. So happy to see this little tug boat.

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