You just got in the car, 8 hours drive ahead of you, a little voice pipes up “Mum, I feel sick”.
Stop the car! grab a bucket, bag, newspaper or hat! “I’m ok now.”
Travel sickness or motion sickness is the bad feeling you get when travelling by car, bus, train, plane or boat. When you travel by water we have a special name ‘sea-sick’ as it effects more people than travelling on land, and you can say ‘air-sick’ if flying makes you feel bad. You can also say ‘car-sick’ although we don’t normally say train-sick or bus-sick.
It could be that you feel dizzy, throw up or feel really tired by travelling. Children usually say ‘I feel sick’ or ‘I feel bad’. You can explain ‘He/She gets travel sick’ before you travel. While you’re travelling say: ‘He/she is travel sick.’
The NHS website has more information about motion sickness. In the UK you can buy travel sickness medicine at the pharmacy. Please ask the pharmacist which is the best medicine for your child, or for you. You can also pick up ‘sick bags’ at the pharmacy just in case.
Happy travels!
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