Imagine that you have just boarded your plane, settled into your seat, and have secretly jumped for joy inside that so far nobody has occupied the space next to you. Then imagine that a last-minute passenger rushes on and sits right next to you. However, this is no ordinary passenger. You see, this person begins a very horrible coughing fit—lasting several minutes—and can’t seem to stop. This is what happened to me a week ago on my 14-hour flight from New York to Korea.
Although my seatmate proceeded to apologize to me for his illness, I still had premonitions of hearing him the entire trip over. Much to my delight, the flight wasn’t full, and I was able to quietly slip away and sit with a colleague of mine for 95 percent of the journey. As a frequent traveler, I can honestly say that nothing gets people more on edge than sitting near an individual who is obviously sick. After all, we have busy schedules waiting for us at our destination and can’t afford to catch anything along the way. I'd like to share some tips for those traveling when under the weather.
