If You Love to Travel but Hate Germs, Here Are Some Tips For Your Next Trip

Anyone who's ever found a stray hair on a hotel bed, witnessed a tray table used as a diaper-changing table, or been handed a reused (and unwashed) plane blanket knows: you don't have a be a full-on germophobe to get grossed out by the less-than-clean conditions that seem to go hand in hand with travel. But for those of us who already carry an arsenal of hand sanitizer and wet wipes on a daily basis, it's easy to feel like we're fighting a losing battle when it comes to planes, trains, and hotel rooms.

As a lifelong germophobe, my relationship with travel is complicated; while I have a diagnosable (if not millennial-defining) case of wanderlust, the many unsanitary situations serve as a serious deterrent to my adventurous spirit. But thankfully, through years of traveling both for leisure and for work, I've racked up a series of tried-and-true hacks for staying calm, collected, and — perhaps most importantly to me — clean while traveling. From one germophobe to another, you're welcome.