Updated 2021
With every passing birthday, my motion sickness seems to be getting worse.
The scene: a catamaran off the coast of Kauai. A balmy sea breeze on my face. Sun glinting off the bow as it splashes through the rolling turquoise swells. Carefree dolphins frolicking in the boat’s frothy wake.
Zoom in: Me, adventure blogger and world traveler, slung over the boat’s railing, green as a four-leaf clover. Unaccompanied camera sliding across the deck. Rick dutifully holding my hair back, probably wishing he married someone who didn’t crumple into a miserable lump every time she steps foot on a boat.
Nowadays, boats of any kind are almost guaranteed to give me trouble. Fishing trips are all but out of the question. Our catamaran adventure along the Na Pali Coast last year should’ve been a beautiful memory, but when I think of it, I just get woozy all over again. I spent almost the whole journey mentally trying to avoid seasickness – taking deep yoga breaths, staring at the horizon, chomping ginger candy, just willing myself to keep the contents of my stomach to myself. (It didn’t work. Sorry, catamaran crew.)
I barely shot any good photos of the experience, and when that’s your job, that’s a big problemo.
It’s not just boats now – cars, planes, trains – even my beloved roller coasters and simulators are getting hard to stomach.
It pains me to admit that I choose my extracurriculars much more carefully because of how they’ll affect me physically. When I’m on the go for work, adventurous, movement-heavy activities are almost always on the agenda. I’ve turned to guzzling ginger ale and transporting a suitcase full of ginger candy, but the truth is there’s not nearly enough ginger in any of those to make a difference. Drinking a gallon of soda makes the problem worse, especially when you have to go down into the boat bathroom. (Side note: Have you ever been in one of those when the seas are rolling? Not ideal for a lot of reasons I won’t get into.)
So why not take something? I have tried a lot of options, but since I’m super sensitive to medications, 90% of the time it’s better to go without and risk motion sickness than dealing with drowsiness, grogginess and other side effects. I can’t be drowsy while driving from a helicopter pad to the catamaran dock to the amusement park, you know?
Avoiding Motion Sickness When Traveling
That’s one reason I was excited to try out Dramamine ® Non-Drowsy Naturals. It’s natural ginger and nothing else, so I can use it every day if need be. One dose contains the full clinically tested ginger dosage required to prevent and treat motion sickness – without knocking me into full-on zombie mode.
As part of Dramamine’s ® #KeepitMoving campaign, I brought a bottle along on our latest road trip through Great Smoky Mountains National Park, an absurd undertaking for someone with my wobbly constitution and aversion to cliffs and hills. I’ve always been a bit sensitive to motion sickness in cars, but living in Florida, I do ok on our blissfully flat, straight roads. Take me to a place with hundreds of twists, hairpin turns and elevation changes of thousands of feet, and I’m guaranteed to get green around the gills.
The challenge? To see if Dramamine ® Non-Drowsy Naturals could make a mountain road trip fun for me.
Before we left Pigeon Forge, I took two. Buckle up & press play!
The verdict: despite the steep inclines on the 7-mile side stretch up to Clingmans Dome, and facing more curves than a Kardashian family reunion on Newfound Gap Road, I was motion-sickness free the entire day. I never had to pull over to take a break to de-quease. Taking a glance at the map didn’t throw me into my usual funk.
Not only did I get to cruise through tunnels and marvel at the scenery (including a sighting of three baby bear cubs – did you see the clip in the video?!), I didn’t have to deal with being drowsy either. For the first time in many years, mountain driving was fun.
Real talk: Dramamine ® is my new co-pilot, and I won’t be leaving home without it.
Tell me: does motion sickness play a part in choosing what activities you’ll try when traveling? What activities are worse for you?
This post brought to you in partnership with Dramamine ® Non-Drowsy Naturals. I really tried it. I really liked it. And all opinions, as always, are my own.
PIN ME
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Dramamine(R). The opinions and text are all mine.
