Even before COVID, business trips were often the source of colds, flu, and other sicknesses. Now that the pandemic has become a part of our everyday lives, travelers are looking for ways to safeguard against the spread of any kind of germs while on the road. Here are 11 ways to increase the odds that you’ll return home in good health and without any stoway germs – COVID or otherwise.

Start taking vitamin C, Zinc, and D3 before your trip. Get plenty of rest and eat healthy foods. A strong, recovered body is best prepared to fight off anything that crosses your path.

Pack a few sanitizing wipes in a Ziplock bag. When you arrive at your hotel room, wipe down the most touched, but often missed areas. These include light switches, the bedside tabletop, handles in the bathroom, the bathroom countertop, and the dresser and desk drawer handles. Yes, we know – this sounds like you’re doing the work of the housekeeping staff but germs can hang around from guest to guest.

An oldie but a goodie is to use the showercap from the toiletries to cover the remote control. While housekeeping likely wipes off the clicker, germs can get down into grooves. Why take a chance?

Use a clean bath towel over the pillow. Hotel pillows are used and re-used. While the cases are laundered, there is still plenty of exhaled funk, drool, and who knows what else in there. A towel adds another layer of protection between you and what lies beneath that pillow case.

Need a drink of water? Don’t use the glasses provided in the room unless they’re the individually wrapped plastic kind. Regulations vary but some hotels aren’t required to wash in-room glassware to the same standards as restaurants do, so use caution. If you need to use a glass in your room, microwave some water in a coffee cup until it boils and use this to sanitize your glass.

Never let your toothbrush touch the countertop. Prop it up using a sanitary cup, something of your own or even a stack of folded tissues.

Wash your hands whenever you can, but especially before you eat. Also, while it’s a tired phrase, “Don’t touch your face” does keep germs of all kinds away from your vulnerable areas (eyes, nose, and mouth).

Use mouthwash throughout your stay. If you happened to pick up any germs along the way, mouthwash is a great tool for preventing infections from festering in your mouth and throat. Hold the mouthwash in your mouth for 30 seconds before spitting it out.

Use nasal saline spray. You can pick up a bottle of saline nasal spray at most drugstores. Like the mouthwash, it eliminates and evacuates germs, but from your nose and sinuses instead of your throat.

When you get home, hop right in the shower and put your clothes in the hamper. Resist the urge to pick up kids and pets. Also don’t sit on anything once inside your home. Seating on planes and in airports is notoriously germ-ridden, so you want to avoid transferring anything you’ve picked up to your own furniture.

Take vitamin C, Zinc, and D in the days following your trip. Get plenty of rest, stay hydrated, eat well, and make time to get out in the sun and go for walks. Even with lots of precautions, you still may have an infection of some kind attempting to bloom. Taking care of yourself helps your body fight it off so you can stay well.