Travel health service
Travel sickness remedies
Whether it is car journeys, a ferry crossing or a long-haul flight, our pharmacy team in Timperley, Manchester can help you choose the right travel sickness remedy and check it suits you.
What it is
Why does travel make you feel so unwell?
Travel (motion) sickness happens when there is a mismatch between what your eyes see and what the balance organs in your inner ear sense. If you are sitting still in a moving car, boat or plane, your inner ear detects the motion but your eyes — fixed on a book, a phone or the seat in front — may not. Your brain receives conflicting signals and the result is that familiar wave of nausea, cold sweats, dizziness, headache, pale clammy skin and sometimes vomiting. It is very common, completely harmless and tends to settle once the journey ends.
This page is general information from Altrincham Travel Clinic, not personalised medical advice or a prescription. There are several good remedies — some you take as a tablet, others are drug-free wristbands — and the best choice depends on your age, the type of journey, whether drowsiness matters to you, any other medicines you take and your health history. Pop into our Timperley pharmacy or ask our pharmacist and we will help you pick the one that is right for you and check it is suitable. Always read the label and patient information leaflet too.
Plan ahead
Sort your travel sickness remedy before you travel
It is far easier to prevent travel sickness than to settle it once it starts, so pick up your remedy before your trip — most tablets need to be taken before you set off, and acupressure bands work best put on in advance. If you are travelling with children, take a remedy suited to their age, and consider bands for the very young.
Pop into our Timperley pharmacy and our team will help you choose, explain how and when to take it, and check it is safe alongside any other medicines or health conditions. If you would prefer a longer chat, you can also book a consultation.
The basics
Who gets travel sickness, and what sets it off
Anyone can feel travel sick, but some people are far more prone to it than others. Children are most affected — it is especially common between about ages 2 and 12 — and many people grow out of it as adults. It can also be more of a problem in pregnancy and for people who get migraines. Knowing your triggers is the first step to avoiding them.
- Most common in children aged roughly 2-12; often improves with age
- More likely in pregnancy and for migraine sufferers
- Triggers: cars, coaches, boats, ferries, cruises, planes and trains
- Reading, watching screens or sitting facing backwards makes it worse
- Stuffy air, strong smells, heavy meals and alcohol can all bring it on
Self-care first
Simple steps that often help — no medicine needed
For many people, a few practical changes are enough to keep travel sickness at bay, and they cost nothing. The NHS recommends reducing the sensory mismatch by keeping your eyes on something steady and getting plenty of fresh air. These measures work well on their own for milder cases and alongside a remedy for more difficult journeys.
- Look at the horizon or straight ahead at a fixed point, not down at a book or phone
- Sit in the front of a car, over the wing of a plane, or mid-ship on a boat
- Open a window or air vent for fresh air; avoid stuffy, smoky spaces
- Avoid reading, screens, heavy or spicy meals and alcohol before and during travel
- Take regular breaks on long journeys, and try to relax or even sleep
- Some people find ginger — as a biscuit, sweet, tea or capsule — settles the stomach
Tablet option
Stugeron (cinnarizine) — a popular antihistamine tablet
Stugeron contains cinnarizine, a sedating antihistamine that calms the signals from the inner ear. It is widely used and suits longer journeys because its effect lasts well, although it can take a couple of hours to start working so it needs to be taken before you set off. Like all sedating antihistamines it can cause drowsiness. The typical adult dose is two 15mg tablets about two hours before travel, then one tablet every eight hours during the journey if needed — but always read the label and ask our pharmacist, as suitability and exact dose vary by age.
- Active ingredient: cinnarizine 15mg — a sedating antihistamine
- Take the first dose around two hours before you travel
- Suitable for adults and children, typically from age 5 at a lower dose
- Not recommended for children under 5
- Can cause drowsiness — take care driving; avoid alcohol
Fast-acting tablet
Kwells (hyoscine) — quick relief for adults and older children
Kwells contains hyoscine hydrobromide 300 microgram, an anticholinergic that is often considered the most effective remedy for shorter trips and works quickly — you can take it up to about 30 minutes before travel or at the first sign of nausea. The tablet can be sucked, chewed, dissolved on the tongue or swallowed. It is for adults and children aged 10 and over, with a maximum of three doses in 24 hours stated on the label. Because it is anticholinergic it can cause drowsiness, dry mouth and blurred vision, and is not suitable for everyone — always check with our pharmacist.
- Active ingredient: hyoscine hydrobromide 300 microgram (an anticholinergic)
- For adults and children aged 10 and over only
- Works fast — take shortly before travel or at the first sign of sickness
- Can be sucked, chewed, dissolved on the tongue or swallowed; do not take more than 3 doses in 24 hours
- Anticholinergic effects: drowsiness, dry mouth, blurred vision — not suitable with glaucoma, an enlarged prostate or certain bowel/bladder blockages; extra caution in the elderly and with some other medicines
For children
Kwells Kids — the lower-strength version for little ones
Kwells Kids contains the same active ingredient, hyoscine hydrobromide, but at the lower 150 microgram strength designed for children. It is suitable from age 4, with the dose depending on age, and like the adult version the tablet can be sucked, chewed or swallowed and taken shortly before travel. It is not for children under 4, and an acupressure band may be a gentler first choice for younger children. Our pharmacist will confirm the right product, strength and dose for your child.
- Active ingredient: hyoscine hydrobromide 150 microgram — half the adult strength
- Suitable from age 4; not for children under 4
- Take up to about 30 minutes before travel, or at the first sign of nausea
- Same anticholinergic cautions as the adult version, with a maximum of 3 doses in 24 hours — read the label
- For children under 4, ask us about drug-free travel sickness bands instead
Drug-free option
Travel sickness bands (Sea-Band) — no medicine, no drowsiness
If you would rather avoid medicines, acupressure wristbands such as Sea-Band are an excellent drug-free alternative. They have a small plastic stud that presses on the P6 (Nei-Kuan) acupressure point on the inside of your wrist. You wear one on each wrist, ideally putting them on before the journey starts. Because there is no medicine, they suit children and are widely used in pregnancy, and they cause no drowsiness — a real plus if you are the driver. They are reusable and washable, so one pair can last for years.
- Completely drug-free — no drowsiness, so fine for drivers
- Work by pressure on the P6 (Nei-Kuan) point on the inner wrist
- Wear one band on each wrist; put them on before you set off
- Suitable for children and widely used in pregnancy
- Reusable and washable — good value for frequent travellers
Choose with confidence
Which travel sickness remedy is right for you?
A quick comparison to help you decide — and we are always happy to talk it through and check interactions with any other medicines you take.
Stugeron (cinnarizine)
A sedating antihistamine, good for longer journeys as its effect lasts well. Take around two hours before travel. Adults and children from about age 5 (lower dose). Can cause drowsiness.
Kwells (hyoscine 300mcg)
Fast-acting and very effective for shorter trips; can be taken just before travel or at the first sign of nausea. Adults and children aged 10+. May cause drowsiness, dry mouth and blurred vision.
Kwells Kids (hyoscine 150mcg)
The lower-strength version for children, suitable from age 4. Same fast-acting hyoscine, halved. Not for children under 4 — ask us about bands for younger ones.
Sea-Band wristbands
Drug-free acupressure bands with no drowsiness — ideal if you want to avoid medicines, for children, in pregnancy, or for the driver. Reusable. Wear one on each wrist.
Want to stay alert?
If you are driving or do not want to feel sleepy, the drug-free bands are the obvious choice. If you do take a tablet, plan for drowsiness and never drive while affected.
Seasickness & cruises
Boats and ferries are a classic trigger. If you are heading off on a cruise, pack a remedy before you sail — see our full cruise travel health guide for everything else worth planning.
FAQ
Travel sickness — frequently asked questions
Heading off on a trip and worried about travel sickness?
Pop into our Timperley pharmacy near Manchester, or contact us first, and our team will help you choose the right remedy and check it suits you.