The Best Tips for Motion Sickness

Travel smart. Arrive relaxed. Your well-founded guide for the car, plane, ship, and train.

Know the feeling? As soon as the car starts moving or the ship leaves the port, your stomach gets queasy. You are not alone! Motion sickness – or kinetosis – can quickly cloud the anticipation of your vacation.

Most of the time, it is a simple misunderstanding in the body: Your eyes, for example, perceive a standstill inside the car, but your inner ear's balance organ feels every subtle curve.

The symptoms arise because the brain processes these conflicting signals from the eyes and the balance system. This is exactly where the best coping strategies come in. Discover the most effective, scientifically backed tips here to enjoy your journeys completely relaxed once again.

General tips for every journey

Being well-prepared makes traveling the most relaxing. These basic pieces of advice form the foundation and apply regardless of the mode of transportation you are using.

Did you know?

Almost anyone can get motion sickness. The stronger and more unfamiliar the movement stimuli are (for example, in very heavy seas), the higher the probability – even for people who usually never have problems in everyday life.

Get a good night's sleep

A well-rested body is more resilient. Sleep deprivation noticeably lowers your personal tolerance level, while a rested nervous system has significantly more capacity to process unfamiliar movement stimuli confidently.

Travel with a light stomach

A completely empty stomach is often particularly sensitive. A small, easily digestible meal before the start (like a banana or some bread) stabilizes digestion without placing an additional heavy burden on the stomach.

Stay hydrated

Drink still water regularly. A well-hydrated organism can regulate blood pressure better, which effectively counteracts general dizziness on long journeys.

Try some ginger

Ginger is one of the best-studied natural helpers. The gingerols it contains have a slightly calming effect on the stomach lining – whether you take it as tea, candy, or capsule.

Use acupressure bands

So-called Sea-Bands apply gentle pressure to the P6 point on the wrist. This targeted stimulation sends calming impulses to the stomach and is firmly established in travel medicine. Did you forget your Sea-Band at home? Viativity uses an infographic to show you exactly how to find the P6 point (Nei-Kuan) on your wrist yourself, and provides a timer for the perfect massage duration.

Get used to the movement

Our brain is capable of learning. Through the process of so-called habituation, the sense of balance gradually saves new movement patterns as normal. Regular, short trips beforehand can therefore work wonders.

Prepare with Viativity

The app trains your body. Start using it relaxed on the couch weeks before departure:

  • Visual Training A visual exercise that helps your brain process movements faster in the future.
  • Body Stability An exercise that strengthens your core stability and balance with your eyes closed.

In the car and bus

Car sickness or dizziness during bus trips occur very frequently. Especially in the passenger seat or the back seat, many struggle with a queasy feeling. Here's how to make the ride more relaxed:

Good to know

Drivers rarely get motion sickness. The brain knows the planned steering or braking movement exactly in the moment before it takes place. The senses thus work harmoniously together.

Take the passenger seat

If you are not driving yourself, the passenger seat in the car or the front row in the bus is the best choice. The wide view through the windshield to the horizon supports orientation and immediately reduces conflicting sensory impressions.

Avoid screens and books

Reading messages on a mobile phone is one of the most common triggers. Avoid rigid contents, as the eye otherwise fixes on a standstill while the body is moving. Audiobooks or music are the far better alternative.

Provide fresh air

Often it helps to just open the window a crack or direct the ventilation slightly at the face. Cool, fresh drafts usually improve subjective well-being within seconds when heat rises.

Drive smoothly and with foresight

Sudden braking is poison for sensitive stomachs. In electric cars, also reduce recuperation (One Pedal Driving). Even acceleration forces keep the fine fluid in the inner ear calm.

Keep your head stable

A neck pillow or consciously resting against the headrest minimizes unwanted, additional head movements in curves, significantly sparing the balance organ.

Schedule regular breaks

Stop at least every two hours. Briefly getting out, breathing fresh air, and taking a few steps recalibrates the sense of balance to an extent and lowers accumulated stress levels.

Even more relaxed with Viativity

The app helps you as a companion on the go. Use while riding in the passenger seat:

  • 4-2-6 Paced Breathing Gently relieves stress and inner restlessness on curvy mountain roads.
  • P6 Guide The discreet, visual aid for a wrist massage when you suddenly feel queasy.
  • 100 Hz Sound Let this tone play gently in the background to further minimize sensory overload.

In the airplane

Pressure fluctuations, air pockets, and lacking visibility can trigger nausea when flying (air sickness). With these approaches, the flight remains pleasant:

Choose a seat by the wing

Seat selection on a plane is crucial. Book your seat directly level with the wings if possible, as the physical center of gravity of the machine is located there and turbulence is felt the least.

Look out the window

A window seat is always preferable to an aisle seat if you are prone to kinetosis. The wide view of the cloud cover or the horizon gives the eye a reliable reference point for the actual tilt of the airplane.

Use ventilation specifically

The small nozzle above your seat is very effective. Open it slightly and point it at your face. The cool draft activates thermal receptors, which is almost always perceived as very soothing when discomfort arises.

Use noise-canceling headphones

The constant, loud roar of the engines in the cabin is an underestimated stress factor. Active noise cancellation reduces the sensory load and noticeably helps the body relax.

Ensure pressure equalization

Pressure differences in the ear can cause dizziness. Chewing gum opens the Eustachian tube (the connection to the middle ear) and reliably balances the air pressure during ascent and descent.

Wear comfortable clothing

Avoid tight waistbands or constricting belts. This prevents additional physical pressure on the abdominal cavity, allowing the abdominal wall to relax better during hours of sitting.

Fly better with Viativity

The app helps you as a companion on the go. Use during the flight:

  • 4-2-6 Paced Breathing Perfect for calming your pulse during sudden turbulence or rising flight anxiety.
  • 100 Hz Sound Let this tone play gently in the background to further minimize sensory overload.

On the ship (Ferry & Cruise)

Seasickness is probably the best-known form of kinetosis. Especially in closed interior cabins or in heavy seas, the balance system is heavily challenged.

Seek the middle of the ship

At the bow (front) and at the very top of the outer decks, deflections in swells are strongest. Instead, head to the middle of the ship on one of the lower decks, as you are closest to the physical pivot point there.

Get out into the fresh air

A windowless cabin is treacherous in high seas. Leave the interior of the ship and find a spot with a clear view outside so the visual system can correctly classify the perceived rocking.

Sit facing the direction of travel

Position your chair on the deck or in the dining room so that you are looking forward. Sideways movements (rolling) are often perceived by the brain as significantly more irritating than predictable forward movements.

Lie down if necessary

Sometimes it helps to simply give in to gravity instead of frantically fighting the rolling of the ship. Lying down, the body doesn't have to actively balance, which noticeably relieves the balance organ.

Choose light, starchy food

Avoid extremely fatty foods in strong swells. Dry foods like bread, rice, or crackers rest better in the stomach, are easily digestible, and do not overly force digestion under already high stress.

Your helper on the high seas

If you cannot see the ocean, Viativity takes over visual orientation for you:

  • Artificial Horizon Particularly helpful in windowless interior cabins. It simulates the ship's movement on your display in real-time and resolves the sensory conflict.
  • P6 Guide Quick orientation for soothing wrist acupressure.

On the train

Dizziness on a train is often caused by rapidly flashing light changes or sitting facing opposite the direction of travel. With these tips you can travel more calmly:

Sit facing the direction of travel

Pay attention to the alignment of the seats when making your reservation. Riding backwards contradicts the brain's natural expectations and makes sensitive people more prone to discomfort.

Focus your gaze in the distance

Avoid looking directly at the quickly passing poles. The fast optical flow of close objects heavily strains the eyes, while the distant horizon offers visual stability.

Avoid working on a laptop

Reading texts or working concentratedly on a screen is often the number one trigger in trains, as the eye focuses on static contents while the body feels the vibrations of the carriage.

Relax with an audiobook

As an alternative to reading or working on a laptop, podcasts and audiobooks are ideal. They wonderfully relax the mind without additionally straining the eyes during constant jolts in the carriage.

Choose a seat in the middle of the carriage

Avoid seats that are located directly over the bogies (the wheels at the beginning and end of the carriage), as hard bumps are best cushioned in the middle of the carriage.

Move around occasionally in the aisle

Stand up occasionally during long train journeys and carefully take a few steps through the train. It activates circulation and makes it easier for the body to actively adjust to the swaying.

How Viativity supports you

The app helps you as a companion on the go. Use during the ride:

  • 100 Hz Sound Let this tone play gently in the background to shield ambient noise and soothe the balance system.
  • Focus Training A short visual game to center your system and distract you.

In the cable car

Rapid changes in altitude, sudden swinging at the supports, and looking straight down into the depths challenge our senses when riding a gondola. How to stay stable:

Stand in the middle of the cabin

In large standing gondolas, move slightly further into the middle away from the panoramic windows at the edge. The lateral swinging movements are significantly smaller there, which spares your balance.

Look up to the mountain station

Looking deep down into the valley can easily trigger unpleasant height vertigo. Looking up towards the station or the mountain peak, on the other hand, provides the eye with a clear, stable target.

Hold on tight

Use the handrails inside the cabin. Holding on provides the brain with an important haptic signal for safety via the hands and helps to cushion sudden jerks.

Cushion bumps with your knees

When standing, make sure you never rigidly lock your knee joints. Slightly bent legs act as natural, body-own shock absorbers against sudden rocking.

Arrive relaxed with Viativity

When height or rocking triggers nervousness:

  • 4-2-6 Paced Breathing Set the pace and quickly bring your resting pulse back under control during the short gondola ride.

Traveling with children

Many parents know the feeling: Of all times, it's on the way to a vacation that offspring feel unwell in the backseat. With a little preparation, many unpleasant moments can be avoided.

Exciting Fact

Children between the ages of 2 and 12 are particularly frequently affected by motion sickness. The reason for this is plausible: Their balance system in the inner ear is still developing and reacts much more sensitively to unfamiliar stimuli than in adults.

The right child seat and a good view

For safety reasons, children must always be correctly secured. However, as soon as age and size permit, a seat with a clear view to the front (e.g., in the middle of the back seat) helps enormously in visually comprehending the movement of the journey.

Audiobooks instead of tablets

Movies and games on tablets are absolutely counterproductive for motion sickness. Exciting audiobooks distract the mind wonderfully, while the eyes can wander freely instead of focusing rigidly on a screen in a moving car.

In the app

Viativity is completely ad-free, collects no data, and is designed so intuitively that children can use it completely safely. Whether it's the artificial horizon for visual orientation on the ship or the calming paced breathing in the car – the methods give your child the empowering feeling of actively contributing to feeling better themselves.

The digital tools

Some tips help immediately. Others train your body long-term. This is exactly what Viativity was developed for: A set of tools that specifically address the sensory conflict or train your resilience.

Artificial Horizon

Ideal when you lack visual orientation

In windowless cabins, the eye often doesn't know how the vehicle is currently moving. This tool displays a horizon that synchronizes in real-time with the tilts via the smartphone sensors. Your brain thus gets the necessary visual stability back.

Particularly suitable for:

  • Ships & ferries (inside cabins)

4-2-6 Paced Breathing

Ideal when stress and discomfort arise

Rising discomfort and stress (like flight anxiety) put the body on high alert. A gentle rhythm guides you to inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 2, and exhale for 6. This specifically activates your resting nerve and noticeably dampens stress reactions.

Particularly suitable for:

  • Planes (during turbulence and flight anxiety)
  • Curvy car rides & cable cars

100 Hz Sound Modulation

Ideal for gently shielding the inner ear

The balance organ reacts sensitively to constant swaying and monotonous noise. An unobtrusive, low audio frequency (100 Hertz) is played through your headphones to gently stimulate the balance system and reduce susceptibility to dizziness.

Particularly suitable for:

  • Planes or on car rides as a passenger

P6 Acupressure

Ideal when your stomach suddenly acts up

When you need it fast, you need discreet and drug-free immediate help. The app guides you precisely to find the Nei-Kuan point (P6) on your wrist yourself and massage it gently to send calming impulses to your digestion.

Particularly suitable for:

  • First signs of kinetosis, applicable at any time

Visual Training

Ideal to prepare yourself weeks in advance

An untrained visual system is often quickly overwhelmed by complex movements. With this visual training, you playfully solve spatial tasks. A trained spatial awareness demonstrably helps the brain process movement data more efficiently later.

Particularly suitable for:

  • Relaxed preparation at home on the couch

Body Stability

Ideal for stabilizing your stance

Those who have a stable stance travel more relaxed. This exercise trains your balance and core stability with closed eyes to give you more resilience preventively.

Particularly suitable for:

  • Preventive training at home

Focus Training

Ideal for visual distraction

By tying your visual attention to a demanding task, you force the brain to concentrate. This tool is wonderful for targeted distraction and gentle habituation.

Particularly suitable for:

  • Quieter travel phases or waiting times

Your smart companion

Would you like to have all these digital tools and tips bundled together and 100% offline with you on your journey?

Download Viativity.

Scientific Basics and Sources

The advice and tools on this page are based on established findings in travel medicine, balance research, and guidelines from international health organizations.

International Recommendations

Scientific Literature & Reviews