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Can getting a regular massage increase your immune system? I doubt that. However, it is obvious that my immune system is weak and that I cannot stand unhygienic food. Plus, I think I face a hard time coping with environmental change as I visit to some foreign country.
I just automatically stay healthier when I'm traveling than when I'm home. At my age, I have the usual little daily reminders that one won't live forever, but last summer on a 6-week trip, I felt better than I had in years, and wasn't bothered for a moment about the kinds of things I find to complain about at home. Maybe it was just the luck of the timjing, maybe because I spiritually felt so much better, maybe the diet was better.
My wife and I, for all our health problems, have excellent immune systems and even we ended up with a mild sinusitis that manifested on our way home from Central Europe. And though I want to say it was probably due in part to sleep deprivation and stress of the actual flight, which was much delayed and bungled by the airlines involved, the truth is we probably were infected 2 or 3 days before we left. It was a 23 day trip, so that is not too bad, considering we passed through four countries and were cooped up on a river cruise boat for more than a week. That's a lot of opportunities to commune with bacterial and viral strains that your immune system hasn't encountered before, particularly if you are new to international travel.
One tip that is often overlooked: wash your hands. Lots. Thoroughly. Every chance you get. If this is something you let slide at home, don't do so while traveling. If you are sanguine at home about using public toilets, don't be when traveling. Assume they are encrusted with things that will make you sick. Wash your hands, touch as few surfaces as possible after washing your hands. Wash your hands before every meal. Don't touch your eyes or nose unless you have JUST thoroughly washed your hands. This can seem like a tiresome ritual but it can't do any harm and may well help a lot. Risking your vacation being ruined by a case of the galloping Hershey squirts is just not worth it.
It's also a good idea to carry some antibacterial wet wipes with you. Research I've read indicates the seat-back trays on airliners contain more germs than the restrooms; wiping them down before using them is a good idea.
You can always do push-ups, sit-ups, run in place, or take a jumprope with you. When eating, make sure that if you are at a restaurant you are eating a reasonable portion and take some healthy granola bars or nuts with you. I assure you that you will not gain weight.
The key is to eat lots of dirty spoiled food at home. Your immune system is like a muscle -- if you don't exercise it, it will atrophy. Keep throwing pathogens into your body, so your immune system will keep taking refresher courses.
At age 76, I spent six weeks in third world countries last summer, eating everything I saw that looked vaguely edible in pretty dicey places. Never had a queasy moment.
But if you are hospital clean in your own kitchen and you throw out food on expiration date, it is too late to start, and your immune system is probably pretty non-functional.
I can be healthy for a year, and when I get on a plane, I get a respiratory cold/infection. Every time. The way I minimize it is carrying a small container of that anti-bacterial lotion and apply it all the time. After I touch anything! Put it on my face, too.
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