Written for Stock My Medicine and clinically reviewed by Hajra Dhanchora, MPharm (GPhC 2216990).
Travel sickness is your brain refusing to reconcile two stories: the inner ear says you're moving, the eyes fixed on a phone or a book say you're not, and the mismatch is read as poisoning, so the body prepares to be sick. Once you know that, most of the fixes make sense, and the tablets fall into place around the ones that don't.
How to stop travel sickness in a car
Give the eyes the same story as the ears. Sit in the front, look at the road ahead and the horizon, and put the phone and the book away; the driver almost never gets sick for exactly this reason. Keep the car cool with a window cracked, avoid a heavy or greasy meal before setting off but don't travel on an empty stomach, and skip alcohol the night before. Ask for regular breaks with a walk. Children do better in a booster seat that lets them see out of the front, with something to listen to rather than watch. Breathing slowly and sucking a boiled sweet, mint or ginger sweet helps some people, and the evidence for ginger is modest but real.
How do travel sickness tablets work?
They block the signals from the inner ear before the brain can act on them, which is why they must be taken before the journey; once you feel sick the stomach has slowed and a tablet is absorbed poorly. There are three families in the pharmacy, and the choice comes down to how much notice you have and how much drowsiness you can afford.
Kwells, Stugeron or Phenergan?
Hyoscine hydrobromide (Kwells) works fastest, in about 30 minutes, and is the only one that can still help once you've set off; suck or chew a tablet up to 30 minutes before travel and repeat after six hours if needed, three doses in 24 hours at most. Kwells Kids is the 150 microgram tablet for children from 4. Dry mouth, drowsiness and blurred vision are the trade-offs, so it's for passengers. Cinnarizine (Stugeron) needs two hours' notice and then lasts about eight, which suits long ferry crossings and flights; from age 5, and it can make you drowsy too. Promethazine (Phenergan) is the long-acting, sedating option: taken the night before or an hour or two ahead, it covers a full day, which is why it's used for long-haul and overnight travel, and why it's not for anyone who needs to be alert on arrival. All three are pharmacy medicines with a short questionnaire; the whole travel sickness range is here.
Do travel sickness bands work?
Acupressure bands press on a point on the inner wrist, and the trials are split: some show a benefit, some show none beyond placebo. They're worth trying because they have no side effects and can be used in pregnancy and by young children, which tablets can't; just don't rely on them alone for a rough crossing. Ginger capsules have slightly better evidence and are another drug-free option.
Travel sickness in pregnancy and in children
In pregnancy, start with bands, ginger, the front seat and fresh air; ask a pharmacist or midwife before any tablet, as promethazine is sometimes used with advice but hyoscine and cinnarizine generally aren't. For children: Kwells Kids from 4, Stugeron from 5, and nothing sedating for a child under those ages without a pharmacist's advice. A child who is sick on every journey usually grows out of it between 10 and 12.
How long does travel sickness last, and when to get advice
It stops within minutes to a couple of hours of the motion stopping, and the nausea fades before the queasy feeling does. The rare exception is "mal de débarquement", a rocking sensation that persists after a cruise; if it lasts more than a few days, see a GP. See a GP too if you get "travel sick" without travelling, with vertigo, hearing changes or headache, as that's an ear or neurological problem rather than motion sickness. Ask our pharmacist before taking travel sickness tablets with other sedating medicines, or if you're over 60, have glaucoma, prostate problems or epilepsy.
Travel sickness tablets compared
| Medicine | Take | Lasts | Age | Drowsiness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyoscine hydrobromide (Kwells) | 30 minutes before, or once symptoms start | About 6 hours; repeat up to 3 doses a day | 4+ (Kwells Kids), 10+ (Kwells) | Moderate; dry mouth, blurred vision |
| Cinnarizine (Stugeron) | 2 hours before | About 8 hours | 5+ | Moderate |
| Promethazine (Phenergan) | Night before or 1 to 2 hours before | Up to 24 hours | 5+ (tablets) | High |
| Acupressure bands (Sea-Band) | Any time | While worn | Any age, pregnancy | None |
| Ginger | Before and during | A few hours | Any age with advice | None |
Sea sickness, ferries and cruises
Boats produce the slow, rolling motion the inner ear finds hardest to ignore. For a ferry crossing, cinnarizine two hours before boarding covers the whole trip; for a short hop, hyoscine. On board, stay on deck or in the middle of the boat, low down, where the movement is least, look at the horizon, and avoid the bar and the café's fried food. Most people adapt to a ship's motion within two or three days of a cruise, after which tablets can usually stop. For a whole week at sea, promethazine at night is the low-effort option, at the cost of feeling groggy in the mornings.
Travel sickness in children, by age
Under 2: rarely affected, because the visual system that creates the mismatch hasn't matured. 2 to 4: the peak years for car sickness, and no licensed tablets; use the front-facing seat with a view out, fresh air, regular stops, no screens, a plain snack before setting off, and bands or ginger sweets. 4 to 5: Kwells Kids from 4. 5 and over: Stugeron or Phenergan from 5 as well. Most children grow out of it by their early teens. If a child is sick on every trip, plan the journey around it rather than hoping: early start, empty roads, and a bag.
Travel sickness glasses and patches
The glasses with liquid-filled rings create an artificial horizon at the edge of vision and have enthusiastic reviews and thin evidence; harmless to try. Hyoscine skin patches worn behind the ear for up to three days are prescription-only in the UK and used for long voyages; ask a GP or travel clinic. Wristbands, covered above, are the drug-free option most people try first.
Already feeling sick? What still works
Stop if you can and get out into fresh air for ten minutes. If not, open a window, fix your eyes on the horizon, loosen anything tight around the waist, breathe slowly and sip cold water. Hyoscine is the one tablet that can still help once symptoms have begun, if you can keep it down; suck it rather than swallow. Don't try to read the map. Once the motion stops, sickness usually settles within an hour; eat something plain when you can.
Frequently asked questions
Can I drive after taking travel sickness tablets?
Not after hyoscine, cinnarizine or promethazine; all three can cause drowsiness and blurred vision. The driver shouldn't need them anyway.
What's best for sea sickness?
Cinnarizine two hours before boarding for a long crossing, or hyoscine for a short one; on deck, look at the horizon and stay in the middle of the boat where movement is least.
Is there anything for a flight?
Cinnarizine or promethazine taken ahead of take-off, a window seat over the wing, and no reading during turbulence. Air conditioning aimed at the face helps more than it should.
Can I take travel sickness tablets with hay fever tablets?
Not with a sedating antihistamine such as chlorphenamine, which doubles the drowsiness. Non-drowsy antihistamines are fine. Check with a pharmacist if you take anything for anxiety, sleep or pain.