I am a terrible sufferer of sea sickness and motion sickness. It used to be so bad I hated going in cars, avoided buses and trains like the plague and the thought of going on a boat. Well that was totally out of the question.

I get motion sickness in the playground at school, on the swings, roundabouts and even the see saw. So I think I might be qualified to offer up some practical advice on this subject.

Over the years I have tried quite a few of the usual medications for sea sickness. But I have found a bit of practical prevention plus two totally natural remedies work a treat. Not only for me but for my children too.

Motion sickness can strike the best of us, even if we are not usually prone to it. I have noticed that there are times when even my husband with a cast iron stomach can turn green or is it yellow? I know it isn't a colour that looks good on him and it is time to act fast!

Motion sickness can strike as:

• general feeling of sickness when you move, can be on playground rides or extreme rides.

• sea sickness on a boat or in water

• car sickness

• airplane sickness

• train sickness

I don't know what the physical cause of it is, but I have noticed I experience the following symptoms of motion sickness:

• nausea

• hot flush, cold chills

• sweating

• shallow breathing

• raised heart rate

Until eventually, I feel not just nauseous, but like actually vomiting.

It is certainly not a good feeling, but worse than that it is quite debilitating and can prevent me from enjoying the activity. If I am on a boat cruise to sightsee the last think I want to be doing is standing by the rails shouting out to the wide blue yonder. I want to be enjoying the wonders of whale watching or the Great Barrier Reef.

Here are my tips for avoiding motion sickness.

Lots of fresh air!

In a car wind the window down, on a train or airplane focus the airconditioning vent on your face. On a boat, get outside if you are inside and breath in the fresh air.

Focus on the horizon

Whether you are in a car, on a ride or on a boat cruise it is a good idea to keep your focus on the horizon. Don't let the kids sit reading or playing video games if they are feeling sick. Get them focused on a game of eye-spy outside the car!

Choose Your Pre-Travel Food Carefully

Avoid rich, oily, creamy or greasy food both before you travel and during your trip. Fruits help, but not fruit juice.

Keep Hydrated

Drink plenty of plain water. I find chilled water is too much of a shock to my stomach so I prefer non-chilled water.

Snacks

Dry biscuits and salty snacks (not greasy though) are also good in small quantities. I find that eating frequently but a small amount really helps too. Perhaps it keeps my mind off that dreadful feeling!

Avoid confined spaces especially toilets on boats and trains!

If I am going on a boat, I avoid the toilets. They are often in a part of the boat that moves alot. I would have to be busting to go whilst a boat was moving and if I have to I make it really quick!

Those are the main things I do when I am already in motion to avoid motion or seasickness.Here are two of the natural remedies for seasickness and motion sickness that I use and have found to be effective for both myself as an adult and for my children.

Ginger

Ginger is for me one of those magical natural cures! Ginger is well known for calming nausea. I use ginger tablets and take them about 30 minutes before travelling. If I need to I can take some more after about 2 to 3 hours.

The kids can take them too. The good think about taking tablets is you don't taste the ginger so you don't associate it with nausea. It is totally natural, so unless you have some intolerance or allergy to ginger, I cannot imagine any side effects.

Accu Pressure Wristbands

I was first introduced to these about 20 years ago whilst sailing in Sydney. Back then, I used to use sea sickness medication as I sailed regularly and didn't know any better!

One day, I turned up to sailing feeling a bit worse for wear after a rather big party the night before and we were set to go offshore for some spinnaker training. The weather was sloppy and I knew I was going to feel bad. The boat chandler only had wristbands. I was highly skeptical, but bought them just in case they worked.

And you know what they did work!

Wristbands can be used for children and adults and I cannot think of any side effects you might have except the velcro might scratch up your skin a bit!

I hope you found these tips for preventing motion and seasickness useful and perhaps we will see you on the Gold Coast on one of our fabulous whale watching cruises or enjoying some of the other actvities in Surfers Paradise!

Don't forget to leave any other tips you have to help prevent motion or sea sickness.