Motion sickness on a road trip: practical things to try
The CDC Yellow Book lists several things people try on a car trip: sit in the front, keep your eyes on the horizon rather than a screen or a book, keep your head still, get fresh air, and get a full night of sleep beforehand. The CDC also says repeated exposure to motion builds tolerance over time, and that most of these steps are only partly effective. They are comfort habits to try, not guarantees.
Why a car can make you queasy
The CDC Yellow Book describes motion sickness as a mismatch between what your eyes, inner ear and body sense of motion report. In a car, your inner ear feels the turns and stops while your eyes may be fixed on a phone or a book that is not moving. The Yellow Book says nearly everyone with a working balance system can get motion sick given enough of a stimulus, but people vary a lot. The usual early signs are stomach awareness, feeling warm, yawning, sweating and dizziness, which can progress to nausea.
Before you leave
- Sleep. The Yellow Book notes that being sleep-deprived can worsen motion sickness, so a late night before an early start is worth avoiding.
- Alcohol and smoking. The Yellow Book says to avoid both, because they increase motion sickness.
- Food and drink. The CDC's traveler page suggests drinking water, limiting alcohol and caffeine, and eating small amounts of food frequently.
- Seating plan. Decide in advance who sits in front. The CDC's first suggestion for car and bus passengers is to sit in the front.
In the car
The Yellow Book includes a table of behavioral countermeasures. These are the ones that apply to a car passenger, in plain terms.
| What to try | What the CDC says |
|---|---|
| Look at the horizon | A visual horizon reference is listed for ships, buses and cars. The Yellow Book notes it is often not possible, for example below deck on a ship. |
| Skip reading and screens | Avoiding reading or visual scanning is listed for a variety of transport and simulator settings. It does not fit tasks like map reading. |
| Keep your head still | Avoiding head movements is listed for a variety of transport environments. |
| Lean into the bends | As a car passenger, the Yellow Book suggests leaning into the bends when cornering. |
| Fresh air, music, pleasant scents | Listed as distractions that may be useful. The traveler page also suggests music. |
| Breathe at a regular pace | The Yellow Book describes controlled breathing as concentrating on breathing at the same pace as your normal resting breathing rate. |
| Drive instead | Being in control, such as being the driver, is listed. The Yellow Book notes this is not possible as a passenger. |
The Yellow Book is frank about the limits. Apart from habituation, it says, the behavioral countermeasures are only partially effective. Read it as a menu to try, not a checklist that guarantees a smooth trip.
A few road-trip habits that are simply common sense, and not from the CDC: plan a stop every hour or two, keep a bag, water and wipes within reach, and put whoever gets queasy in the front seat from the start instead of switching after they feel bad.
Tolerance builds with exposure
The Yellow Book calls habituation, the desensitization that comes from repeated exposure, the most effective countermeasure on its list. It adds that habituation can be slow to acquire, is often specific to the situation, and may need periodic re-exposure to motion to maintain it.
What has weak evidence
The Yellow Book says the evidence for particular diets, supplements, vitamins and ginger is weak and contradictory. It also says that in laboratory trials acupressure bands or similar treatments are no more effective than placebo, while noting placebo effects can be strong and that someone who finds a band comfortable may still choose to use one. The CDC traveler page lists flavored lozenges such as ginger candy among its suggestions, so it is a personal choice rather than a proven step.
Children and medicines
The Yellow Book reports that children under 2 do not usually get motion sickness, and that susceptibility rises and peaks between ages 7 and 12 before declining through adulthood. The CDC traveler page says it is most common in children aged 2 to 12.
Medicines for motion sickness exist, and many cause drowsiness. This page does not cover them. The CDC advises talking to a healthcare professional about whether to use any, and about correct dosing for children. A pharmacist or pediatrician can also tell you how they interact with other medicines your family takes.
When to talk to a clinician
Contact a doctor if symptoms are severe or last long after the trip, if you cannot keep fluids down, or if dizziness or nausea shows up without any travel. If you are driving and start to feel unwell, pull over somewhere safe. Do not use a phone, headphones or any app while driving.
Trip Comfort: four things to try
Trip Comfort is a free Apple Watch and iPhone app for passengers who want a few drug-free things to try when a trip starts to feel rough. It has four modes. Pulse is a steady tap on the inside of your wrist to rest your attention on. Breathe taps a slow in and out rhythm so you can pace your breathing with your eyes shut. Tone plays a one-minute 100 Hz tone through headphones, based on a 2025 Nagoya University paper whose own title says the tone "may improve" motion sickness measures. Press shows you the spot an acupressure band sits on and times a three-minute hold, bearing in mind the CDC's note on bands above. The app shows the sources next to each mode and says where the evidence is mixed. It is a set of techniques you run yourself. It is not a medical device, it does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent anything, and it may not change how you feel. See the Trip Comfort app page.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I sit in the car if I get motion sick?
The CDC traveler page says to sit in the front of a car or bus. The Yellow Book also lists getting a view of the horizon and avoiding reading or screens as behavioral steps, though it says they are only partially effective.
Is it better to look out the window or at my phone?
The CDC Yellow Book lists a visual horizon reference and avoiding reading or visual scanning among its behavioral countermeasures for cars and other transport. Looking at a phone is the opposite of both.
Do acupressure bands work for car sickness?
The CDC Yellow Book says laboratory trials show acupressure bands or similar treatments are no more effective than placebo. It adds that placebo effects can be strong, so a person who finds a band comfortable may still use one.
Why do children get car sick more than adults?
The CDC Yellow Book says children under 2 do not usually experience motion sickness, then susceptibility rises, peaks between ages 7 and 12 and declines through adulthood, perhaps because of habituation. The CDC traveler page calls it most common between ages 2 and 12.
Should I use medicine for a long drive?
Ask a healthcare professional. The CDC advises talking to one about whether to use motion sickness medicines, many of which cause drowsiness, and about correct dosing for children. This page does not cover medicines.
Sources
- Motion Sickness, CDC Yellow Book 2026, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Motion Sickness, Travelers' Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Just 1-min exposure to a pure tone at 100 Hz with daily exposable sound pressure levels may improve motion sickness, Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 2025
General travel information, not medical advice. Nothing on this page diagnoses, treats, cures or prevents any condition. Talk to a doctor, pharmacist or pediatrician about symptoms or medicines.