With all the current worldwide hysteria about the spread of the Ebola virus, senior travelers may now suffer from the old fear of flying cliché. As with cruises, when one ship or aircraft among a thousand healthy daily schedules has a sanitation problem, too many seasoned wanderers consider staying home.

Of course, it can happen when the sicko in the next airline seat sneezes on you, or the taco you bought from a street vendor in sunny Cabo decides to defuse your cruise. Along with your doctor’s prescribed meds, you’ll reduce chances of travel-related illness by following a few simple rules you already heard countless times decades ago from your mom and school nurse.

Medicated tissues: Have them with you at all times, to wipe off arm rest, seat tray table, passenger seat, door handle, toilet seat, sink and other frequently-used areas.

Stay away from sickies: If someone nearby in a seat, elevator or check-in line is coughing and sneezing, get as far away as possible. If you can’t flee, turn away and put a tissue or hanky over your mouth and nose.

Be considerate: If you’re the one sneezing or coughing, do it totally into throwaway tissues and away from other people's faces.

Wash your hands: Do it frequently in hot water and soap, especially after using the toilet, eating and drinking.

No street vendor foods or liquids: While some carts are cleaner than restaurants, and despite what Anthony Bordain does, it isn’t worth the risk.

Drink only bottled water: The old warning about Mexican water also applies for many other areas of the world. It isn’t worth risking a sick senior stomach on what should be a trouble-free cruise or other adventure.

Wear a mask: Senior travelers see them more and more often these days, especially on Asian tourists. With so many medical scares in the news today, and if in big polluted cities such as London or Beijing during heavy smog emergencies, consider traveling with several throw-away surgical masks.