As you journey through different destinations, your shoes, suitcase, and cell phone inevitably pick up a myriad of dirt and germs. Unsurprisingly, these items come into contact with various surfaces and countless hands, accumulating bacteria along the way. And while they’re not cleaned regularly, it turns out that they may not be the dirtiest travel item after all.
In a recent experiment conducted by JrPass, a Japanese rail pass company, several travel essentials like coats, phones, luggage, passports, and shoes were swabbed for bacteria and left to incubate. The results were startling—the dirtiest item wasn’t what most people would expect.
Passports emerged as the frontrunner in this germ showdown, holding a staggering 436 colonies formed per unit (CFUs) of bacteria. In contrast, the rest of the items tested had CFU counts below 100, with regular luggage trailing at 97, shoes at 65, hand luggage at 56, phones at 45, and coats at a relatively clean 15. This revelation sheds light on the fact that passports, due to multiple hand touches throughout a travel journey, host a significant amount of bacteria that may go unnoticed and uncleaned.
Dr. Primrose Freestone, an associate professor in clinical microbiology at the University of Leicester, explained to Travel + Leisure that our hands are veritable breeding grounds for various bacteria, fungi, and viruses. When we touch surfaces like passports in bustling airport environments, we inadvertently pick up additional microbes from the thousands of people passing through daily. The more hands that handle a passport, the more diverse the microbial deposits can be.
Considering this information, think about the number of times you’ve rifled through your passport for your travel documents, maybe even storing your plane or train ticket inside. These actions, coupled with eating and touching your face during travel, create opportunities for bacteria, fungi, and viruses to potentially enter your immune system. So, in addition to sanitizing your hands frequently, remember to include wiping down your passport in your cleanliness routine during your travels.
The experiment findings serve as a stark reminder of the importance of maintaining hygiene in overlooked areas like passports, which can harbor an unexpectedly high amount of bacteria. Amidst the hustle and bustle of travel, a simple act like sanitizing your passport can help minimize the risk of introducing harmful microbes into your system.
Peace Nero is a writer and blogger who loves to explore different topics of self-development. She shares her personal experiences in order to help people discover their true purpose in life.