Would you still travel if you had the flu?

With the holidays fast approaching, more people will be boarding airplanes to visit family and friends. This is also the season of increased flu outbreaks, and this year we have an additional virus to battle with the swine flu. Airplanes have long been seen as an incubator of all kinds of germs, though studies show the air within the airplane cabin itself is no more germ-laden than other enclosed public areas.

AP Photo/Pat Roque

Still, if the stranger sitting by you on the plane is coughing and sneezing non-stop, it’s hard to not be concerned about your own health.  And a recent survey by TripAdvisor suggests that your flight mate may indeed have the flu. According to the survey, 51 percent of Americans would fly while knowingly sick with the flu rather than pay a flight re-booking fee.

If you were diagnosed with the flu or swine flu before a planned trip this holiday season, would you still fly? Would you take any precautions, such as wearing a mask? How do you feel about others who decide to fly while sick?

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