Commuters and coach travellers
Nervous about feeling sick on the train or bus? The commuter's plan
Bus and train sickness has a particular dread to it because it repeats: the same coach, the same backwards seat, every day. The fix is also repeatable. Face forward, sit by a window near the middle of the carriage or the front of the bus, keep your eyes up and out, never read, and if you know the route makes you sick, run a sound session 10 to 30 minutes before you board.
Sick on the bus? Drug-free sound therapy through any headphones: Prepare Me for the 10 to 30 minutes before, Motion Sickness Relief for once it starts.Starts in your browser · works with any headphones
Stop travel sickness on your commute. Get your personalized Dizzout plan. Paid subscription for full access.
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Key facts
- A backwards-facing seat is the single worst choice on a train for anyone prone to motion sickness.
- On a bus, the front section moves least and gives you the forward view the driver has.
- Reading on a bus is the classic trigger. Audio is the swap that works.
- Dizzout's Prepare Me mode is the same sound session in a quicker form, for the 10 to 30 minutes before a trip you expect to be rough.
- Dizzout is for passengers, with any headphones, at a volume that lets you hear announcements.
The plan, in order
Each step removes one thing that lowers your threshold for nausea, or one gap the dread grows in.
The night before
Load audio for the trip. Decide which carriage or which part of the bus you will aim for.
A decision made at home is one less thing to manage at the stop.
Best seat on a trainBefore you leave
Eat something light. Fill a water bottle.
Hungry is worse than fed.
What to eat10 to 30 minutes before boarding
Headphones on, run Prepare Me, then slow breathing with a long exhale while you wait.
The platform is the calm before the motion, and this is the window Prepare Me is built for.
The breathing exerciseOn board
Forward-facing, window, middle of the carriage or front of the bus. Eyes up and out. Phone away.
Each one removes an input your brain is arguing about.
Best seat on a busIf it starts anyway
Vent or window, slow exhale, press play on Motion Sickness Relief. Get off a stop early if you can.
Dizzout states relief in about 90 seconds. Solid ground resets quickly.
The 90-second protocol
Why a daily trip builds the dread fastest
Conditioning needs repetition, and a commute supplies it. A few bad mornings on the same coach and your body starts the nausea response at the bus stop. Add a packed carriage, no window and no way to leave, and the anxiety of being trapped joins in. The two feed each other: the fear slows your stomach, the stomach confirms the fear.
The same repetition can unteach it. A daily trip is also a daily chance to do the trip well, which is exactly how habituation works.
The seat and the view
On a train, sit facing forward, by a window, in the middle of the carriage, where the bogie motion is smallest. Never settle for a backwards seat if you are prone; stand in the vestibule instead if you have to. On a bus or coach, the front section is calmest and gives you the driver's view of the road. Our bus guide and train guide have the details, and the scenic railway pages rate specific lines.
Eyes up and out of the front or side window. The phone stays in the bag while the vehicle is moving. If you must occupy yourself, audio: a podcast or music you actually like.
If it starts on board
Take the vent or crack a window. Look as far ahead as the window allows. Breathe out slowly, longer than you breathe in. If you can get off a stop early and walk the rest, do; solid ground resets quickly. If you use Dizzout, press play on Motion Sickness Relief from your seat. Dizzout states relief in about 90 seconds.
On an underground train with no view, close your eyes, rest your head against the window frame and breathe. The lack of a horizon makes it harder, but the trip is usually short.
Board with a plan
Stop Motion Sickness Now
Dizzout is drug-free sound therapy through any headphones, for passengers. Run Prepare Me in the 10 to 30 minutes before you board, and Motion Sickness Relief from your seat if the trip gets to you, with relief in about 90 seconds. Free to download.
Get your personalized Dizzout plan. Paid subscription for full access.
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Questions people ask
Why do I get sick on the bus but not in a car?
A bus sways more, brakes harder, and you usually sit far from the front with no view of the road. You are also more likely to read or scroll on a bus. Move to the front section, face forward, keep your eyes out of the windscreen and put the phone away, and most of the difference disappears.
Can anxiety about being trapped on a train make me feel sick?
Yes. Feeling trapped in a packed carriage triggers the same body response as fear, and that response includes nausea. If you feel sick on a train that is barely moving, the trapped feeling is doing most of the work. Standing by the door, planning to get off a stop early if needed, and slow breathing all help with that part.
Can I use Dizzout on a train or bus?
Yes, as a passenger, with any wired or Bluetooth headphones. Keep the volume low enough to hear announcements. Prepare Me is for the 10 to 30 minutes before you board, and Motion Sickness Relief is for once you feel it, with relief in about 90 seconds.
Related
Sources
None of these studies tested Dizzout. They are the general research on anxiety, expectation and breathing.
This content is for general information only and is not medical advice. Dizzout is a wellness app for motion sickness and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition, including anxiety. Speak to a doctor if symptoms are severe or persistent, and to a doctor or therapist if fear is stopping you from travelling.