banish

Travelling by car can make some people feel queasy, but one woman has uncovered a simple trick that might make your sickness vanish – and it involves one simple cold remedy

Travel sickness can make life incredibly difficult for those who struggle with it. It makes using public transport a chore as you have to make sure you’re not going to be sick on an unsuspecting stranger on the train, and even travelling by car can be a nightmare, as many people who suffer can’t drive themselves.

There are many products on the market that claim to tackle travel sickness, such as patches and tablets, but these may not work for everyone, and aren’t always accessible if you suddenly feel motion sick and need effective relief. One woman, however, has claimed that one product most of us have in our medicine cabinets is “life-saving” for travel sickness sufferers.

In a video on Instagram, Kiki Rough explained that she was recently “fighting for her life” while trying not to be sick in the back of a taxi that was taking her to the airport.

She told the taxi driver that if she was sick in the car she would pay for the car to be cleaned and would give the driver a hefty tip for having to deal with the unpleasant situation – but the driver did something unexpected.

Instead of getting angry that Kiki was at risk of vomiting, the driver reached into her pocket and pulled out some Vicks VapoRub, which she handed to Kiki and told her to “put it under her nose”.

Kiki explained: “When I tell you, three decades of my life where I have fought to not throw up on every long-form car trip just disappeared. My nausea? Out the window.”

The kindness of the taxi driver didn’t stop there, as she also pulled out a small, empty container and scooped some of the VapoRub into it, handing it to Kiki for the rest of her journey, along with the sweet message: “Don’t get sick on your flight.”

Commenters on the video were blown away by the trick. Many said it would be “life-saving” for their upcoming trips if the smell of the Vicks product could keep them from feeling sick.

One person said: “I’m actually excited to try a long car ride now. Thank you for sharing this!”

Another added: “This is LIFE SAVING.”

A third wrote: “Did you just change my life with this?”

It’s believed that Vicks VapoRub works because the menthol scent blocks any strong smells that might be exacerbating your illness.

Getting fresh air and breathing in clean smells are proven ways to alleviate motion sickness, and the smell of Vicks could contribute to that.

Advice for dealing with motion sickness

Vicks is not designed to cure motion sickness, and the trick may not work for everyone, but there are other things you can try. According to the NHS, you can try these steps to ease the sickness yourself:

• Reduce motion by sitting in the front seat of a car or the middle of a boat
• Look straight ahead at a fixed point, such as the horizon
• Breathe fresh air if possible – for example, by opening a car window
• Close your eyes and breathe slowly while focusing on your breathing
• Break up long journeys to get some fresh air, drink water or take a walk
• Try ginger to settle the stomach, either as a tablet, in a biscuit, or in tea

The NHS also recommends that you do not do the following:

• Do not read, watch films or use electronic devices
• Do not look at moving objects, such as passing cars or rolling waves
• Do not eat heavy meals, spicy foods, or drink alcohol shortly before or during travel
• Do not go on fairground rides if they make you feel unwell

WE may well be seeing lower slug and snail numbers this summer thanks to colder weather in winter and the recent dry spells.

But mother nature never makes it easy for us. Instead – of course – there’s a new pest in town.

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Aphid levels have rocketed this year – and the RHS reckons it’s top of the list of gardening queries to their hotline.

There’s over 500 different species found in the UK – and can be red, yellow, black, green, brown or pink.

They feed by sucking sap from plants – and can cause severe damage – including distorted growth, sooty mould and plant viruses – and sometimes plant death.

Chelsea award winning gardener Adam Woolcott – and Webb ambassador – gave Sun Gardening some top tips on how to tackle the most common early summer pests.

APHIDS

Physically remove the aphids from the stems and leaves.
Use natural insecticidal soaps.
Blast off with water jets.
Encourage predators such as ladybirds, lacewings, and hoverflies

VINE WEEVIL

Both the adult vine weevil beetles and their larvae cause damage.
Adults — all female — chew distinctive ‘U-shaped’ notches in leaves, particularly on evergreen shrubs like rhododendrons, escallonias, and viburnums.
Underground: larvae feed on plant roots and can kill container plants like Heucheras.
Remove adults at night when they’re most active
Break the life cycle with biological controls such as nematodes (apply in spring and autumn when grubs are active) Chemical treatments are a last resort, but offer longer-term control

LILY BEETLE

The bright red beetles and their larvae are both covered in their excrement. They can strip a plant in days, affecting flowering and bulb health.

Remove beetles by hand where practical
Encourage wildlife into the garden. Birds and ground beetles will eat the larvae
Grow a resistant variety.
Tolerate some damage if you can — total eradication isn’t always necessary.

CATERPILLARS

Especially troublesome in veg patches. Cabbage white butterfly caterpillars love brassicas, while box tree caterpillars are spreading rapidly across the UK, stripping foliage as they go.

Remove the caterpillars by hand if you can and destroy any badly affected plants (if practical) to stop the infestation from spreading.
Use biological sprays like nematodes.
In some cases, hot water and a mild detergent can help. Ecover is on sale at Dunelm for £2.45.
As a last resort, chemical controls can be effective

Also in Veronica’s Column this week…

Top tips, Gardening news, and a competition to win a £250 lawnmower

NEWS KING Charles made a surprise visit to Windsor Flower Show last Saturday. Celebrities including Alex Jones and Kirsty Gallacher were at the one-day show – which had wonderful village fair vibes, vegetable and cake competitions and fantastic floral displays.

TOP TIP JUNE is actually a good time to take Hydrangea cuttings – and get your own plants for free. They’ll have produced some soft green growth – which is what you want. Choose healthy, non flowering shoots that are 10-15cm long and cut just below the node (the leaf joint). Don’t collect cuttings from plants with leaves that are turning brown. And try to collect in the morning if you can.
Remove the lower leaves – leaving just one or two at the top.
Then dip the end in rooting powder or gel – then pop it straight in a pot. You could splash out on seeding and cutting compost – but multi purpose will do – just add a bit of grit or perlite. Then keep them out of direct sunlight and keep moist. They should have rooted within about a month.

NEWS A RARE ‘sheep-eating’ South American plant has flowered in an English primary school for the first time. The Puya Chilensis, with its iconic spike pattern, is normally found in the Andes in Chile. But after it was planted 10 years ago by school horticulturalist Louise Moreton, it has sent out a 10ft spike at Wicor Primary School in Portchester, Hants. It’s called a Sheep Catcher as it would normally entangle wildlife, hold onto it – and then when the animal died – would take the nutrients. Ms Moreton said it was exciting but a worrying sign of global warming.

WIN! Keep your lawn looking its best this summer by winning a Webb Classic Self Propelled Petrol Lawn Mower worth £249.99. To enter visit www.thesun.co.uk/WEBBCOMP or write to Sun Webb competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, email or phone. UK residents 18+ only. Entries close 11.59pm. July 5, 2025. T&Cs apply.

TOP TIP IF you want to get more flowers from your sedums (now called Hylotelephiums) and prevent them from collapsing – pinch them out around now. Pinch off around four sets of leaves down – which will make them bushier.

JOB OF THE WEEK Weeds thrive this month – keep on top of them by hoeing. Tie in sweet peas, and give your plants a good feed – liquid seaweed feed is great – and Tomorite works with nearly everything. Give agapanthus a high-potash feed every couple of weeks.

For more top tips and gardening news, follow me @biros_and_bloom