Several years back, I went to Alaska and one of the highlights of the vacation was supposed to be a flight-seeing trip so that we could get close-up, aerial views of Denali National Park [1].

On the day of our flight, the weather was perfect. Except for a few high clouds, we had a bluebird sky and visibility that went for miles. We did have a little wind, but nothing that fazed our pilot.

The take-off was amazing. We soared over the Alaska Range [2], snow-capped peaks, and glacial rivers. And as we approached the craggy mountains, our plane dipped suddenly and my stomach started to churn in a foreboding way.

I have no idea what kind of plane we were in. All I know is that it was little, noisy, and very, very bumpy. It didn't take long for the motion sickness [3] to set in. By the time we swooped in for close-up views the craggy cliffs, I was too dizzy to look out the windows anymore.

I know the sight of Mt. McKinley [4] and its surrounding peaks was stunning, but I only managed to take in a few, quick glimpses of it. Unfortunately, I'll forever remember feeling queasy rather than the region's spectacular views.

After that, I learned my lesson. I bought a pair of acupressure [4] bands from my drugstore for about $8, and I've toted them around on every vacation I've taken since. They're cloth bands with a plastic pebble [5] that is designed to be pressed against the inner wrist to ward off nausea and motion sickness.

So far, though, I've never needed to test them out, so I can't speak to their effectiveness. But there's an interesting article about these bands in the Los Angeles [6] Times [7]. Their reporter, nicknamed the Healthy Skeptic, tested out the claims on a merry-go-round and personally found little relief.

Still, the article noted that many independent tests have shown that pushing the P6 point in the wrist [8]—with a wrist band or just with your thumb—can control motion sickness.

When it comes to controlling nausea, another trick I've tried—with some success—is ginger. A few years ago, when I came down with a stomach flu, I became hooked on ginger drops. I bought a bag of them, and still keep a stash in my cupboard and pop one whenever my stomach feels unsettled.

For the record, there doesn't appear to be much research to support ginger's effectiveness for controlling nausea in the scientific community. (WebMD lists some other helpful tips [9]to help prevent motion sickness, including drinking ginger ale.)

Still, ginger has long been a natural remedy for nausea [9] and it's been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. There is no harm in trying it out. Personally, I'm a believer.