I've spent the last month traveling through 4 Asian countries. Here's what I've been doing to try to lessen my chances of getting sick as coronavirus spreads.

I keep making this mistake and kicking myself. With the available news around the virus changing on an hourly basis, booking something a week before can mean that you still have to end up canceling.

When I was planning to visit Cambodia, for example, a cruise ship disembarking sparked questions regarding the country's actions to prevent the spread of the virus. I ended up canceling my flight 48-hours before boarding, without any chance of getting a refund.

Even if you don't get sick, a new report could make somewhere that was once your dream vacation seem suddenly dangerous. So, make sure all your flights and hotels are refundable.

Find out how to get a refund here.

Hand sanitizer is great, but you know what's better? Actually washing your hands.

Any time you are somewhere with a bathroom or a public sink, pop in and wash your hands. Yes, even if you just washed them 20 minutes ago. While traveling, you don't always know when you're going to wander past another public bathroom, so take advantage of all the sinks and soap you can.

Washing your hands is literally experts' top tip on how to prevent getting sick. This is the most important thing you can do to prevent getting or spreading the coronavirus, or any other sickness when you're traveling. Wash your hands!

Read more about the right way to wash your hands here.

When you aren't washing your hands, you should be sanitizing your hands regularly. Carry your own hand sanitizer. And, if you spot some in public, use it. It's a nice visual reminder to keep your hands clean.

Coronavirus can be spread via surfaces, like a plane armrest or your phone surface. So, the CDC recommends disinfecting what you can. I brought Lysol wipes and disinfected every plane seat I sat in, which made me feel a bit silly, but safe.

Read more about my lessons learned while flying here.

Experts explained to Pallini why my tendency to claim the window seat isn't just a quest for more room.

"Stay away from people who are coughing or exhibiting any other signs of a respiratory illness," Dr. Bernard Camins, medical director for infection prevention at the Mount Sinai Health System, said.

According to Dr. Camins, close contact for the coronavirus is considered six feet. The aisle seat provides hours of close contact, as people walk by throughout the flight. So, you should book the window seat. Camins says it also worth avoiding high-contact areas such as the bathroom on flights.

Read more about how to prevent getting sick on airplanes here.

The CDC's main advice is to clean your hands, not touch your face, disinfect your stuff, and avoid sick people. (Masks are optional.)

Cleaning is within your control. Avoiding sick people can be a bit harder, but doable. Skip tours where you'll be packed in with a ton of people on a boat or a hostel where you'll be sleeping on top of each other.

In countries where there is a very low chance of getting sick, this isn't really going to make much of a difference, since you're unlikely to get sick either way. But, it let me sleep easier — which can make a difference.

Advice for preventing coronavirus is pretty similar to preventing most types of illnesses. You need to get plenty of sleep and avoid stress.

I've been trying to go to bed early and taking Emergen-C or Vitamin C tablets. Plus, despite all the delicious food, I've been trying to eat reasonably well and stay hydrated to keep my immune system up and running more generally.

It's easy to allow panic to take over your trip. So, I've tried to stay away from going overboard on researching the twists and turns of the outbreak.

My goal is to know enough to make the safe decision, but not so much I'm panicking over the unlikely chance I'll get sick.

Remember those refundable flights you booked? Those are going to pay off for you when you prove yourself to be a super-flexible traveler, capable of rerouting flights and rebooking hotels at the drop of a hat.

In general, you need to be willing to change plans last minute. A country like Italy that is safe one week might be on the CDC's list of countries not to visit the next. When this happens, you can cancel the trip, or reroute it somewhere new.

If you're traveling right now, things can change very quickly. The only way to keep traveling is to stay flexible and be willing to completely change your plans last minute.