Traveling the world whether you’re headed a couple towns over in the United States or a couple countries over in Europe, is one of the most amazing things in the world. Travel allows us to experience other cultures, meet new people, step out of our comfort zones, explore new places and learn more about ourselves and others. While half the fun is getting there, the journey to your destination can sometimes be long, time-consuming and stressful.
If you want your travels to be as comfortable, stress-free and easy as possible, it’s a good idea to focus on your health during your trip. Staying healthy while traveling is one of my best travel tips and is a sure way to make your experience the best possible because if you feel good, you’ll do good and have an amazing time. Travel often messes with our mind and body between the constant go, go, go, the dehydration, the unfamiliar locations, jet-lag, different time zones and exhaustion of needing to stay alert while we get from one place to the next. I personally believe health should be one of the top priorities when traveling and there are many practical tips on how to safeguard your health when traveling, whether locally or internationally.
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20 Health Tips While Traveling
Plan Ahead
Having a game-plan ahead of time, regardless of when and where you’re going, is the best way to be set up for success. Start by keeping a Google spreadsheet of your trip, what the itinerary looks like and make a list of ways in which you can put your health first. This can include if you’re driving or flying, how long the travel time is, what activities will be like at your destination and how active you will be.
Strategically mapping out your trip and building in healthy practices is a really smart way to stay healthy, even while on the go. I find that if you don’t build these in, you can easily overlook it and skip out on some practical healthy habits. Plan ahead and stay organized so you can keep yourself accountable.
Exercise Before Traveling
I always make an effort to get in a good workout not only a day before traveling, but the entire week before. Whether you like cardio, dancing, weight-training, yoga, etc., exercise can help boost your immune system, keep you burning calories throughout the day and overall make you feel great for your travels.
Doing a good leg workout the day before is especially nice because there’s nothing like being sore when you have to do a lot of sitting! It will make you feel less groggy or uneasy when you know your muscles are sore and recovering with a nice well-earned rest day. Not that rest has to be earned, but you know what I mean.
Get a Massage
Whether you’re a message person or not, it’s a good idea to get some sort of therapeutic massage as it releases so much stress and tension in the body. Depending on your job, you likely have tension in your body and muscles from repeated actions throughout the week. Massages help loosen our tension, pain, muscles and act as a detox to your body which can significantly reduce lethargic and tight pains from traveling. This is especially great if you will be sitting or sleeping for long periods of time, like in a car, bus or airplane for example.
The best places to get a message, in my opinion, are at hotel spas. They curate such a beautiful experience and have a variety of options to choose from whether you want to get a massage, a facial or any other beauty treatments. They always have such a rejuvenating and tranquil atmosphere that will leave you feeling totally relaxed before your trip.
Get a Good Night Sleep
Sleep, if you haven’t already figured out, is everything. I suggest going to bed early the night before your trip, even if you won’t fall asleep right away, just to relax and encourage a long, good night sleep before traveling. Sleep deprivation is proven to cause drowsiness, irritability, decrease energy levels and cause slower thinking which can be tough to deal with during your travels.
Once you’re at your destination and sleep several nights in a foreign bed, you’ll likely have some trouble sleeping, more-so during the first few nights. There isn’t any easy way around this as our bodies just take time to adjust to a foreign bed, but what you can do is create a similar nightly routine at home on your travels as well. That includes your skincare routine, taking advantage of luxurious robes at hotels, taking a hot shower or bath, reading a book or watching your favorite show. Repetition even in a foreign place can make a huge difference.
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Stay Hydrated
This might be my best tip for healthy travel. It’s so important to stay hydrated before, during and after your trip. Water solves so many of our problems throughout the day including lethargy, headaches, hunger, energy, mood and more. Investing in a good travel water bottle is best so you can always have one with you and sip it throughout your travels. A few water bottle brands I like includes Swell and LARQ Bottle PureVis
If you’re flying on an airplane, it’s best to hydrate hours before flying as planes tend to significantly dehydrate us due to the changes in altitude. They will almost always have bottled water on-flight as well if you want to take one with you. While constantly having to use the restroom is annoying, being dehydrated is even more annoying and troublesome. Besides, if you focus on hydrating hours before your trip, you won’t have to worry about drinking as much on the plane as constantly getting up could not only be an annoyance to you, but others as well.
If you generally have trouble staying hydrated and drinking enough water, using LiquidIV can help you out. It’s a powdered, great-tasting, non-GMO electrolyte mix you can add to your water to multiply hydration. It’s great for people who just don’t drink enough water! I use them during my travels and always feel so much better. They have a ton of flavors to choose from too. Use code JESSLITRAS for 25% off your purchase.
Avoid Alcohol
As fun as it is to grab a cocktail or a beer at the airport or on the plane, it’s a good idea to limit alcohol use when you’re traveling and save it for when you make it to your destination. Alcohol severely dehydrates you, makes you drowsy, limits your decision-making and can increase your risk of feeling sick. Do yourself a favor and just avoid it all together during your travels, you’ll be better off and can fully enjoy a cocktail when you get there.
Pack Healthy Snacks
When you’re getting ready for a day of travel, it’s a good idea to pack some healthy and nutritious snacks to keep your energy up. Sometimes you don’t know when and where you’ll get food, so it’s wise to be prepared. I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t know until my mid-twenties that you can bring any food you want with you on airplanes. I now bring at least 2-3 snacks with me every-time I travel.
Some healthy snacks you can bring include bananas, apple slices, beef jerky, dried fruit, popcorn, granola bars and nuts. I suggest getting these at a grocery store before your trip as snack prices on the road and at airports can be quite expensive and not as healthy.
Bring Medicine
It never hurts to bring a handful of medicine in-case you start to feel ill on your travels. There’s nothing worse than having your travels ruined by a headache or upset stomach. You can organize your medicine in a travel case and keep it in a purse or carry-on bag. Travel medicine I suggest packing includes ibuprofen, Tylenol, Claritin, Dramamine, Airborne, Tums, Pepto Bismol and Emergen-C. Order some travel essentials here.
Pack a First-Aid Kit
This is a great way to prepare for the unexpected. There are convenient travel first-aid kits that are small, compact and light to carry around. They include things like bandaids, gauze, alcohol pads, Neosporin, small scissors and safety pins. Get your own travel first-aid kit here. Depending on where you’re going, it also wouldn’t hurt to get some insect repellent. Bug bites can be such a pain when traveling!
Take Supplements
Bringing supplements is a good idea to boost your immune system when you’re not in your normal environment and routine. Drinking water, bringing healthy snacks and taking supplements are a great combination of healthy habits while traveling. Good supplements to bring with you include daily multivitamins, probiotics, immune support supplements, protein and melatonin.
Bring Travel Skincare
Traveling doesn’t mean you have to do away with your normal skincare routine. If you have a robust skincare routine, there’s mini tubes and containers you can transfer your product into to be up to TSA standards for liquids and creams. If you’re wondering what skincare products are most important for travel, I always suggest a water-based cleanser, an anti-fungal, anti-acne and anti-aging serum and a good moisturizer. While there are several amazing skincare products out there, these are the basics to consider for travel.
My personal favorite skincare brands include Tula (use 15JESS for 15% off), Bliss, Drunk Elephant, Glossier and Herbal Face Food.
Wear Sunscreen
Another highly important product to bring with you is sunscreen. Did you know sunscreen should be worn year-round? Regardless if the sun is out or not, UV-rays can still make their way to your skin, so wearing it year-round, especially on your travels, is the way to go.
Obviously, if you’re making your way to a tropical destination, you’ll want to bring sunscreen as the sunscreen can often be ridiculously expensive at hotels and resorts. Better to get a couple travel-size ahead of time! My favorite facial sunscreen is the Protect + Glow sunscreen from Tula.
Wear Makeup as Least as Possible
I know this is a weird one, but during our travels, we tend to come in contact with many different surfaces and atmospheres that can negatively affect our skin and cause breakouts. This can be on an airplane, in taxis, on the subway, in restaurants, bars, etc. Obviously wearing makeup to public places to socialize are the exception, as I’m mostly referring to the actual travel days. These days, especially with wearing masks in public places, it’s best to take care of your skin and let it breathe!
Stay Active During Your journey
Most people don’t make time to exercise during their vacations and rightfully so. However, using the hotel gym, exercising in your room, going for a walk, etc. whenever you can, will help contribute to your overall health, energy level and happiness during the trip. If you make it a habit when traveling, it becomes even easier and more seamless.
For example, when I travel I make a point to do some form of exercise every other day. This includes hitting up the hotel gym, getting in a nice stretch or just tracking my steps with my iWatch throughout my journey. Ever since investing in an iWatch, I’ve increased my daily activity, burned more calories and worked out more often all so I can track my activity and close my rings. It’s a very satisfying way to stay healthy and it helps keep you accountable. They also have a ton of bands so you can switch them out and dress it up or down for certain occasions.
Choose Healthy Meals as Much as Possible
This one can be hard when on the go, which is why healthy snacks are important to bring, but once you’re at your destination, it’s a good idea to make a conscious decision to eat at least 1-2 healthy meals a day as we can easily slip into a coma of comfort food when eating at restaurants constantly. There’s always healthier options on every menu and if you stay somewhere you can cook, that’s even better!
Generally, the best foods you can stick to when staying healthy while traveling include greens, fruits, beans, nuts, whole wheats, chicken, rice, lean beef, fish and lemon. I am not a dietician or professional when it comes to nutrition, these are just my favorites when I’m traveling.
Stretch When You Can
Whether you’re at the airport, on the plane, in a car or in your hotel room, make a point to stretch your body. Stretching is another way in addition to exercising, to relieve stress from your body and lessen the tension from walking often and sitting in uncomfortable positions. I like to do stretches like standing hamstring stretches, calf stretches against the wall, cross-leg stretches, arm stretches and neck rolls. Here’s a great article to follow for stretch ideas while traveling.
Wash Your Hands Often
This might seem obvious, but washing your hands as much as possible is a smart way to stay healthy as you’re typically coming in contact with several surfaces and germs. Thankfully most facilities you will travel through will have them and you can always keep hand sanitizer in your purse, just in case.
Bring Sanitizing Wipes
Wipes are great for wiping down surfaces to make the area around you cleaner. While you can’t control where germs will be present, sanitizing wipes help alleviate stress and give peace of mind knowing that you’re somewhat in control of the surfaces and environment around you. They are another easy and light-weight product to carry around!
Read books or Listen to Uplifting podcasts
Traveling, as wonderful as it can be, can also bring on anxiety and stress. Having a good book to dive into or an inspiring and comforting podcast queued up can help you stay calm, relaxed and also expand your mind while traveling. It will also help keep you entertained during downtime.
Make Sure to Take Time to Yourself
Wherever you’re going and whoever you’re going with, make it a priority to step away and take time to yourself, whatever that means for you. If you have rituals and comforts you do at home to stay in a safe place, do those in your travels too. Feeling physically good is important, but mental health is equally as important, if not more.
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