I’ve spent a lot of my career traveling and after moving to Arizona in 2009, traveling to visit family multiple times a year is a given. Even living a healthy lifestyle, it can be hard to stay healthy taveling when in and out of airports, sleeping in unfamiliar places and out of sync with typical daily routines.
In this post, I am sharing 5 tips to help you stay healthy when traveling. They are:
1. Proper Sleep
2. Boost Immune System
3. Nutrition
4. Hydration
5. Go with the Flow
Let’s go deeper so you can learn tips that might help you rethink how you travel and stay healthy!
5 Tips to Stay Healthy While Traveling
1. Proper Sleep
Sleep is important always but when traveling, it’s even more important. Skimping on sleep can lower your immune system and affect your mood – lowering your level of patience and making it easier to react negatively to things that might arise on travel days such as cancelled or delayed flights.
I like to “train” ahead of a travel day, especially if it’s an early flight and I will be getting up earlier and out of my routine.
Starting a few days before I’m flying anywhere, I start getting to bed a little earlier and setting my alarm earlier so that by travel day, I have started to adjust and my body had some time to adjust to a new schedule, without risk of losing sleep.
If I need to, I’ll take CBD (I take Ancient Nutrition Sound Sleep CBD) or Wish Gardens Sleepy Nights to help me relax. Rubbing magnesium oil on my feet before bed also helps for a good night sleep – traveling or not.
2. Boost Your Immune System
Your immune system is your key defense against getting sick. Proper sleep is a must but adding some extra supplements and/or adaptogenic foods is sure to give a good boost of protection.
I like to take immune boosting herbs like echinacea, or simply increase vitamin C containing vegetables like bell peppers, parsley, and kale.
3. Nutrition
Eating healthy foods while traveling can be challenging. I am seeing more and more healthy options at airports, but the key is to pack your own food if you ask me!
I save to-go containers from eating out so come travel day, I have disposable and recyclable containers to pack travel day breakfasts, lunches, dinners, or snacks.
Things that travel easy are overnight oats (just make sure there isn’t a lot of liquid), salads and my favorite thing to do is clean out the fridge of leftovers or foods that wouldn’t hold up while I am traveling.
My favorite snacks to pack are Go Macro bars, Blue Stripes Trail Mix or Granola, and of course, Biker & Baker Granola.
4. Hydration
Water, water, water… and electrolytes! I travel always with a reusable water bottle and ahead of traveling to the airport, I add a scoop of Redmond’s Relyte. (they even have a specific immunity version!)
Once you get through security, all you have to do is find a refillable water station or water fountain and fill it up. Redmond’s also makes on-the-go sticks for refilling throughout your entire trip
5. Go with the Flow
Keeping stress down on travel days might be more important than anything. Accepting that there might be delays or even cancellations and choosing to go with the flow (you are always where you need to be!) can help ease frustration if/when it does happen.
Another thing I do is make a list of things I don’t want to forget to do or forget to bring the night before I am traveling. This helps me get it out of my head so I’m not thinking about it all night losing sleep and it allows me to feel organized and prepared.
Throughout a travel day, I like to use Insight Timer for meditations, soothing music, and motivation to help keep peace and ease as my intention.
Start using these tips to stay healthy & grounded during travel days!
Implementing any number of these tips is sure to improve your traveling experiences. I hope you find them helpful and would love to hear any adjustments you make and how it turned out!
With Love, Jennifer