travel smart | staying healthy while traveling
we’ve spent a lot of this month talking about travel tips, tricks, and hacks. i’ve also given you some travel outfit ideas and shown you my flat layouts for Florida. today, though, i want to focus on a slightly different topic: staying healthy while traveling.
staying healthy in general can be a challenge no doubt. whether it’s tailoring our diets or managing to make it to the gym regularly, there’s a lot to consider and do. and things can get particularly difficult when we leave our familiar environment and venture away from home.
forget routine; it goes straight out the window.
healthy eating? yeah right. dinner out again.
caught a cold. again. that darn recycled airplane air.
so what i want to do today is just give you some plain, practical advice on staying healthy while traveling. whether it’s just a weekend getaway or a week on the coast, i’m hoping some of these tips (many of which seem totally obvious when you see them in print), will make for a slightly healthier and happier vacation. and if i missed any, let me know yours in the comments below.
staying healthy while traveling
keep it clean
there is a lot going on the world right now. and while i generally stay away from current events over here on the blog, it’s impossible to ignore the inherent health risks in traveling at present. hand washing is your first line of defense. and while washing your hands with soap may seem obvious, it is the easiest, cheapest way to protect your health on a plane. keep a pack of sanitizing wipes easily accessible to clean your hands and surfaces on the plane like your tray table.
stay hydrated
staying hydrated is key to avoiding catching a cold while traveling by plane. bringing your own bottle or buying a large one at the airport is important because the amount of water you need on a plane far exceeds the amount the attendants give you in the air. pack a large bottle of water like this one.
give your immune system a kick start
supplements can get your immune system into gear. if you don’t already use supplements, start taking them a few days before you travel to give your immune system a head start. here are a few must brings.
- Vitamin C (Emergen-C). add a packet to your water and get supplement support while you stay hydrated.
- Zinc Lozenges. zinc can help regulate the immune system to keep you from catching a cold and it can shorten the duration of a cold.
- Olly Super Foods Multivitamin. super foods including wheatgrass and açaí, plus a blend of vitamins D, E, B6 and B12 will have you feeling super!
supplementary meals
it’s also important to keep your body humming along and often times airport restaurants and newsstands don’t have the best foods for us (or if they do, they’re often overpriced). you will feel better and your immune system will thank you for packing healthy snacks. plus you never know if you might find yourself unable to get a snack due to delays, so it’s always good to have a snack that will work for you and not against you.
meal bars are easy to pack. there are so many flavors on the market that you’re sure to find one that suits your taste. i vote for meal and protein bars that aren’t loaded with sugar. sugar will spike your glucose and leave you feeling even hungrier and tired.
- for a slightly sweet bar that is gluten, dairy, soy and added sugar free, try: Sans
- for a savory bar that is really satisfying, try Epic Bars
jet lag is a pain!
if you happen to be traveling where jet lag is an issue, acclimating yourself to your destination time zone as early as your arrival for your departure can help with jet lag symptoms. this includes a schedule for eating and sleeping on the plane.
if you are traveling west, studies have shown that exercising in the evenings as a recovery method can be beneficial because exercise blocks the production of melatonin, helping you stay awake later into the evening.
getting out in the sunlight has also been proven to benefit the symptoms of jet lag. if you arrive in the daylight hours, take a 30 minute walk outside when you get to your hotel. in order to regulate your circadian rhythm to your new timezone, waking up and being in the sunlight early, during normal hours will help tremendously.
First of all, I love the outfits you’re wearing in the photos accompanying this post. Great picks, all of them. I especially like the one of you wearing the black and white outfit….just gorgeous!
Great ideas, too, about keeping healthy while traveling. I always mean to buy a bottle of water at the airport, and never do. Maybe because I hate using the facilities on a plane…
I always pack a small cosmetic bag that I’ve made into my first aid kit. I stock it with blister-packs of OTC meds ( aleve, antihistamines, pepto -bysmol, etc.) a few bandaids, small tube of neosporin, scissors, and tweezers. You can buy any of these wherever you travel, but who wants to hunt for a pharmacy while on vacation?
Great post. Enjoy Florida. It’s nothing but rain, rain, and more rain here in Georgia.
I swear by saline nose spray when flying. It moisturizes is important in the dry cabin air. For me that means fewer vacation sinus infections😊
That is an excellent suggestion!
All great advice. Looking at the pictures I definitely miss your shorter very chic hair.
I liked that you showed different outfits today.
Excellent tips, Beth. I never realized, that you can take packaged snacks through security, but my daughter-in-law always packs snacks and or sandwiches plus their own metal/plastic water bottles. Even better now with designated water bottle stations!
Another tip, is to register with the embassy if travelling out of country and make sure that your insurance is adequate, you have ‘direct’ numbers as some countries don’t allow collect calls to be sent. Also know which hospitals your insurance recommends. I just went through dry pneumonia out of country, and with no charge as opposed to one poor soul with a $85,000.US bill. They don’t let you leave the hospital until it is paid! Also avoid the rumour mill on the internet, just verify the hospital with your insurance.
Love that bathing suit fab colours.
Lots of good tips. I always tell myself to try not to touch my eyes or mouth if at all possible with my hands when I’m traveling. And yes–cleaning hands frequently is a must. I have sometimes on the road stopped at little open markets to pick up fruit or veggies and maybe nuts or cheese to snack on that are healthy. I almost always picked up a bag of pistachios or mixed nuts to bring with me on the road. Hope you are relaxing and enjoying your son this week!
I wondered if your daughter-in-law is still working at Style and if she made the Florida trip. She may have found a different job?
Great tips! I try to do many of these. It is scary with the health issues going on right now. Cleaning the tray and seat on the plane is a great gigabit to get into! Happy trails!
Habit!!!