Maintaining your health while traveling Tips

Traveling is an exciting adventure, but maintaining your health on the go can be challenging. Whether your journey takes you on a long car ride, flight, boat or train ride these are some tips I always follow. These tips help continue to make me feel my best when out of my usual routine and I hope they can help you along your health and travel journeys!

Prepare for the Journey:

~ Hydration

Making sure I am very well hydrated before the journey, especially hydrated before flying, as the elevation can naturally dehydrate you. I like to begin extra hydrating two days before my flight with plenty of coconut water, herbal teas, bone broth, and Turmeric & Ginger drinks.

For flights, I recently found the biggest life hack, its to freeze your own drinks to bring on the plane with you! I like to have frozen coconut water, bone broth, or raw milk to bring along. These drinks will be allowed through TSA if frozen and they will thaw during your trip, providing refreshing hydration. This allows you to not feel obligated to hydrate with a less healthy option from the airport.

~ Healthy Snacks

I like to start by preparing for the trip with nourishing local snacks so I don’t get too hungry during my journey and stay fueled with happy and alive foods. My go too are fresh fruit, raw cheese, homemade gelatin gummies, sourdough bread, Raw butter and local grass-fed/finished jerky or pre-made steak. These nutritious snacks allow you to keep your energy levels up during your journey and to feel truly nourished. Again having access to your desired nourishing snacks with you allows you to not feel obligated to cave in, lower your standards and eat something at the airport or the gas station that you don’t really want to eat but you need to have some food in your system. It may not be as convenient for you to prep ahead of time with your food but it will be worth it in the long run of the journey!

~ Blue Light Blocking Glasses

These are my savior on a plane or being in the car at night! Having blue light blocking glasses or red/orange-tinted glasses can prevent disruption to your circadian rhythm. The bright, fluorescent lights at airports and on planes can stress your body, but these glasses help keep you calm and reduce stress. These are especially helpful if your flight or long drive is overnight. (Avoid using them if you’re driving at night for safety reasons.)

~ Turmeric and Ginger

I find myself getting headaches on planes or super long car rides, on planes from all the lights, other peoples smells, air condoning, etc. and in a long car ride that are windy or just not the smoothest ride. To help this from happening I take turmeric extract right before  leaving for my journey to prevent headaches. Fresh ginger or ginger chews are also excellent for nausea, headaches, and of course promoting gut happiness.

~ Movement

Having a simple stretching and light movement routine before going on a long journey, regardless if its by plane, train, boat or car, is so helpful in keeping your body from being in pain or super stiff. If you can get between 5-30 minutes of stretching and light movement to get you loosened up and your blood flowing before going to sit for a long time it truly makes all the difference! Taking breaks to stretch during your journey is also great!

These are what I find helps me before and during my journey, i also try to sleep as much as possile the few days leading up to travels. I hope you found something new you can try to help prepare you before and during a flight.

Upon Immediate Arrival:

Upon arrival, I like to balance my system and acclimate as soon as possible by:

1. Sunshine and Grounding ~ Expose my face/skin to sunlight and walk barefoot on the earth. This practice helps reset your circadian rhythm and reduce stress.

Sunshine boosts your vitamin D levels, supporting your immune system and mood. Grounding reduces inflammation, improves sleep, and enhances overall well-being by reconnecting you with the Earth's natural electric charge. Overall helping recalibrate your system after travels, bonus points if you can hop in the ocean or freshwater!

2. Light Movement ~ Engaging in stretching, soft movements, and light physical activity to get blood flowing and promote lymphatic drainage. This helps reopen your entire being after a long period of sitting.

3. Local Farm-to-Table Foods ~ Seeking out fresh, local foods to nourish my body and help it adjust to the new environment. I try to immediately find a local farm, natural heath food store with a local selection, or a farm to table restaurant highlighting the local farms they get their ingredients from as my first meal and nourishment in the new place. What option I go about is depending on when I arrive.

I find that making these 3 things an IMMEDIATE priority when landing in a new place is SO beneficial to my whole bodily function and really sets the tone for the rest of my stay.

During the Stay:

~ Farmers Markets

Visiting the local farmers markets for fresh groceries is crucial for me and maintaining my health with eating well during travels. Eating local produce and proteins ensures you're getting nutrient-rich foods. Local farm-fresh foods are more nutritious and typically free from harmful pesticides! Shopping at the local farmers markets helps support the local economy and connect you with the community and land.

P.S. Raw local honey can help with allergies by acclimating you to the local environment.

~ Eating Out

If you don’t have the luxury to cook during your travels, I recommend using the "Seed Oil Scout" app to help you find restaurants nearby that use healthy oils/fats to cook with like coconut oil, tallow, butter, lard, and ghee. This helps you avoid harmful oils such as canola, vegetable, palm, and soybean oils to maintain optimal gut health and feeling your best.

While indulgence is fun, especially during travels, nourishing my body with local, fresh foods is crucial for me to truly feel good during my entire trip. I also make sure to take digestive enzymes with every meal while traveling to help my gut function optimally and avoid stomach discomfort.

~ Detox and Stress Relief

For gentle detox and stress relief I try to find a wellness center or gym with a sauna. Bonus points if they have a steam room and cold plunge or offer massages. These practices reduce travel-related stress and detoxify your body of the harms it may have been with during the journey. I try to utilize these services within the first 3 days of my travels and if can, use multiple times throughout! This of course can be a luxury, so I find the cheapest most accessible way for everyone to experience this is by finding a local gym with a sauna! Get some movement in and sauna detox. Regular sauna use improves cardiovascular health, boosts immunity, promotes relaxation, and assists in detoxification by sweating out toxins.

~ Women's Health and Self-Care

As a woman, traveling can disrupt your cycle due to stress. So I try to follow all of these tips and tricks to of course maintain my overall health and my cycle health as a woman. I bring herbs and self-care products to maintain balance. Fresh herbs and tinctures for teas, yoni steams, and water additions help me keep my body calm and cycle in check. I make time for a bath with fresh herbs and CBD Epsom salts, a face mask, and a self-oiling massage to calm and reboot my body. I try to do a bath almost immediately when landing, face mask when needed, and self massage each morning and night. This allows my system to stay truly relaxed as possible.

These tips are crucial for maintaining my personal health and avoiding issues like headaches, breakouts, and discomfort while traveling from the excess stress. By following these practices, it can allow you to keep your body happy and feeling its best in every situation. I hope you found a new tip or two that can help your health journey during your travels!