Travel Wellness Tips

Who else gets sick almost every time they travel? You can’t see me but I’m raising my hand high over here. I don’t know if it’s from traveling on an airplane or the fact that we are always on the go and not getting much sleep while traveling, weakening my immune system and causing me to get a cold. Every. Single. Time.

After our last trip to Germany, I was sick for about a week after returning. I have since upped my travel wellness game to keep this from happening again. Here are my 9 travel wellness tips that will help you stay healthy while traveling.

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Get Enough Sleep

This goes for before, during, and after your trip. Sleep is such an important part of keeping your body healthy whether you are traveling or not.

Before Your Trip

Make sure you are getting adequate sleep every night, but especially every night for a week before your trip. I know that can be super hard because you are most likely stressed, packing, and trying to get your final to-do’s done before you leave.

You can read our post on packing and planning your trip to ease some of that stress.

Read: How to Plan Your First Trip Out of the Country

Read: What to Pack in a Carry-on for a Long Haul Flight

Sleeping While Traveling

 Getting enough sleep on a flight is so hard for me. I always end up with back and neck pain. My favorite things to help me sleep are my foot hammock, travel pillow, and my fuzzy socks. Ok, the socks don’t actually help me sleep, they just make me more comfortable and keep my feet warm. They also have an inflatable footrest that you can buy to help you sleep more. I’m debating getting one before my next trip.

Melatonin is also something that helps me sleep better when traveling. I use it on long haul flights and during our trip to help me sleep. I don’t normally sleep well when we’re on vacation because I’m so excited about the next day’s activities.

My biggest tip for getting sleep while traveling and fighting jet lag is the time zone trick. After boarding your last flight (do not do this if you have flight connections because you will risk missing your flight) change the time zone on your phone and watch to your final destination’s time. The goal is to get your body to recognize the time zone of your destination and get your normal schedule aligned with the new time zone. This helps me so much, especially when I’m on an overnight flight. 

 For example, when we flew to Germany we were arriving at 6:00 am Germany time. We tried to sleep on the plane between 12:00 am and 6:00 am Germany time.

Stay Hydrated

I never travel without my reusable water bottle. Staying hydrated is so important. Remember that you can’t bring a filled water bottle through airport security. You will need to wait until you get through security to fill up your water bottle at the water fountains or at one of the restaurants in the airport. Restaurant staff may not be able to fill up your personal cup, but they will most likely give you a cup of water that you can pour into your cup.

Liquid I.V. is one of my new favorite products. It’s a hydration multiplier. They come in small packets that you add to a bottle of water. Each bottle of water you drink with a packet of Liquid I.V. is the equivalent of 3 bottles of water! The small packets can easily be packed in your suitcase, carry on, or purse.

Wash Your Hands

I think this goes without saying but you should always be washing your hands before and after you eat, or touch anything that is public use like elevator buttons, doors, and stair rails. Hand sanitizer will become your best friend for times when there isn’t a sink or bathroom around.

I always travel with hand sanitizer and Lysol wipes. I use the Lysol wipes to wipe down my airplane seat, tray, and window area. This extra step makes me feel so much better when I’m traveling.

Pack a Travel-Sized Health Kit

I have a travel-sized health kit that I keep with all my traveling stuff so I don’t forget it. It includes:

Hand Sanitizer

Lysol/Clorox wipes

Tissues

Facial Wipes

Gloves

Mask

Eat Breakfast

Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Eating a good and healthy breakfast will just start your day off right. There’s nothing wrong with indulging in a delicious pastry for breakfast while in Europe, but just try and add some fruit, eggs, or oatmeal to your breakfast.

Don’t Forget to Eat/ Try to Eat Healthy

It can be hard to eat as much as you should while traveling. You are most likely on the go the entire time and you probably don’t know the area and where to eat.

Always pack some healthy snacks. We always pack tons of snacks for our trips. We keep some in our carry-on bags to have on the plane or in the airport and then some in our checked bag, if we have one, to enjoy on our trip.

Our favorite travel snacks are:

Almonds

Jerky

Granola Bars (Our favorites are Cliff bars, ONE bars, and Verb Energy bars)

         Verb energy bars are great. They have caffeine from green tea and don’t make you crash afterward. They taste great, vanilla latte and salted peanut butter are my FAV. They also have as much caffeine as a shot of espresso and they are only 90 cal.

Trail Mix

Fruit/Cheese/ Hard-boiled eggs

         We only bring these onto the flight because obviously they won’t be good after a few hours.

Vitamins

If you regularly take vitamins you definitely want to bring them with you on your trip. It’s important to keep a routine when taking vitamins and supplements (something I am terrible at but working on).

Something I like to use especially when traveling is Emergen-C. I normally use the drink mix type but they also have gummy vitamins you can buy. Another thing I have recently heard about, but haven’t tried yet, is Flightfud.

Flightfud is an in-flight drink elixir. It is a healthy wellness drink mix made for frequent flyers by a former flight attendant. It has so many amazing ingredients that support your body while flying. You can read more about their ingredients here.

Socks

If you don’t already wear shoes that require socks while traveling make sure you bring a pair of socks in your carry-on. When going through airport security you will have to remove your shoes. This already grosses me out but you definitely don’t want to be stuck barefoot going through security.

Having socks will also help if you take your shoes off while on the plane. This way you can put your socks on so your feet aren’t directly on the airplane floor.

Don’t Stop Exercising

Even if you can’t do a full workout while traveling, make sure you are taking a walk, stretching, or doing yoga. We are always walking around and exploring while we travel so we don’t worry too much about actually working out.

While on the plane though you need to make sure you are stretching frequently if you are on a long flight. You do not want to end up with blood clots from sitting on a flight for 12+ hours. Also, be sure to always have compression socks in your bag. They are amazing for promoting circulation and helping with any swelling from flying.

Relax

Last but not least, RELAX. Take some deep breaths and try to stay calm. Sometimes things happen while traveling that are out of your control. Your flight may be delayed or you could get a flat tire on your rental car. Try your best to stay calm and continue to enjoy your trip. Stressing out about things that aren’t in your control isn’t the best way to stay healthy.

Increased physical activity can also cause added “stress” to your body. Try not to pack your days too full. Take your time and enjoy even the slow times.

I hope these travel wellness tips will help you stay the healthiest you can be while traveling. Have an awesome travel wellness tip? Share it in the comments.