Traveling is fun. Jet lag? Not so much. Leaving one’s native habitat to go on the road for business, and even pleasure can be stressful and exhausting. That’s why I’m sharing my 5 Tips for Healthy Travel with you.
All types of travel can be intense and particularly brutal when vacation and business schedules don’t jibe with the needs of our body clock. Adjustments to different time zones are no fun. Here’s how to make the best out of things when you find yourself in a not so great situation and are far away from home.
5 Tips for Healthy Travel
1. Sleep
Sleep is so important. Dim clocks, unplug all of the land lines that go into your room as to avoid accidental calls and close any and all blackout shades and curtains. Use a white noise app on your phone to block out sound from other rooms or noise coming from nearby elevators when staying in a hotel.
2. Water is Your Best Friend
Remember to stay hydrated! If you’re like me you may forget to drink when you’re not at home and in your regular routine. Flying can be very dehydrating for some people, so be sure to drink a little more water than you do on your non-travel days. I find that once I get dehydrated it can be very challenging to catch up and rehydrate, so best to avoid this scenario altogether and drink up!
3. Pack Snacks
I pack almonds and when I get to my destination I’ll purchase a green apple if I happen to pass by a grocery store or deli. Having healthy snacks on hand prevents me from eating sugar which I crave when I’m tired and fatigued.
4. Walk
Pack a pair of walking shoes so that you can take a nice long walk and stretch out your legs whenever you have a block of free time. If you don’t have free time, make time to go for a walk, at the very least, every other day. If you’re on vacation, remember to get a couple of workouts in so you don’t feel any worse for the wear when you get home.
5. Juice Bars are Your Secret Weapon
If you drink green juice on a daily basis (like I do when I’m home) take a few moments to do an online search of juice bars so you’re not deprived of the good green stuff. When I’m traveling on business to New York City, I make a point of going to Organic Avenue (they have quite a selection of green juice with no added fruit). Most big cities now have fresh pressed juice dispensaries as well. When I’m traveling I purchase a couple of bottles of juice at a time so that I can keep a spare in the refrigerator of my hotel room. Green juice is incredibly energizing and healing for me, especially during travel. If you’re on vacation, note that some hotels now serve green juice, such as the Chateau Marmont, where I stay when I’m in Los Angeles.
I hope you enjoyed my 5 tips for healthy travel! Stay tuned for more travel tips in the near future, when I share how I organize and pack my vitamins and herbal supplements as depicted in the photo above.
What are your secrets for traveling healthy and making your trips more fun and less exhausting?
Lynne says
Individual packets of raw nuts etc from Trader Joes. Avocados
Emma says
I like to take a knife & spoon, plus one avocado for each day of travel (at various states of ripeness). No need for refrigeration. Eat 1/2 for a snack or a whole one for a meal. Easy-peasey! Oh, I also take little packets of salt & a baby bottle of Tabasco to add flavor!
SusanA says
Thanks for the link to these tips, Elana. You asked what healthy lifestyle topics we’d like to hear more about. For me, that would be following a paleo or autoimmune protocol while traveling in foreign countries when you can’t cook your own meals. I would love to hear how you managed that during your recent trip.