7 Tips for Staying Healthy when you Travel

TravelingFig welcomes a collaboration with guest blogger, Jane Harrison, for this special article on tips for staying healthy while traveling the globe! Here at TF, our motto is ‘Eat Clean, Travel Dirty’. We are a community of conscious travelers, who strive to stay healthy and mindful while exploring off the beaten tourist path. This article has been altered and edited by Chelsea Gilson. All photos are sourced by TravelingFig and subject to copywriting violations if reprinted without consent.

Who has ever needed a vacation from your vacation? Overeating, overdrinking, lack of sleep, excessive sun… these can all derail your immune system and leave you exhausted and depleted when you return home. Avoid ending each trip at the doctor’s office with these seven top tips to keep you healthy when you travel:

1. Mindful Eating

By all means, eat the croissant in Paris and the pizza in Italy, it’s part of the experience! However, if you’re not careful on watching your portions and nutrients, then you could find yourself feeling tired, sluggish, and bloated. You don’t need to be living off smoothies and salads while you’re traveling, but do consider what you put in your body – it will be the fuel that helps you best explore your new surroundings. Starting your day off healthy is the best way to get a healthy dose of germ-fighting antioxidants and will leave you some extra calories to indulge later!

2. Mindful Drinking

Don’t go crazy, just because you can. You don’t want to spend your days recovering from the night before, and excessive alcohol can really take a toll on your immune system and mental health. Stick to clear spirits to avoid hangover and unwanted weight gain, and stay hydrated with water while you drink. A good practice is to assess how you feel after each drink. You only need 1-2 to feel the effects of the alcohol, anything after that is usually just a waste of money and calories. In foreign countries with a history of water contamination, it’s best practice to order drinks without ice so your don’t expose yourself to dangerous bacterias.

3. Get Moving

It doesn’t matter what kind of exercise you like whether you’re a gym bunny or love #yogaeverydamnday, you can definitely squeeze in some physical activity while traveling. The options are endless, from going for a jog to explore your new surrounds to starting the day with yoga at a nearby studio (which doubles as a great way to make local friends!). No matter what you choose, make sure to spend a few moments each day stretching out the travel kinks.

4. Be Sun Safe

The sun is so theraputic for us in so many ways – particularly when it comes to getting that hit of Vitamin D. However, as you well know, it can also be pretty dangerous if you’re not careful. Make sure you are covering yourself in sunscreen, even if it is overcast. Sunbaking isn’t worth the skin damage. Seek shade, reapply sunblock, and invest in a wide brim hat.

5. Bring Your Medications

If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are prone to allergies, indigestion or migraines, you need to make sure you’ve stocked up on supplies before setting foot on the plane. To ensure you get through customs without a hitch, leave all your medication in its original packaging and make sure it is clearly labeled. In some cases, you may need to get a doctor’s note before you leave the country with it too. Make sure you do this, as you don’t want to be stuck in another country needing your meds and fumbling through a foreign language trying to get help!

6. Calm the Mind

Flying anxiety is real. But many new travelers also feel anxious being in a foreign location for the first time. Managing stress and anxiety by keeping your mind healthy is just as important as keeping your body healthy. Add a quick few-minute meditation session first thing in the morning and whenever you’re feeling anxious on the plane. Try this triangle breathing technique if you have a hard time dropping into a meditative space:

Triangle Breath: with your eyes closed, inhale for 5 seconds, hold for 5 seconds, exhale for 5 seconds. While you do this, draw a mental triangle from your mouth to left eye as you breathe in, left eye to right eye as you hold, and right eye to mouth as you exhale.

7. Enjoy Your Trip!

A happier person is a healthier person, so my last piece of advice is simply, to enjoy every single blissful moment of your vacation. Leave the work and worry at home, stay present, and listen to your body. Just breathe, relax, and enjoy the exciting new place you’ve found yourself in.

Do you have any other tips for staying healthy when traveling to add to the list? Leave a comment!