I finally took an extended vacation. Honestly, in my adult life and working career, I have NEVER taken more than a couple of days off, so the thought of taking three whole weeks off (that’s what I did) terrified me. I was able to travel to some beautiful places…Greece and Ireland. I loved them both but for different reasons. So what did I learn from this travel? First of all some helpful tips for staying healthy while travelling. I will share with you right away!
Drink warm water
On the flight, ask for warm water for your beverage or peppermint tea. This will help prevent some of those travel constipation issues that are common especially when travelling to a place long away your home.
Hydrate your skin on the flight
I use a cocoa butter stick to stay hydrated for my lips, cheeks, and hands. It comes in a handy stick, and you can use it for so many things, and it takes up no room!
Eye mask
This is one of the top tips for staying healthy while travelling that comes in handy on flights, in bright hotel rooms or if you need to sleep while in transit on a train or a bus. This is great for long red-eye flights or international flights. I bust mine out all the time. It’s also useful if you want to avoid the person sitting next to you. You can also pop on your eye mask and tune out from the world around you and tune into yourself and do a little meditation. This is one of my favourite items especially during a flight. You can also go for earplugs if you need them.
Scarf
I always have a scarf in my carry on. The beauty of this is that the scarf can serve multiple purposes while travelling. It can keep you warm as a blanket, cover your eyes for sleeping, rolled up as a pillow or simply use as a scarf is intended to be used. My favourite go-to scarf for travel is from lululemon.
Pack snacks
This comes in handy for so many stuff. As we all know, airports aren’t exactly the healthiest or the cheapest. I always pack some nuts and occasionally dried fruit or a mix I have made. Some bars always come in handy. Lately, I’ve been loving Kind bars (I order mine online…way cheaper) and the Bulletproof Vanilla Collagen bars (which taste like shortbread). Also, the small packets of almond butter from Justin’s are outstanding. If you are taking a domestic flight, I throw in an apple (I used to do bananas, but I squished a few too many and it just made a mess in my bag…lesson learned 🙁 )
A journal or notebook
I don’t know about you, but I always get good insight when flying. I get some of my best ideas on a flight so I always have to have a journal or my laptop to note something down. I also love to reflect when I travel. If you don’t do this, I strongly encourage trying it out.
SLEEP
Don’t set the alarm on your trip when you can. Use your vacation to re-set and recharge and allow yourself to rest for however long your body needs. You might be playing catch up the first day and snoozing for 10 hours….enjoy it! Well, to be honest this should be only parts of the tips for staying healthy while travelling; getting a good night’s sleep should be on your list daily anyway!
Don’t be afraid to indulge
Now, I am not saying go nuts here. I am more saying enjoy yourself while you are on vacation. This can be enjoying a delicious meal, taking a nap, maybe having dessert, enjoying a cup of coffee with nowhere to go, going for a hike, or running across the beautiful countryside. I always think of the summer I lived in Italy. The day started by sitting at the cafe sipping a cappuccino, enjoying a delicious croissant, and chatting with the shop owner. Personally, now I enjoy my coffee in the mornings. I enjoy the ritual of sitting and enjoying a cup of coffee. It reminds me of Italy as well as sitting with one of my best friends in the morning and just talking and laughing.
Be flexible
This might be on the top of the list of tips for staying healthy while travelling. There is a lot of stuff out of your control when travelling, especially when you fly. Know that there will be delays, issues, or bumps in the road. Try to find the humour in the situation or use a delay to catch up on work, read, pop on some music, zone out, or meditate. Remember, these things are out of our control, so there is no point in getting stressed about it….
My tips for staying healthy while travelling: Conclusion
Unfortunately for me, travelling these past few weeks has just made me want to travel more. I do not think that is a bad thing. In fact, it inspires me to work harder so that I can take more time off. The biggest takeaway from my long vacations (friends….well, mostly strangers for the first part and then family for the second half) was to always be myself no matter what.
Guess what…that is precisely what I did. I connected with people I didn’t know (the people I sailed around Greece with…I only knew one person on the trip). I was able to laugh, tell stories, share inside jokes, talk about real-life issues (big talk…no time wasted with small talk), and truly enjoy my week I spent with these people. It truly is amazing what happens in your life when you are real, authentic and genuine…amazing people, moments and opportunities come into your life.
So I personally had a fantastic trip, and hopefully, my story has pieces you can relate to.
