10 Tips for Healthy Travel
Written by Epic Road’s Dietary Travel Advisor
dr. diane neman
“Traveling is a wonderful thing. There’s nothing quite like seeing the world in all its beauty and intricacy. However, travel can disrupt your normal routines, which makes it difficult to follow your normal ways of living healthy. To make traveling as good for your body as it is for your mind and soul, here are a few easy tips and reminders that work wonders, no matter where you are. ”
Try the Country’s Authentic Cuisine
How you fuel your body is one of the primary factors in good health. And when you’re seeing the world, choosing healthy food is also an opportunity to experience a different culture, deliciously! Unfortunately, nowadays even the most far-flung and culturally rich countries have adopted westernized ways of eating, with fast food joints on every corner. You can find the “standard American diet” with its large portions, saturated fat, and processed ingredients.
All of which, as you can guess, is not only unhealthy, but will have you coming home to a closet full of clothes that no longer fit! The good news is, traditional foods across the globe are still available, and they’re amazing! Traditional cuisine means the foods that various peoples have been eating for centuries, long before chemical labs and food factories existed. Based on whole, natural ingredients, traditional cuisine is flavorful, wholesome, and an education in itself.
So, the same way you set out to experience ancient sites and natural wonders, enjoy the authentic foods and skip any mainstream dining. From the freshest seafood of the coast to the abundant produce of rural farming areas, enjoy the time-honored ways of cooking and eating. You can do a lot of mouthwatering research on restaurants and markets as part of your itinerary planning, before you start your trip!
2. Establish an Exercise Routine
Exercising is an instant mood-boost, and a crucial part of living a healthy lifestyle. One super-simple way to exercise while traveling is to walk, and walk, and walk, everywhere! Take advantage of walking tours to do some in-depth sight-seeing, and get a good workout in at the same time. If you can hit up the gym for a quick 30 minute workout before your day starts, even better! You may be thinking, “Uh uh! I didn’t spend all this time and money to come to an exotic destination, just to go to a hotel gym!” But remember, spending thirty to sixty minutes minutes getting in a good workout will leave you feeling more energized, and send endorphins pumping through your system. Exercising regularly will help you to enjoy your travels even more! You can also incorporate physical activity into your plans by including adventures, like kayaking, biking, hiking, or snorkeling, and swimming.
3. Hydrate
It’s hard to overestimate the importance of staying hydrated, but the whirlwind and distractions of a destination trip can sometimes make you forgetful. Oftentimes, especially during long travel days or exploring under the heat, people misconstrue dehydration for hunger cues. Dehydration can make food, especially foods that are cold and sweet, seem very appealing. This can lead travelers to eat more, instead of drinking water. Intentionally hydrating will help you regulate your hunger cues and control your appetite. Hydration is also super important for staving off headaches and cravings, especially when you’re doing walking tours, hiking, and other activities throughout the day. I always bring a 1-liter reusable sports bottle in my suitcase, and use it during the entire trip!
4. Fix the Mini Fridge
One important thing to settle right away is your hotel’s mini-fridge. It can be all too tempting to grab the Snickers bar when you’re tired from a long day out, and probably still jet lagged on top of it. But although it might feel like a good idea to put whatever you can into your hungry belly, your body won’t thank you for the sugar overload and disrupted sleep that follows!
Instead, request that your hotel empty out the mini fridge. That will help you avoid temptation, and also give you a place to store some snacks you can feel good about.
Some staples I bring along with me that are filling and provide much-needed energy include protein bars (No Cow are my favorite!), nut butters (1-ingredient brands), and brown rice crackers.
And, pro tip: planning a bag of snacks in advance to have on the plane is a great idea, too! Just say no to plane food!
5. Get Your Snacks at Local Markets
Hit up the local market for extra snacks and lunch items! Make sure you always have some goodies in your travel bag, to stave off hunger and prevent those I’m-starving-must-have-fries moments. Try the local fresh vegetables and fruit; they’ll be bursting with flavor.
And while you’re at it, it’s a great idea to buy extra to keep in your (now-empty) mini fridge. You’ll be glad you did!
6. Prioritize Sleep
Jet lag and poor sleep are a surefire way to make bad food choices, and all three together create a real energy deficit for physical activities. Poor sleep also interferes with your immune response, which is no fun, especially when you’re far from home. But how do you battle crossing time zones to build a whole new sleep rhythm?
There are a few different tactics you can try. For many people, flights are so tiring that simply going to bed in the new time zone with the lights out, and perhaps some peppermint or chamomile tea, will get the job done!
Supplements can also help you adjust to your new time zone as soon as possible. Melatonin is widely used as a safe sleep aid; take 30 minutes before bedtime, keep the lights low, and try to catch some zzz’s. Other options that work well include combinations of GABA, 5-HTP, L-Theanine, or Magnesium Glycinate.
A word about atmosphere: when you’re already having difficulty getting to sleep, any small distraction can feel huge! Try covering all of the small sources of light that we often overlook: light coming in from under a door, from a bathroom door that’s ajar, even on a coffee maker or your phone charger. Additionally, you can help reduce the distracting effects of unfamiliar noises by running a white noise machine or a fan.
Finally, respect your body’s sleep needs. The wear and tear of crossing time zones, carrying heavy luggage to and from airports, hotels, buses, and cabs, and the physical toll of walking all increase your need for rest and recovery. Plus, as exhilarating as travel can be, there’s also an element of stress: missing a flight, missing a bus, losing a suitcase, finding a market. It’s a lot! Give your schedule enough flexibility that you can go to bed early, take naps, and even sleep in as needed.
7. Pace Your Alcohol Consumption
Perhaps you’ve left an exhausting work routine, or highly-energetic small kids, at home. This is a much-needed vacation, and your idea of unwinding is having that alcohol stream through your blood as soon as you hit the plane. That’s fine, but you are also spending lots of energy, time, and money to take this dream vacation - so don’t kill it by being hungover, headachy, and drowsy because of too much booze!
And alcohol not only leaves you feeling crummy from the hangover; it also suppresses your immune system. And when you’re traveling, you’re exposing your body to all sorts of new environments and the germs that come along with those environments, which means more pressure on your immune system to sort the germs out and fight off the bad ones.
Finally, while drinking can make you sleepy, it’s ultimately a step backward in terms of getting quality rest and adjusting to a new time zone. That’s because alcohol, like sugar, actually disrupts your melatonin cycles. You may fall asleep okay, but as your body processes the alcohol, you’ll find that your sleep is disrupted and poor-quality.
So, while you definitely can and should enjoy some of the wine vineyards or regional sake, shift your mind framework. Instead of getting sloshed, focus on pacing yourself so that you can savor the alcohol as part of your cultural, culinary experience.
8. Boost Your Immune System
Since your immune system will need to work overtime on a trip, it’s a good idea to give it good fuel. I always stock up on immune-boosting essentials to bring with me. These include Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Zinc, and Magnesium. A good multivitamin also helps. For airplane days, I also take a preventative Wellness Formula.
Sunlight and exercise also give your immune system a boost, so again, plan to do a fair amount of walking. If that’s not enough to really exercise your body, try hitting a gym or finding a day pass to an area where you can hike, canoe, rock climb, or pursue some other fun and healthy activity!
9. Love Your Skin
While you’re out and about, don’t forget the SPF! Your skin is your largest organ. It’s literally the frontier where your body encounters the rest of the world. So treat it with some love. Bring travel-size SPF creams, and don’t forget to reapply every couple of hours.
Also, if you’re going somewhere with mosquitos, bring along some spray, or repellent bracelets on your wrists and ankles. The last thing you want to deal with on a fun trip are painful sunburns and irritating bites!
10. Enjoy a Good Breakfast
Normally, as a health coach and nutritionist, I don’t promote a “you have to have breakfast” type of diet. Everyone is different, and some people just don’t care for breakfast. They’re fine starting their day in mid-morning, or even at noon. When you’re home, and doing well with sleep, exercise, diet, and work-life routine, it really doesn’t matter when you start eating, in my book. All that matters is that your eating schedule doesn’t cause a spiral effect in which you end up hungry and making poor food choices.
Traveling is different, though! You’re not on your regular routine, and you don’t really know what the day may hold. Instead, you’re in a different time zone, probably feeling sleep-deprived, and you have a very full day ahead of you. So fuel up with a nutrient-rich breakfast. Choose foods that are packed with protein, like eggs or Greek yogurt. Add healthy carbs such as oatmeal and fruit; omega fats are also important, so reach for some avocado if possible. My favorite breakfast before a big day of sightseeing is a big, egg-white omelet filled with veggies, mushrooms, and avocado. I have a side of berries along with that; it’s delicious! And it keeps me satisfied and nourished from the get-go.
I hope these tips for staying healthy while traveling resonate with you. Traveling and health are both privileges to be cherished and enjoyed! So happy travels, and best wishes for a healthy adventure.
