Do you
struggle with staying healthy when you travel?
From lack of healthy food options in the airport to being seated right
next to the one person who is coughing in your face, there are many perils to
your health. If you are like me, you
want to be able to travel as needed but remain in optimal health when you do. That’s why I’m putting together a list for
you of my Top Ten Travel Tips! I’m a
planner and the number one thing you can do is think ahead and take these few
steps to make your trip a success!
Before
you leave, your best bet is maintaining a baseline of adequate sleep and a
strong immune system, nourished by minimal processed foods and sugars, and
stress management. If your immune system
is suppressed before you take off by long-work days, poor sleep and junk food,
you are setting yourself up for picking up a bug when you leave.
1. Plan
Before you leave check out various options
for hotels or rentals where you will be staying. If you are staying in a hotel, request a
small fridge and/or microwave in your room so that you can bring or prepare
some of your own healthy meals. Most
hotels will accommodate you for medical necessity if you have
gluten-intolerance or other food allergies.
Check to see where the nearest Whole Foods or natural grocery store is
located. Many will offer deliver service
right to your hotel. If you are staying
for a week or more renting a condo or room with kitchenette is the best option purchasing
and preparing healthy unprocessed meals.
You can also use online retailers like Vitacost.com and ship items
directly to your hotel before you arrive.
For longer trips where there is no access to a healthy grocery, I
frequently have coconut milk or other healthy non-perishable food items shipped
directly to the hotel where I’ll be staying.
2. Pack food
They say, “Fail to plan and plan to
fail”, for a reason, right? Before traveling,
pack items, like packets of nut butter, shredded coconut, nut and seed mixes,
dried jerky, or packets of wild salmon and sardines in your carry-on. Don’t count on the airport to have the healthy
foods you need. If you’re like me a
plastic container of wilted iceberg lettuce and half-rotten cherry tomatoes
just doesn’t hold any appeal. Planning
ahead and making sure you have food with you is especially important if you
have celiac disease or severe food allergies.
There are very few airports restaurants that cater to those of us who
demand whole organic unprocessed options.
Even if you find a sit-down restaurant or grill, they are likely serving
you farm-raised chicken or salmon and not the pastured or wild-caught
varieties.
I frequently take some frozen, premade meals, like baked organic chicken, red
peppers, broccoli, chives, garlic, ginger, basil and sea salt, drizzled with
organic olive oil. You can freeze them,
like I do, in recycled jars. They pack
very nicely in your checked luggage with an ice pack will remain frozen or cold
until you arrive at your destination to put them in the fridge. Once there you can heat them up anytime for
an instant healthy, home cooked organic meal.
(If you want to purchase my smoothie
recipe items from Thorne, here’s how…)
3. Sleep
It’s essential to make sure you get
7-8 hours the night before you travel. I
specifically avoid scheduling my flights prior to 10am so that I can get
adequate sleep the night before and have my morning routine before a big
trip. While you are gone make every
effort to maintain good sleep hygiene and get 7-8 hours per night. If you must have a sleepless night, take a
quick nap to catch up. If you are
traveling overseas or crossing time zones, try melatonin 3-6mg one an hour
before planned bedtime beginning one day prior to leaving and continue for one
to two weeks after you return home.
Melatonin is excellent remedy to help you adjust your circadian rhythms for
the new time zone.
Still not sleeping? Check out my 12 Tips for Banishing Insomnia here!
4. Wi-fi
Many people are very sensitive to
wi-fi in the environment. If you live in
a condo complex or apartment, you may notice the effects from the many other
wi-fi signals around you. At home, be
sure to put your phones and iPads on airplane mode at night if they lie on your
bedside table. If you are in a plane
with wi-fi, as most have nowadays, then you captive in a long metal tube which
large wi-fi exposure as you fly.
Hydrating at a cellular level can keep you from feeling symptoms, like
fatigue, headache or brain fog from this exposure.
I recommend drinking 1 liter of
filtered water prior to boarding and 1 liter for every hour you are on the
plane (you might want an aisle seat because you will be using the
restroom J) Drink
another liter once you land. I also
recommend taking Coenzyme Q10 200-400mg prior boarding the plane. In addition, the plane is grounded but you
are not unless you are touching the metal of the frame. Try taking off your socks and shoes and
putting your bare foot on the metal seat base in front of you during the
flight. This way you are grounded along
with the plane as you are flying. It’s
pretty simple with potentially profound benefit… just make sure you are wearing
clean socks or you might just have one unhappy neighbor!
5. Coffee
Yes, coffee! If you read my blog, you know I'm a fan. Click here to read my article on Bulletproof™coffee and my specific coffee travel tips (hint, buy these Upgraded
coffee cartridges). I recommend avoiding caffeine during the flight
itself so that you are not dehydrated.
Once you land, you can drink a cup of you prefer. Avoid instant coffees as they are more
likely to cross-react to gluten for those of you who are gluten-intolerant. They are also more processed and more likely
to contain pesticides and mold toxins.
6. Exercise
Just because you are on vacation
doesn’t mean you are excused from moving your body! Start your day with yoga,
take a walk, go for a jog and explore the city or surroundings! I always pack my running shoes, sunglasses,
Garmin watch and workout clothes so that I am ready for any adventure. Don’t forget your bathing suit if you
swim! Most hotels offer fitness centers and
a pool where you can stretch, swim laps, lift weights or use the
treadmill. I find one of the best ways
to explore the location I am visiting is to go for an early morning jog and see
the nearby sites. Stop in a local café
for a coffee or tea and ask the locals what the best sites to see are. Usually the hotel concierge will be able to
advise you of jogging trails or best paths to take to avoid heavy traffic. If
all else fails, make time to stretch and do sun salutations on a mat in your
hotel room… and no need to bring your own.
Hotels, like the Westin will bring a mat, fitness gear, even tennis
shoes to your room if you’ve forgotten yours!
7. Hydration
While we can survive days without
food, pure clean water is essential and without it we would not survive
long. Purchase several liters of water
before you get on the plane and once you debark, be sure to pick up
another. If possible, carry a glass or
aluminum re-fillable water bottle to avoid the BPA in plastic bottles. This will save you money and time and can
easily be refilled at any public drinking fountain. In your hotel room, be sure you have plenty
of bottled water on hand so that you are not drinking out of the nasty bathroom
faucet. This can be delivered to your
hotel before you arrive if you are staying for a few days. Most hotels also have a lobby sundry shop
where you can purchase water, as well. Don’t
forget to use the filtered water to brew your coffee and tea in your room. One of my favorite tips for hydration is using
electrolytes added to my water. You can
purchase travel electrolyte packets from Emergen C ElectroMix and pour them into your water bottle for extra
potassium and magnesium.
8. Vitamins
Perhaps the most powerful immune
supporting vitamin is none other than Vitamin D3. If you feel the onset of a cold or flu bug,
you can take high dose Vitamin D3 (25,000-50,000IU daily) for 2 or 3 days to knock out
the virus out. You can also take that
dose one time on the day you travel to help your immune system fight anything
it might encounter. Warning: Do not take this dose of vitamin D3 for
longer than 3 days as you may become toxic, since vitamin D is stored in fat
tissue.
Be sure to pack any other
supplements that you take regularly. I
recommend getting snack-size
Ziploc baggies. To differentiate your morning and evening
pills, get the snack baggies with fun graphics, like moons and stars, so that
you can easily differentiate your day from evening pills. Pack your pills for the number of days you
will be gone and put all of these small individual prepared baggies in one
large quart-size bag and toss it in your carry-on or checked luggage. You could use one of the 7-day pill
organizers, of course, but if you’re like me that reminds me of granny AND my
pills don’t come close to fitting in those tiny boxes J
If you have prescription
medications, it is best to keep this in their original bottle with instructions
from the pharmacy. Check airline
guidelines for international travel as some countries have restrictions on what
you can carry in. If in doubt, ask your
doctor to write a note that you can carry through security that you are allowed
to carry food or vitamins due to medical necessity.
9. Travel Remedies
Expect the unexpected is a good
motto to have when traveling. Here’s a
list of things you may want to pack in case of illness:
- Boiron Osccillococcinum – I take one vial prior to boarding plane to prevent
flu. You may also take 1 vial up to 3X
daily for acute flu symptoms.
- Boiron ColdCalm and Sinusalia – use these tabs for natural symptomatic relief of
cold or flu symptoms. Take 2 tabs every
2-3 hours or until your symptoms are gone.
- L-Lysine – Take 4-6 grams daily for acute outbreak of
stress-related cold sores or 1 gram daily to prevent outbreak.
- Upgraded charcoal tabs – I don’t leave home without these fantastic
binders. Great for exposure to harmful
chemicals or if you suspect you might have food poisoning. Also helpful if you ate something you
shouldn’t and experience gas & bloating or diarrhea. Take 500-1000mg with large glass of water two
or three times daily as needed.
- Magnesium Citrate – the dirty secret no one likes to admit is that
many people experience constipation when traveling.
- Vitamin C – Extra vitamin C is
helpful to keep your immune system in tip-top shape. I suggest taking a little extra when you
travel. It also has a nice
anti-histamine affect if you experience allergies.
- Hyland’s Motion Sickness tabs or Sea Bands are essential if you suffer from motion sickness
during travel.
10. Travel with comforts
Have a favorite pillow? A soft, snuggly sweatshirt or throw? How
about your favorite relaxation playlist?
Don't forget to pack a few things that make you feel comfortable on the
plane or once you arrive to your destination.
My essentials are a travel blanket to roll and put behind my back for
lumbar support and my husband always carries an inflatable travel neck support,
like this one. In addition,
it’s a good idea to wear layers since airplane temperatures vary and the
climate of your destination may vary dramatically from home. Pack an extra pair of socks, underwear,
toothpaste, and other essentials in your carry-on in the slight chance your
checked luggage is lost or delayed. My
favorite part of airline travel getting to enjoy a good read, guilt free… so don’t
forget to pack your favorite book or download one on your iPad before you
go. Unless you are prepping for a big
presentation, relax and let yourself enjoy the flight, work-free and
guilt-free! I like to use the time to
prayer or meditate, too.
With a little planning, even those
of us with food restrictions or health issues can have a great time! Hope you find my top ten tips helpful… and Bon
Voyage!
