6 tips to staying healthy while traveling

If you’ve ever experienced a head cold or, God forbid, loose bowels while on a plane, you know how miserable that is. In today’s post, I am going to give 6 tips to help you avoid the level of hell that Dante forgot to mention: traveling while sick.

Eat well, well before your trip

Before your trip, do you tend to eat the bottom of the barrel food to try to eliminate all perishables in your fridge, or do you purposely find foods that are healthy and easy to digest? If you are like me, you often fall to the former – eating the last of the leftovers and trying to finish up those last few drops of milk. What you should do, however, is find foods to eat that provide you with extra vitamin intake and that help keep your bathroom visits regular. Salads, especially with more hearty greens, are great lunches as they can increase your body’s resilience by providing vitamins and minerals to help fight colds and sicknesses. The spinach or other roughage help you eliminate more often and have less buildup to deal with on the plane.

Eat smart, right before your trip

Prior to your trip, it is important to consider your travel plans and plan your food in advance. This will not only help you stay healthy, but also should help your wallet. Prior to leaving, decide upon a meal or snack that will keep you full for a long time. Avoid empty calories and choose foods such as smoothies, sandwiches, yogurts, hearty soups, or protein/fiber bars. This will eliminate the need to stop at one of the many fast food joints in the airport, and will provide you with a healthy meal prior to your vacation (where people often don’t eat as healthily).

Drink water, lots of it, throughout your trip

Most people do not drink as much water while traveling as they do other times. Often they do it strategically, thinking that if they drink less, they will have to get up to use the restroom on the plane less. However, drinking less water reduces the circulation of nutrients in your body. You want to stay hydrated so that all the healthy food you ate pre-trip can do its work! Water also helps your body eliminate toxins, thus helping you stay healthy.

Clean your seat on the plane

Airplanes are one of the dirtiest places to be in terms of germs. So many people together in one place with little air circulation spells a higher likelihood for disaster. Bringing along wet wipes, a Norwex cloth, or some other method to wipe down the seat, belt, lap tray and surroundings while in your seat can help reduce your contact with other people’s germs. It isn’t a failsafe method, but it will increase your odds of staying healthy.

Exercise while on vacation

Many people stop exercising while on vacation. After all, it’s your time to relax, right? However, that type of thinking can make it easier for you to get sick. Exercising while on vacation helps you to loosen up and can help your lymph nodes work better at eliminating toxins. Don’t worry, I’m not talking 60 minute hard workouts! Going for a walk, doing some jumping jacks or other plyometrics in your room, or even swimming a few laps in your hotel swimming pool would suffice to help you stay well.

Make sure to rest

I like to jam pack my vacations with tons of things to do and see, so much so that sometimes I forget that I have late nights planned prior to early mornings. Having a proper amount of sleep each night is one of the best ways to ensure a healthy vacation. Most people require between 7-9 hours of sleep each night to be at their peak the next day. If you have a late night planned, try not to plan an early morning the next day. Put away your phone or tablet at night to help yourself fall asleep faster. Make sure to get outside during the day so that your body knows to produce melatonin at night. Limit alcohol consumption at bedtime as it can disrupt sleep.

What do you think, are there other ways that you prevent sickness while on a trip?