Traveling is amazing but maintaining health and fitness routine during the travel can be challenging for many people.
Long hours spent roaming around the airport, overindulging in culinary specialties, lack of sleep – these can all be detrimental for your health and wellbeing.
Not to mention stomach bugs, too many mosquito bites or some other health problems that can easily ruin your mood, or even worse – drain your energy and prevent you from achieving your traveling goals.
When you’re on the go, it’s important to try to ward off illness, just like you would do at home.
Here are the top six tips for staying healthy while traveling.
1. Plan Your Journey Ahead
When you already know the destination of your journey and the length of your stay, check whether there are any specific health recommendations that you should know, especially if you’re traveling internationally.
Certain diseases are more common in some parts of the world, and there are specific recommendations you need to follow, such as vaccines or medications. For example, in India, there is a higher risk of Cholera, Malaria and Dengue Fever, so you should be aware of these dangers and the ways you can keep yourself protected.
If you have any health concerns related to the country you’re traveling to, talk to a travel health care specialist and take extra precautions. Also, be sure to:
- Pack your medications and your prescriptions.
- Pack your vitamins, supplements, and probiotics.
- Pack the sunscreen.
- Carry a list and let your traveling partners know of any allergies you might have.
- Have a list of vaccines with you.
- Have a first-aid kit.
Getting travel insurance is highly recommended, as the medical bills in foreign countries can really be expensive.
2. Make Wise Food Choices
Although maintaining your balanced diet when you’re traveling can really seem difficult, there are a few things you can do to keep eating healthy.
- Include a lot of simple and fresh meals in your diet.
- Check out restaurants beforehand and choose the ones that have plenty of healthy food options.
- Stay away from alcohol and sugary beverages.
- Check out a well-supplied health food shop and bring some snacks along, such as dry fruits or nuts, or protein bars.
- Download an app that you can use to track calories and nutrients.
If you’d like to try out local foods and drinks, treat yourself to some delicacies occasionally. Just make sure that your next meal is light and healthy. You should aim for eating healthy for 80% of your time away.
3. Stick With Your Workouts
Sticking with your workout routine when traveling can be hard to achieve, but if you’re committed to fulfilling this goal, you’ll find ways to keep yourself active. Still, it will require some planning on your side.
You can begin planning your fitness activities once you know your destination as you can determine what options you have available. You might have a pool where you’re staying or a gym you can use. Or maybe there is a great park nearby you can visit for a morning run?
Explore all these options, and if what you find doesn’t look too satisfying, bring your own portable equipment and download a few of your favorite exercise sessions on your mobile device.
Once you get to your destination, it’s wise to plan your workout in advance. Schedule your workout and organize the rest of the day around this activity – this way it won’t be easy for you to rationalize skipping it.
4. Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is essential for your wellbeing and your energy levels, which is especially important during your travels.
After all, no one is really in the mood for sightseeing or exploring when all they can think about is the moment when they will be able to close their eyes and take a nap.
When you’re sleepy, you’re also more likely to make some bad food choices, let alone make other lousy decisions since you’re feeling foggy.
It’s important to allow yourself enough time to rest during your trip so that you can enjoy all the adventures to the fullest. Listen to the needs of your body, and aim for getting 7 to 8 hours of undisturbed good night’s sleep.
5. Hydrate
Don’t let dehydration spoil your travel, as it happens often on the road. Headaches, hunger pangs, energy lows, dry skin – this and other more serious consequences can all be avoided if you carry your own water with you, wherever you go.
It’s a good idea to bring a reusable bottle with you, and use every opportunity you have to refill it. Avoid alcohol and coffee, as they can work against hydration.
Potassium-rich foods, as well as coconut and banana water, will also rehydrate you, and they will help you keep the fluids in your body, so you won’t need to reach out for your water bottle all the time.
6. Pack a First-Aid Kit
Having a first-aid kit with you on your travel can help you with some minor health issues or common health emergencies.
In addition to the medicine, you regularly take, make sure your first-aid kit includes:
- Aspirin or ibuprofen in case of pain or fever
- Antiacid medicine
- Antihistamines
- Motion sickness medicine
- Bandages and bandage closures
- Sting relief
- Antibacterial hand wipes
- Band-aids
- Anti-bacterial cream
- Hydrogen-peroxide for disinfection
- Thermometer
- Aloe Vera gel for sunburns
There are a lot of other things that can be added to this list, but what you’ll pack will pretty much depend on the destination you’re visiting, as well as the type of travel.
Don’t forget to protect your skin too, against sunburns and mosquito bites. Always wear sunscreen while you’re outdoors and use repellent if you’re visiting an area with a large population of mosquitos and insects.
Follow these tips to stay healthy during your travels, and enjoy each one of your days away!
