stay healthy while traveling

We all agree that traveling can be amazing and we should do it as much as we can. However, this can be ruined by a simple case of sickness while on a trip. Staying healthy while traveling is very important. It is not a new thing to fall ill while visiting a new destination; sometimes our body just refuses to adapt to change.

We’ll go over 10 tips below.

  • Get Vaccinated
  • Restock your first aid kit
  • Carry enough water
  • Carry your medication
  • Get enough sleep
  • Eat the right way
  • Exercise
  • Avoid alcohol
  • Avoid heavy lifting
  • Stay active

    10 Best Tips for Staying Healthy While Traveling

    1. Get vaccinated

    vaccination travel

     

    Most countries require you to be vaccinated for yellow fever before entering the country. It is also recommended to get a vaccination against diseases such as malaria, hepatitis A/B, and cholera among many others in order to stay healthy while traveling.

    Vaccinations ensure that you are protected in case of outbreaks. Vaccinations should be done at least a month before the traveling rather than on the final few days before traveling.

    This is because most vaccines take a while before they are able to offer full protection. It’s always best to prevent sickness and disease before it happens.

    2. Restock your first aid kit

    If you are going to enjoy outdoor activities, maybe camping or hiking, go prepared with a well-stocked first-aid kit. This is the same for cases where you are planning to drive for long distances. This comes in handy if you are involved in minor accidents while on the road.

    In your first aid kit, be sure to carry medication to take care of diarrhea, anti-histamines and something for motion or sea-sickness depending on your destination.

    Other essential things that you should carry in your first aid kit may include hand sanitizers, disinfectant wipes, and bandages.

    3. Carry enough water

    drinking water for travelers

     

    Simple: stay hydrated during your travels. It is said that a human being can go for over 21 days without food but only 3 days alive without water.Dehydration is very common for travelers and you should always carry enough clean water. Taking water will prevent cases of headaches and stomach upset.

    If you are going to be spending a lot of time on the beach in the sunshine, water can be your best friend. Avoid drinking river water, wells or lakes without boiling it first or at least purifying and treating it before you drink.

    Our family uses and loves the Lifestraw Personal Water Filter. It’s perfect for all travelers, hiking and camping. You can get more information and reviews on Amazon here.

    4. Carry your medication

    If you are under any form of treatment or you sometimes require certain medications from time to time, do not forget to restock them.

    For example, asthmatic individuals should always carry a spare inhaler in their luggage for use in case of anything. You can as well set a reminder on your phone to take the meds at specified times without failure.

    Remember to carry your sunscreen as well if you are going to be spending a lot of time outdoors in the sun.

    5. Get Enough Sleep

    woman yawning with jet lag after a long flight on vacation

    No matter how old or energetic you think you are, sleep has a way of rejuvenating us. Your body needs to rest to beat the jet lag or to adjust to different time zones.

    You can read our article on how To avoid jet lag here. Enough sleep will also ensure that you have the most energy to make good use of your days.
     
    Doctors recommend you have enough rest and sleep so that your body can repair and recharge well so that you can retain your travel health. While on the travels, try and get time to be alone so that you can recover and recharge as well.
     

    Other than sleeping and resting enough, be sure to observe personal hygiene by taking showers regularly and washing your hands often.

    6. Eat healthy – But don’t just eat everything.

    Fruits and vegetables are very healthy and you should consider taking more of these while on your travels. It’s very important to reduce your intake of red meat while on the road.

    If you have access to fresh supplies of fruits and vegetables, take advantage and stock up enough for yourself. Just remember to wash these fruits and vegetables with clean water before consuming them.

    Other great snacks include dry snacks like peanuts; they may come in handy.

    7. Exercise while on your travels

    Being away from home doesn’t mean that you forsake your routine exercise. If you have access to a gym, go there and do your routine exercises, jogging or swimming.

    Hiking is the best form of exercise while on your travels. Other ways to maintain your travel health might include travel yoga, which is very ideal exercise for both mind, spirit and body – if you are aware that the other forms of exercise might not be available, all you need to do is get yourself a yoga mat and you are good to go.

    It is also important to stick to your normal routine of doing things.

    8. Avoid Drinking Alcohol

    tips for first time flyers alcohol

    While traveling, try to reduce your amount of alcohol intake. Your body might be trying to adjust to new environment and that extra bottle might not be doing you as much good as you expect.

    If you must drink at all, ensure that you keep it to the bare minimum. For avoiding jet lag, it’s a proven fact that drinking alcohol can actually act as a stimulant which is counterproductive to getting desired sleep.

    Drinking alcohol during your flight can make jet lag even worse!

    Limiting alcohol consumption when traveling can be an uphill task especially for beer enthusiasts, those who love wine, or people who like partying. But if you do, it will payoff big time.

    It may be difficult to stop completely but a good compromise would be to alternate alcohol and water. This assists with both hangover prevention and calorie count.

    9. Avoid lifting heavy luggage

    In order to travel healthy, avoid cases of lifting heavy weight. Instead, you should use suitcases with wheels that are easier to pull or push.

    This will help you avoid unnecessary shoulder and back pain when you are traveling. The most ideal weight to carry is something that can easily be lifted with one hand, otherwise; it is way too heavy.

    Think about it: you would rather travel light or pay extra cash to the extra luggage rather than get yourself injured while on your travels.

    10. Stay Active

    stay healthy for travel

    For you to be able to stay healthy traveling, engage yourself in activities that involve yourself in fun activities rather than be boring dead weight that would rather stay indoors and binge.

    There are a lot of activities you could get involved in like go on a safari, bird-watching, sightseeing, deep sea fishing, snorkeling, hiking, biking and many more.

    Engaging in fun activities ensure that your body metabolism is also active to fight off any form of attack to might be looking to put you down.

    How To Eat Healthy While Traveling

    person eating healthy with travel book

    When we think about eating on the road, there is a high chance that fast food crosses our minds. I know for me, sometimes it’s just easier to grab a quick meal at the drive-thru. However, this is not something you should focus on when traveling. You don’t have to consume foods that will make you feel tired, bloated, and depleted when traveling.

    Making healthier choices about food will positively affect your leisure time and make you feel better and enjoy your trip. Athletes know how to eat healthy while traveling. They realize that drinking plenty of water and eating healthy food can sustain energy levels, help with quick recovery and fuels the muscles. The food that you eat on the road functions as a traveling repair kit for the body. Knowledge of how to eat healthy foods during travel is essential to your well-being.

    Insightful Tips on Eating Healthy While Traveling

    Breakfast

    Whether you’re taking a vacation or traveling for work, if you have a healthy eating routine it can be impacted by traveling. Maybe you’re staying in a hotel or for some reason don’t have a kitchen, your only option to have breakfast might be your hotel’s buffet or a nearby cafe or restaurant.

    Also, keep in mind that you may be more tired in the mornings as it can be easy to sleep less while you travel or vacation. Jet lag, hotel noises, and appointments at all hours of the day if it is for business can make it difficult to start your day off right with a good healthy meal.

    Sometimes carrying your own food to eat for breakfast is an effective way to keep some control over your travel diet. For example, you can carry a box of whole-grain cereal or some protein bars with you to eat at any time of the day but especially breakfast if you are finding it difficult to start the day off right.

    Or you can portion out some whole-grain cereal in zip-lock baggies, supplement this with one container of healthy Greek yogurt to add some protein.

    At breakfast, consuming whole grains, protein, fruits, and vegetables will really make a big difference in your energy levels, fuel your body right so you can get over your jet lag quickly. Whole grains have lots of fiber, which will help to keep you full so you can focus on enjoying yourself and your surroundings, and it’s great for digestion and helps keep you regular.

    Fruits and vegetables deliver essential vitamins and minerals and additional fiber. They are also low in calories if that is important to you.

    Breakfast Buffet

    Everyone loves a free breakfast. If the hotel you are staying at comes with a breakfast buffet included, there are usually ways to find some healthier options there as well. First, look through all the food options before you start filling up your plate. As we stated above, try to find the protein, whole grains, and fruit and vegetables.

    Some kind of eggs is usually available, with whole-wheat toast and a banana or apple. Also look for plain yogurt, oatmeal, and potentially some berries. Skip the breads like the pastries or muffins if you can, they aren’t typically homemade and can add on a lot of calories and added sugar to your breakfast.

    Coffee Shop or Cafe

    coffee shop
     

     

    Flavored coffees like mocha, caramel or pumpkin-spiced drinks can have around 30 grams of added sugar that you don’t need. Skip the flavors and order a plain coffee. For food, most coffee shops will have some kind of oatmeal that is plain or unsweetened and have some nuts or fruit to go with it.
     

    I have seen Starbucks offers an oatmeal that is made with whole-grains, which can really fill you up with the fiber the whole grain delivers. If you’re ordering a breakfast sandwich, try it on an English muffin instead of a bagel. This will accomplish the same thing for around 170 calories less.

    On the Road

    If you’re awake early and need to hit the road in the morning and you need to grab breakfast on the go, either at the airport or in the car, pack healthy portable snacky breakfast foods. Grab some nuts or fresh or dried fruit. Take some granola bars or a biscuit. And don’t forget some drinks like water. You can even buy in bulk stuff like cereals and mixed nuts and pack them in ziplock baggies or small containers. These all make great mid-flight or road trip snacks early in the morning.

    Speaking of Snacks

    It is good practice to prepare for some hunger pains in-between meals by carrying healthy snacks of your own. Good options, in this case, would be small boxes of whole-grain crackers of packs of nuts with just a few hundred calories in them.

    Furthermore, remember to pre-portion snacks into bags. This allows you to leave some snacks at your place of accommodation while carrying the ones you require with you. This approach will prevent you from overeating and saves on bag space.This is an important tip on how to eat healthy foods during travel.

    Staying Hydrated

    Carry an empty water bottle inside your travel bag so that you can fill it after going through the security checks at the airport. Tea is good for hydration but since most airlines just serve black tea, pack tea bags of your own to use onboard.

    Remember that fruits such as strawberries, oranges, and pears are very good for hydrating.

    Drinking plenty of water helps with the following:
    • Helps with junk-food cravings
    • Symptoms associated with overexposure to the sun or heat
    • Helps in avoiding Jet lag
    • Rids the body of toxins
     

    It is not a secret that most of the unhealthy cravings people experience while traveling can be solved with refreshing drinks of pure water. Therefore, hydrate as part of your healthy food and drink while traveling routine.

    Vegetables

    Eating fruits and vegetables is very important. Fruits and vegetables offer us many health benefits and you should always make an effort to satisfy your daily requirement of vegetables.

    This also helps in the sense that it leaves much less room for you to stuff bad food in your stomach. A good example of doing this is eating a salad prior to eating bad food while traveling. It will provide you with healthy fiber before fats and carbohydrates can be consumed.

    More health benefits of fruits and vegetables include

    Fiber
    Fiber will always help us go to the bathroom, but it also fills us up which is a huge bonus when it comes to portion control and maintaining a healthy weight. The more fiber we eat, the fuller we get, and the less we eat.

     

    Antioxidants, Vitamins, & Nutrients
    Many of these antioxidants, vitamins & nutrients help us maintain a strong immune system, and provide us with the nutrition we need to survive in a fit and functional manner.

     

    Eat like the locals

    Travelling entails experiencing the local flavor. The most important thing to note is that the local flavor has some amazing healthy options.
     
    Look closely and you are bound to find a lot of lean protein, little-processed foods and plenty of vegetables that are rich in fiber. Do not limit yourself to dishes of your host country that are uber-famous, all regions of the world have healthy food especially Vietnamese food.
     

    Here are some great reasons why eating like the locals are very beneficial:

    Local Food is Part of the Culture

    Experiencing the local culture is a huge part of traveling and trying traditional foods is a cultural experience you don’t want to miss. People are very passionate about their culture and you should embrace that.

     

    Traditional foods are part of a country’s heritage and are strongly rooted in the memories of the local people. It’s the same all over the world and eating traditional foods is a great way to taste a part of that culture.

    Local Food is Fresh & Tastes Amazing

    When your food hasn’t had to travel halfway around the world, it’s fresher. Fruit and vegetables that have been for days in the back of a truck in transit aren’t going to taste like the ones dug up locally.

     

    When you travel, you won’t always know which foods are locally grown, but buying from local businesses and markets instead of the chain supermarkets is a good place to start.

    Local Food is Better for the Environment

    Flying food around the world uses a lot of energy. The average distance our food travels is around 1500 miles give or take a few, and when you start adding that up it’s a lot of energy.

     

    Locally grown food doesn’t have near as far to travel and most local farmers use sustainable farming methods. Buying locally also means you are supporting the farmland and green spaces in that area.

    Local Food is Cheaper and Supports the Community

    There’s no question that eating local foods is the cheapest option. It’s quick and convenient and it’s the food that everyone in that region has been eating for a long time. Usually, the best local foods can be purchased from a street vendor.

     
    Street food is always the cheapest option, no matter where you are in the world!
     
    Supporting the local community is a really important aspect of travel. You can go anywhere in the world and walk into a fast-food chain, but instead of benefiting the local community, the money you spend at those chains are leaving the local economy.
     
    In places where tourism is high and the demand for fast food is high, local food will become less and less popular.
     
    If you decide to drink coffee in a local café, snack on street food or have lunch in a local eatery is a simple way to be a socially responsible tourist. Eating in local places supports local businesses and the local economy, and it also builds connections between the local people and travelers, which is very important.
     

    If you’re only staying in one place for a couple of days, you may think that it’s too short a time to build any relationships, but where you eat will constitute part of the local community’s perception of tourists.

    Avoid feel-bad foods

    Feel-bad foods are those foods that we crave but leave us feeling depleted and sick after we consume them. It is wise to completely avoid foods that deflate your mood and drain your energy while on the road. The foods to avoid include the following:

     
    • Simple carbohydrates also are known as high glycemic foods like sodas, fruit juices, sugary snacks or refined grain products.
    • Deep-fried foods
    • Sweeteners and nonfat desserts that are rich in chemicals, which the body cannot metabolize easily.
    • Partially hydrogenated foods like packaged baked goods, nondairy creamer, etc.

    • Excess alcohol. As earlier mentioned, excess alcohol is bad for you.

    Lean protein

    Chicken, seafood and fish dishes are a bit healthier compared to pork and beef. This is why most of your diet should be centered around these while traveling.

     
    Fortunately, all countries and cultures have interesting methods of preparing these lean proteins so that you will not sacrifice flavor for health. Consuming the right portions of complete protein foods will allow for necessary essential amino acids for your activity level and weight.
     

    This helps in stabilizing blood sugar, enhances concentration and keeps you strong. High-quality lean protein provides the body with the energy required for traveling thus preventing fatigue.

    Eat rice instead of pasta

    You should avoid eating too much pasta while traveling. Instead, people should eat wild rice, long-grain rice, basmati rice or brown rice. This is because most of the pasta that is bought from stores are processed and contain trace amounts of sugars.

     

    Pasta is a popular meal for most travelers but you should avoid it if possible.

    Restaurants

    Learn about the quick-service restaurants that are available when traveling, particularly those that offer clients healthy food options.

     
    Sometimes, this might mean having to go out of your way but your body will thank you for it. The best way to go about this is by speaking the locals as they are better placed to know such establishments.
     
    The tips listed above are not exhaustive as there are many more ways to eat healthy while traveling. They are mostly based on the psychology of eating, thus have a scientific basis. Traveling should not leave a dent in your diet, adopt any of the tips above for your on-the-go nutrition.
     
    Hopefully, you enjoyed our 10 Best tips for staying healthy while traveling guide. Thanks for reading!
     
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    Tips for staying healthy while traveling

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