After you’ve put in all of the world to plan a wonderful trip, the last thing you want to do is spend it feeling terrible; here’s my guide to staying healthy while traveling. The key to wellness while traveling is, mostly, to keep up your self-care regimen and to watch out for common causes of foodborne illness.
If you want to feel your very best while traveling, take some time to consider the ways that you can support your wellness before you ever leave home. In the words of Taylor Alison Swift, “If you fail to plan you plan to fail.” Then, when you’re on your trip, take care of yourself and be mindful of the things you consume. Get plenty of exercise, sleep, and listen to your body when it tells you what it needs.
A note: these tips are intended as guidelines for staying healthy during your trip, and should never be substituted for medical advice. Always consult your physician if you have any concerns about your health or if you need medical treatment.
How to stay healthy while traveling
I have been traveling domestically within the US and internationally for many years, and I’ve developed several strategies to stay healthy on my trips. The following post contains all of my best tips and trips to ensure that you start and end your trip feeling great.
Plan and prepare yourself for your trip
Some of the best things you can do to stay healthy happen before you even set off for your trip. Doing your best to eat healthfully, exercise, and mentally prepare for a vacation will go a long way towards supporting you when you arrive. Do plenty of research so you know if you can drink the water, if you’ll need any vaccinations, or if there are precautions you should take that are standard for your destination.
While it’s true that most things are figureoutable, it is preferable that you figure out the things that you can before you arrive in a new place.
One major way to save yourself some stress is to plan your arrival, so you know exactly how you’ll get from the airport to your hotel, when you can check in, and where you can eat when you get there. It doesn’t take long to sort out these details, but it’s much easier to do when you have the luxury of fast internet and being well rested.
You’ll also benefit from learning a few words in the local language in the days and weeks before you leave on your adventures. Language learning takes time, so give yourself as much of a head start as possible. If you have any dietary restrictions or allergies, it would be wise to ensure that you can communicate them to restaurants.
Get your immunizations
Not every trip will require immunizations, but you’ll want to get immunized against all of the relevant diseases for your trip. Your doctor or a travel clinic can help you to determine which vaccines you might need, just call them and let them know your itinerary.
If you’re on the fence about a particular vaccine, I recommend that you listen to the associated episode of This Podcast Will Kill You. It’s a wonderful show hosted by two disease epidemiologists and they’ll explain everything to you in almost excruciating detail. Hint: most of them are pretty nasty.
Sleep
Travel will almost invariably cost you some hours of sleep. However, it can be all too easy to rely on coffee or adrenaline to carry you through your trip, which can leave you feeling tired and grumpy after even a day or two. Prioritize getting enough sleep so that you can enjoy your trip to the fullest and give your body a chance to rest.
If you’re flying far enough to experience some jetlag, take it easy for the first few days of your trip so that you can get enough rest.
Watch your alcohol intake
If you drink alcohol, be mindful of its impact on you during your trip. A night out with several drinks will usually lead to a poor night’s sleep, which can snowball over the course of several nights. If you’re feeling a little ragged on your trip, it might be a sign that you need to back off and opt for water instead.
Be careful about the water you drink
Always check the water conditions for your destination before you go. Even some places in western Europe and the United States have water that is not safe to drink, so you’re better safe than sorry and it only take a few moments to look it up (just Google “is it safe to drink the tap water in _____” and look for official and reputable sources). I like to carry germicidal tablets on trips where the water is questionable or if I’ll be camping; these tablets kill many common viruses and bacteria if used correctly, but they won’t help if you have concerns about heavy metals in the water system.
If you determine that the water is not safe to drink, take the extra step of figuring out if you can brush your teeth with it. In Quito, Ecuador, for example, the water is rumored to be unsafe for drinking, but perfectly fine for brushing your teeth. After a few days of mild stomach issues in Quito, I decided to switch to bottled water when brushing my teeth and my symptoms resolved.
Eat plenty of healthy snacks
One of the best parts of traveling is the food, so be sure to try as many delicious local dishes as you can while you’re on your trip. One way that you can stay healthy, and keep your energy levels up, is to eat healthy snacks between meals. You can either bring your favorite snacks with you or pick some up after you arrive at a grocery store, farmer’s market, or even roadside stand, depending on where you are visiting.
If you’re traveling somewhere with issues around food contamination or water potability, you can always stick to foods that need to be peeled. Bananas, oranges, grapefruits, and avocados, especially if paired with some nuts, are all great options.