In this post we’re going to look at 16 tips to stay healthy while traveling. This will cover holiday travel, as well as for those of you that travel for work.
I have been holidaying overseas for more than 20 years, and for the last 10 years I have had to fly each week just to get to and from work. Travel can take a toll on your health if you let it. So let’s explore some ways to keep you in top shape.
1. See Your Doctor
One of the first things you should do, is to see where your baseline is. By that I mean are you healthy now, or should I postpone the trip to sort a few minor problems. What minor at home could become much more serious in a foreign land.
A visit to your doctor can help to check your general health and they can also guide you in a couple of other key areas.
2. Medications
Are you currently taking medications or should you be? Your doctor can make sure that your medications are appropriate for your current state of health. They can also check if these medications are allowed in the places you are planning to visit.
Medications they may be common in your country, could be illegal in another. Or at the very least require a doctors letter of approval.
If you are carrying medications, it’s a great idea to get a general letter from your doctor. This should outline your basic medical history, and what medications you are currently on. This way if you lose your medication overseas, it will be a lot easier for another doctor to prescribe replacements for you.
3. Vaccinations
Whether or not you agree or disagree with them. It seems clear in 2021 that you will need to have your Covid-19 vaccinations up to date, before you travel. This may change in the future, but for now we’re stuck with it.
Your doctor will also be able to advise if you need any other vaccinations specific to the countries you will be passing through. You may also need preventative medicines for Malaria.
4. First Aid Kit
Prepare a small first aid kit before you go. This doesn’t have to be a full-blown trauma bag. I just use a small Tupperware style container with a few essentials in it.
I always include Fixomul for blisters. When a group of people suddenly take up walking every day there will be a few blisters. Trusted pain medication. The sort of thing that you would use for a headache or muscular aches and pains.
Some sort of medication for an upset stomach as you’ll be trying lots of food that you’re not used to. A packet of antihistamines is handy in case of insect bites or allergies to plants. A stop itch spray to use until the antihistamines kick in.
I like to include a small jar of tiger balm, which is a heat rub, and good for weary muscles. And finally, some bandaids, tweezers and scissors.
This kit invariably gets used on every trip we take, and it is much better than trying to find a pharmacy, then decide what is comparable with what your used to. Again, check to make sure that the contents are legal in the places you’re traveling to.
5. Select Your Seat
Most airlines these days allow you to select your seat. I’m told that the aisle seats come into the most contact with various passengers. This is because everyone walks past those seats, and many use them as hand holds as the go.
So, it stands to reason that if you’re going to catch something while on the plane, it’s most likely to be in this seat. Unless you’re trying to join the mile high club. In which case it could happen elsewhere.
I personally prefer the window seat. But, if you’re the kind of person who needs a toilet every hour or so, then the window seat will not be your friend. And neither will the people in the seats next to you.
If you are of a large build, then the middle seat is unlikely to suit you either. Being comfortable on the plane is not easy these days. It seems more and more, that as the general public get taller and larger, the size of airline seats gets smaller and smaller.
So, pick a seat that best suits your situation to make the best of the flight. Better still, find a way to get into business class, and sleep peacefully through the flight.
6. Nervous Flyer
Are you scared of flying? For some folks it’s a phobia. For others, they may have had a bad experience with a rough flight. Either way, fearing flying sounds like a terrible situation to be in when faced with a long-haul flight.
One suggestion is to find out as much as you can about flight and its safety record. Knowing all the fail-safe systems aboard a modern airliner may help. Logic, however, is unlikely to work in the case of a phobia. Phobias don’t understand reason.
Deep breathing exercises may help to calm you down. There are several styles demonstrated on Youtube. These are quite often used by people who suffer anxiety attacks, so they may work in your case.
The final resort is to go back to your doctor and discuss with them. They may be able to provide some medication to relieve the symptoms.
7. Jet Lag
As I get older, I find that jet lag affects me more and more. Whereas I was good to go the next day, now I find that it takes me 2 or 3 days to come good. However, it generally only gets me when I travel west to east. Going the other way has no obvious effects.
So, the solution to jet lag is to only travel in one direction, west to east. Just buy round the world ticket and you’re good to go. Sadly, this option isn’t available for most folks, so let’s take a second look.
One of the first things is sleep. If possible, in the days leading up to your trip try to run your life closer to the time zone you are going to. So, if it’s bedtime where you are but only 5pm at your destination. Try to stay up for a few more hours to get into sync.
The second thing is, to stay well hydrated. Hydration plays such a huge part in our health that it can’t be overstated. Mild dehydration can run you down very quickly, and if your body is suddenly tyring to be awake and asleep at strange times, this will compound things.
So, drink plenty of water both in the lead up to your trip, and during.
8. Exercise
Now, I’m not saying that you need to be able to run a marathon, otherwise I’m never going on holiday again. But you do need to be somewhat fit for purpose.
If you generally lead a sedentary lifestyle. You work in an office at a desk, come home and watch T.V., then you may need to add some exercise into your days.
On our last trip to London. Although we made extensive use of the public transport, we still walked an average of 15km (9.5miles) every day.
If you’re not used to walking, then by day 2 you’re going to be a seriously sad little camper.
So, the plan then would be to just try and get out for a walk each evening or before work. You’re not aiming for speed. You just want to get some miles in the legs. If you’re going to have sore muscles, it’s much better to have them at home, instead of ruining your holiday.
Okay, so you’ve done all the preparation and got yourself in shape for your holiday. (Yes, round is a shape) Now what about the holiday itself. Let’s have a look at some tips to keep you healthy while you’re there.
Here is a link to Healthline for a set of basic at home exercises
9. Hydration
Remember how I said this was important before your trip. Well now it’s even more important. There’s a good chance that you will be doing more on holiday than you normally do at home, so you need to keep the fluids up as you exercise.
If, like us, you like to exchange winter in your hemisphere, for summer in the other half, then the days are going to be warmer. Suddenly getting acclimatized to summer needs a lot of extra water.
Carry a water bottle with you, and don’t wait till you’re thirsty to have a drink. A little and often, will serve you better, than waiting till you’re thirsty and trying to drink a whole bottle.
10. Food And Drink
So, now you’re in a foreign country surrounded by lots of exciting new food and drinks. Now this one is a case of do as I say, not as I do. On the last holiday to Europe, I put on an extra 5kg (11lbs) over a six-week period. If only it came off that fast.
Anyway, moderation in all things, should be your motto. It’s not a competition.
It’s also worth noting that your stomach may not be used to strange foods, and may need some time to adjust.
There are many countries where the water is not safe for westerners to drink. The locals are used to it, and it may seem like everyone is drinking it. Buy bottled water, and avoid drinks with ice, as the ice is probably also made from the water you should avoid.
To find out which countries have unsafe water, visit your governments travel advisory website. That will have up to date information on it.
11. Stay Active
Your holiday plans may involve you laying around a pool and drinking cocktails, which is fine. But don’t forget to stay active.
This may be as simple as going for a short walk around the resort after lunch, taking some yoga classes or spending some time swimming, instead of just laying down.
Regardless of which type of trip you’re on it is well worth doing some basic stretches each morning before you start. Retaining flexibility goes a long way towards preventing soft tissue injuries.
12. Listen To Your Body
You’re busy running around to see as much as you can while on your holiday. There are theme parks, historical sights, glorious walks, educational sites and you only have a limited time.
If you push, push, push, something will break. Well, it may not break, but the wife may yell at you and make you get back in your box. My wife is very understanding, and this doesn’t happen. It probably should. But it doesn’t.
More importantly, you can run yourself down, which can seriously ruin your holiday. You don’t want to get to a point where you wish you’d never come on holiday.
Take a day off. Stay in bad till lunchtime. Swim in the pool. Order room service.
My point is that you can’t just run yourself or your family into the ground. When I plan our family holidays, I try to plan in some rest days. This may be some accommodation that has a pool, so we know we can just laze around for a day.
Or it may be a location where we can catch up with family or friends in a more relaxed setting. Either way if you’re stressed or sore, or starting to feel unwell, give yourself a break.
13. Protect Your Skin
Being good Aussies, Jacqui and I have both had to have moles and skin blemishes cut out, that were caused by sun damage. All too often we tend to forget just how much damage the sun can do to our skin.
Here in Australia, we use sun cream with an SPF factor of 50+, so we always bring some on holiday with us. Skin cancer is curable if caught early enough, but the better option is not to be in that situation in the first place.
14. Limit Your Alcohol
Munich is such a terrible place. So much great beer and so little time. More than once, I have woken up there with a seriously sore head. This has affected our plans for the day, as I’m not keen to drive like that.
Generally, we drink in fairly benign situations. As far as I know, no-one is harvesting kidneys in Munich. Maybe they are, but most of the kidneys in Munich are pickled anyway.
There are, however, a lot of places in the world where you would be well advised to keep your wits about you. Being falling down drunk in these types of places can place your health and your life in real jeopardy.
This comes down to some situational awareness. But again, you should check your governments advisory website. They will have some general warnings as well.
15. Wash Your Hands
No, this didn’t just come in when Covid-19 arrived. It’s been around a lot longer than that. Putting aside Covid-19, (because we’ve heard enough about that), you are at greater risk of catching local viruses when overseas.
The locals have built up an immunity to them, but you haven’t. These days it’s easy enough to carry a small packet of wet wipes, and a travel sized hand sanitizer in your bag.
16. Travel Insurance
So, this is our back up when all else fails. You should have travel insurance for every trip that you take overseas. Although it won’t stop you getting sick, it can certainly find you a good hospital or doctor.
The costs of getting sick or injured overseas are truly scary. One little event could easily cost you your house and more. It’s just not worth the risk. If you can’t afford travel insurance, then you can’t afford to travel. Simple as that.
So, that’s it. 15 Tips to stay healthy while traveling. Hopefully you got something out of it and your holiday is a success. If you think I missed something, please send me an email, and I’ll update this post.
If you’d like more information about preparing for your trip I have written a couple of posts about packing and a checklist for things to do before you travel. You can check them out below.
Packing Checklist
Travel Checklist
Cheers and happy travels