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“Travel is more than the seeing of sights. It is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the minds of the living.”
Miriam Beard
After recovering from a traumatic brain injury and finding out I have food allergies (now I’m a dairy-free and gluten-free traveler in case you were wondering), incorporating some wellness tips are essential for me to feel the best while traveling. Being a health-conscious traveler has opened up a ubiquitous haven to focus on a wellness lifestyle that extends beyond borders, countries, and cities simultaneously.
Now, it’s understanding how to bring the best wellness habits to the travel packing list, sitting hours on long haul flights to immerse myself into the legendary streets of Barcelona, Spain, or the verdant city of Singapore. A panacea answering the big question–
“How do you stay healthy while traveling and maintain wellness habits?”
I do have my fair share of times when staying fit and healthy on the road doesn’t seem like a priority. Those tempting gluten-free foods like burgers and pizza loaded high with pepperonis, or delicious dairy-free ice cream, are always calling out to me saying, “Eat me”!
Since I started my wellness journey, learning simple ways to keep those hungry monsters satisfied was vital in creating a wellness lifestyle. Now, those wellness tips travel around with me. While wellness traveling includes the practice of eating well, the ultimate definition is that wellness travel is actively choosing ways to live healthy on the road. It’s about traveling well and feeling good in your mind, spirit and body.
Side Note: If you’re new to the wellness travel world, here’s a simple Beginner’s Guide to Wellness Traveling.
After exploring 29 countries, here are some of the best wellness tips I’ve learned for travels. Be it work travel, a getaway with your loved one, a family vacation, a Disney stay-cation or a girls trip, these easy tips can help you feel good throughout your travels so you can bring that renewed spirit back home after your trip.
Simple wellness tips to follow
Wellness Tip #1: Prioritize a health and wellness lifestyle
Living a well balanced life is a mindset. Regardless of traveling or staying home, if you want to stay fit and healthy, you have to prioritize healthy living. After all, traveling is meant to be a relaxing escape from the daily hustle and bustle, a transformative experience, or a connective one, [fill in the blank for what type of travel experience you’re craving]. Try extending your health conscious mindset from your normal routine to your vacation. Consider:
- eat your daily serving of vegetables
- create a workout plan (i.e. yoga, body weight workouts, walking, etc)
- booking accommodations that allow you to focus on your well-being
- bring a journal
- spend time reading a book or some inspirational quotes
- pack a self-care kit with some essential oils. Here’s an everyday essential kit I highly recommend!
Wellness Tip #2: Drink your greens
While going on vacation can bring exciting new food dishes and enticing aromatic flavors, drinking your greens can be an easy way to stay on track with your wellness lifestyle.
Every morning I grab a full scoop of Amazing Grass Greens, original flavor, and dump the dusty green powder into a tall glass of tangy orange juice. Wallah! A homemade healthy juice filled with rich greens, minerals and vitamins.
It keeps your gut healthy and happy, additionally giving your body added servings of your daily vegetables. Bring your own powder in your carry-on suitcase, or grab a healthy juice at the local grocery store for an extra nutrient-dense wellness boost.
Wellness Tip #3: Stay hydrated
Keeping hydrated is always important. Whether you’re bouncing back from a long-haul flight, finishing up a workout, or at your office working on a project, your brain and body absolutely love water. The human body thrives on this glorious substance with at least 55% -75 % of water making up your weight depending on age.
When traveling, I like to make sure I’m keeping myself hydrated by drinking a glass of lemon and ginger water first thing in the morning. I enjoy adding lemon for taste, but you can simply drink water, or add another fruit if you’re feeling like spicing up your water. Likewise, I also carry a reusable water bottle to encourage drinking more water throughout the day.
Wellness Tip #4: Eat real food
Do you ever tell yourself, “make sure to eat well” whenever you travel? Well, you’re not alone! I try to follow this wellness habit all the time. Sometimes, though, I would fall off the bandwagon and eat whatever is most convenient, which can sometimes be the most processed item. While convenient is easy when you’re on a time crunch, eating well is about choosing real food to eat whenever you can. For example, if you need a snack, choose a ripe apple over a bag of potato chips, incorporate some raw vegetables with your extra cheesy pizza, or whatever real food you can eat.
Remember that balance is key! After all, you are on vacation, so enjoy your comfort foods, but carve out space to integrate vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts and lean meats at your travel destination.
Similarly, you can look for accommodations with a cooking space so you have more control over your foods. You can also opt to pack healthy snack options so you’ll always have healthy food options readily available. Choosing real food can help you maintain your health and wellness while on vacation. That way, you can return home from your travels feeling better than when you left.
Wellness Tips #5: Get stretching
I often overlook the power of stretching exercises, but it can do wonders for your body! Moving your limbs gently, feeling the slight tug and pull of your muscle relaxing as they lengthen.
Research suggests these magical movements ease your body and mind, improves sleep quality, and releases tension while increasing energy. It can also improve posture— this is especially important when traveling if we find ourselves doing novel activities.
Side Note: Pick a couple of exercises and aim for stretching twice or once a day. Either first thing in the morning, or right before bed.
Wellness Tips #6: Stay active
Staying active on your trip can help you maintain your fitness and health goals. Before your trip, set your expectations about how you want to stay active.
- Do you plan to hit the gym and weight lift just like you were at home?
- Can you bring an at-home workout with you?
- How about a quick yoga flow in morning?
- Or do you plan to walk to some of your destinations?
As long as you are intentional with staying active, you will be. I normally stay at an Airbnb or hostels where gyms aren’t typically accessible, so physical activities are usually planned throughout my day. From hiking the luscious green terrain up the mountainside of Montserrat, to adventuring the sea in Ibiza, Spain’s turquoise green waters, or taking leisurely walking tours to discover the city’s hidden secrets, there’s plenty of ways to stay active while traveling.
Wellness Tips #7: Enjoy quality R & R
Whether you’re sleeping in till 10 am everyday, getting a massage, or lounging on the sandy blue shores, rest and relaxation are vital for boosting your wellness and health on vacation. On the other side, I’m an adventure traveler who loves the bustle of trying new activities at an off-the-beaten path destination.
However, giving yourself that extra time to sleep and relax makes adventuring and exploring that much sweeter. If you’re an adventure seeker like me, consider giving yourself 1-2 days during your trip to completely rest. While it’s fun to explore, you do want to come back from vacation feeling rejuvenated and better than before.
Wellness tips: I love packing lavender essential oil or a calming blend to help me get a good nights rest anywhere.
Wellness Tips #8: Make time for self-care
Bring on the creamy beauty masks, sunset walks, or chocolatey vegan ice cream! Traveling gives you an extra reason to make time for self-care. While routines shift when traveling, try to keep some type of routine for self-care. Check in daily with how you’re feeling and listen to what your body needs, then plan your self-care time accordingly.
Wellness Tips #9: Take a break from technology
Did you know 28% of adults in American are constantly connected online? While technology has a multitude of benefits, unplugging has health benefits as well. It can do wonders for your physical well-being and mental health by bringing mindfulness, decluttering your mind, and possibly improving sleep quality.
I had the “fortunate” (or not so fortunate, depending how you look at it) opportunity to test this out when I visited the charming vibrant city of Barcelona. During my visit, I suddenly found myself searching high and low for my iPhone that was abruptly stolen at an Asian fusion restaurant. Trying to make the most of the situation, I decided to do a digital detox for a couple days—I’ll spare the details, but click here for the digital detox experience abroad. Honestly, it was nice to unplug a little while traveling, focusing more on grounding in nature and journaling about my current trip.
Wellness Tips #10: Practice deep breathing or meditation
Take time each day to breathe deeply during your vacation. Breathing deeply or meditating can provide a profound sense of relaxation. It allows you to disconnect and bring more clarity in your life. Try it now if you can! Pause from reading, then simply close your eyes.
Pay attention to your breath, then relax. Counting to five as you breathe in and five as you breathe out. I normally practice this wellness habit in the morning before I get out of bed, releasing yesterday’s energy and welcoming today’s energy with more clarity and vigor. Depending on the day, I’ll even add an essential oils to my wrist!
Travel well. Find balance with these wellness tips. Have fun.
While setting up a routine or knowing your expectations around travel can help you bring excellent wellness tips to your trip, don’t forget to live in the moment! Enjoy your trip and give yourself grace. Don’t worry if you happen to miss a couple workouts or skipped eating real foods for the day. Each day is a new day, and your travel holiday is meant to be enjoyed.
What’s some wellness habits you take with you on vacation?
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It is so important to keep practicing wellness even when you’re traveling. Oooh staying hydrated is so important. Eating real food goes a long way with your energy and overall health. Thanks for sharing these amazing tips!
Nancy ✨ exquisitely.me
Great post with some very helpful tips! I think drinking your greens is a tip a lot of people could find useful- such an easy way to get goodness into your body without having to hunt down a smoothie/juice bar!
I love these tips, so practical and easy to apply while travelling
Omg those are such good reminders and tips…I always forget to drink enough water when on the road and for sure don’t eat enough greens. I get too distracted with the new sights and things. Tried doing yoga once on a trip when we were in Mexico and almost passed out from the heat (it was at 8am and outside).Other than that I don’t work out when traveling but I do walk a hell lot!!!
This is incredible information! I always find it hard to stay balanced and healthy when I travel, because my normal daily routine is blown up. So thanks for these tips. I already have some Amazing Grass Greens on the way!
This is such a great post! I will definitely incorporate these tips into my next travels! Thanks for suggesting the green powder to take while traveling, that this great to know.
Making time for self-care is my favorite!! ;p Great post. Lots of great reminders to add to our daily routine, thanks for sharing!
This post has such great advice. I think we all get so caught up when travelling that we forget to take time out to focus on ourselves, and we often feel like we need a vacation, to recover from our vacation! Putting aside time to read, stretch and meditate is so important.
I love this post!! Staying active, hydrate.. after a few years I realized how much these advices are so important for good health, and you’re right there’s everything to do with traveling.. we walk so much while traveling sometimes, in a better shape, you can certainly go further! Nice tips 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼