10 Ways to Stay Healthy and On Track While Traveling

A long weekend calls for more vacations and travel. Whether you’re flying to another country or going on a road trip, it’s easy to fall off track with your health goals. Use these ten tips to stay on track and keep your body healthy when traveling. 

1. Get plenty of sleep before and during your trip

I can’t stress this one enough. Start by getting at least eight hours of sleep the three days before leaving, and then aim to continue the trend throughout your trip.

Of course, this is easier said than done, especially if long flights and drastic time zone changes are involved. If you stay at your destination for more than two days, the goal should be to adapt your sleep and eating patterns to the local schedule.

If you typically struggle to adjust, you might want to:

• Let light into your hotel room in the morning
• Start your day with a shower
• Stay active throughout the day
• Avoid eating a large meal close to bedtime

Need a little budge to fall asleep at night? Bring along chamomile tea or essential oils, such as lavender. Also, be sure to check out our previous post on seven strategies for better sleep!

2. Give your immune system a head start

While getting adequate sleep before traveling is essential for a healthy immune system, your pre-vacation diet is also key. It may sound simple, but eating a balanced diet filled with fresh produce, adequate protein, whole grains, and healthy fats is the best way to keep your immune system running at top speed.

While the research is still ongoing about whether taking probiotic supplements can significantly boost your immune system, there is evidence that eating high probiotic foods regularly can have beneficial effects. Try adding foods like yogurt (make sure it’s low in sugar and made with live active cultures), kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, and miso to your daily routine.

3. Hydrate and then hydrate some more

Staying adequately hydrated is essential for keeping your energy levels up and your immune system running smoothly. Keep a reusable water bottle with you when traveling. If you’re concerned about the water source where you’re going, it may be worth investing in a travel-friendly water purifier.

4. Bring your own snacks

While it’s becoming easier to find healthier snack options at airports and convenience stores, you can’t always rely on it. Plus, when you’re tired and stressed from traveling, you’re often more concerned about just finding something to snack on rather than worrying about how healthy it is.

For flying and traveling abroad, focus on snacks that don’t need to be refrigerated, don’t have an overly strong smell (no one wants to be that person on the plane), and contain protein and/or fiber to keep your blood sugar stable.

Easy options include bags of pre-portioned nuts and seeds, tougher fruit like an orange, individual packets of nut butter with whole-grain crackers, roasted chickpeas, and raw vegetable slices such as carrots and bell peppers. I also like to bring dark chocolate for when those sweet cravings hit.

Bringing your own snacks doesn’t stop once you get off the plane or out of the car. Make sure to bring some along while out sightseeing for the day, too.

5. Make every bite (and sip) count

While maintaining a balanced diet while traveling is essential for a healthy immune system and avoiding excess calories and fat, one of the best parts of traveling is often trying the local cuisine or enjoying your relative’s famous fruit pie. To stay on track without depriving yourself, be intentional with your food and beverage choices.

6. Load up on veggies

As we just discussed above, food is often a big part of a vacation. One way to both stay on track and keep your immune system healthy is to make a point to order a salad or side of vegetables at least once, if not twice per day (even if they come alongside a large serving of homemade pasta). In addition to supplying your body with essential vitamins and minerals to keep your body running strong, the fiber and water content from the vegetables will also help keep you full throughout the day.

7. Find a way to be active every day

One of the best ways to stay on track with your health goals and avoid getting sick is to find something active to do every day. Exploring a new city? Ditch the tour busses and rent bikes instead. Have a family reunion? Suggest active group activities, such as swimming or hiking. Staying in a city? Look up a group exercise class that you’ve always wanted to take. As a bonus, many workout studios offer a free class for first-timers. However you decide to stay active, the key is to keep exercise goals realistic and attainable.

8. Practice food safety

Whether traveling to a foreign country or going camping in your home state, practicing proper food safety techniques is essential for staying healthy. Make sure to do your research ahead of time on whether the water is safe to drink and if there are any food recalls in that area.

It’s also not a bad idea to avoid anything raw, especially meats, fish, and undercooked eggs. If clean water is a concern where you’re traveling, you’ll also want to avoid ordering ice in your drinks and steer clear of salads and other raw fruits and vegetables that may have been rinsed in the contaminated water.

Regardless of where you travel, washing your hands frequently (especially before eating) is helpful to reduce sickness. Portable hand sanitizers are a great way to make sure you’re keeping your hands clean on the go! 

9. Give yourself time off

Regardless of how healthy your diet is, how active you are, and how much sleep you get, you can still wind up feeling under the weather if you’re constantly on the go. Make sure to build in time to relax during your vacation. Whether that means reading a book by the pool or people-watching at a cafe, make it clear to whoever you’re traveling with that you’ll need some downtime.

While we often focus on what to do before and during vacation, the first few days back are also just as important. If possible, try to take a day or two off to get your body back in sync before heading back to work.

10. Logging exercise, food, and water in LoseIt

Reading these tips now, you may feel like you have the travel situation under control, but it can be hard to stick with these goals when traveling. Logging your food, exercise, and water intake into your Lose It! app can help keep you accountable while you’re busy having fun.