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If you’re a frequent flyer or long-term traveler you might find it difficult to maintain a routine on the road. More often than not, we tend to neglect our health and we’re not just talking about working out. It’s also important to incorporate self care practices for general wellness.
Read these travel wellness tips to help you stay happy and healthy on the go!
Travel Wellness Tips
Written By: Niki Landry
Table Of Contents
Traveling gives you the opportunity to step out of your everyday life, try new things, and discover different cultures. These fast-paced and often overstimulating trips can give you wonderful experiences but can also leave you exhausted and in need of a vacation from your vacation.
Especially for long-term travelers, the need to create a balance between soaking up new experiences and taking care of your health and well-being can easily become one-sided. It’s important to make the most of your travels by incorporating self-care and wellness practices into your routine and taking time out to recharge on longer trips.
Grip Non-Slip Socks |Â SuperLite Travel Yoga Mat
Self Care Practices
There are things you already practice in your non-travel life that may easily translate into your trips, with a little effort. Just using one or two a week can greatly improve your outlook and mindset while traveling.
Here a a few easy hotel room workouts you can do anywhere (at any age)!
The Meditation Transformation | The Four Agreements
Meditation
For me, meditating is the most simple relaxation method I can practice on the road. Most mornings, I take 10 minutes just to start my day on a positive note.
There are lots of meditation apps you can use to guide you through the process. You can focus on the time of day and length of the mediation to suit your relaxation needs and travel schedule. It’s a simple but effective way to add calm to your day.
If you’re trying meditation for the first time, don’t feel discouraged if you can’t “clear your mind” immediately. That’s why meditation is a practice–it takes a lifetime, and you will likely never be perfect at it. Try to be gentle and forgiving to yourself and over time, you’ll feel the benefits.
If meditating’s not your thing, have you heard of adult coloring books? Take a look at these traveling coloring books!
Sugar Paper LA Journal | Swept Away By Wanderlust Fill-In Journal
Journaling
The original travel blog, journaling on your trips is a great way to fully experience and be present during your travels with the added bonus of clearing your mind. So many small details and nuances from trips can be easily lost if not written down. I love to people watch, and recording my observations is a great way to spend a relaxing afternoon.
If writing causes you more stress than it cures, there are fill-in journal options that will save your memories without the pressure of storytelling. Sketching is a similar practice that can have the same great benefits.
If you find painting to be relaxing, take a look at these artist travel essentials!
Fitness Tracker Watch | Nike Running Shoe
Get Active
At some point, eating and drinking all of the best food and alcohol around the world will catch up with you. It’s great to indulge, but if you’re traveling constantly, it can become a problem. Since abstaining isn’t an option, the best way to combat this common long-term travel issue is to get active.
If going to a gym isn’t possible, look for ways to experience your destination while getting in a workout. Go kayaking, hiking, or cycling.
In addition to adding in one or two outdoor activities a week, I also walk everywhere. It’s my favorite mode of transportation, and it helps to keep an unhealthy travel diet in check.
Use a fitness tracker to track your steps on your trips. You might be surprised how many calories you’ll burn sightseeing!
Fifty Places to Hike Before You Die
Nature
I get overstimulated very easily, especially in large cities where I’m interacting with people constantly. if I know I’ll be in a big city for a while, I try to incorporate day trips to more rural or natural areas to explore. But my easiest escape is to find a park or garden close by to detox my mind.
I can enjoy a whole day reading and lounging in parks around the world. There’s no plan or schedule; just grab a book, snack, or coffee and waste the day away. It’s something I would never do at home, but I always find myself spending at least one day in a park to break up my hectic travel and sightseeing days.
Don’t want to weigh yourself down with books? Use a Kindle or download a Kindle app for your phone!
Do you have any other travel wellness tips to add? Please comment!
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For more travel fitness tips, please read:
- Best Leggings for Women that Travel
- How to Stay Fit on Vacation
- How to Stay Active While Traveling
- Jumpstart Your Travel Fitness Routine with these Fast Workouts
We hope you liked these travel wellness tips. Please share with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
Author Bio: Niki is an interior designer and artist from Louisiana. In addition to her design work, she writes for local and online publications sharing her experiences and passion for travel. Niki is currently adding stamps to her passport while building her design practice, Niki Landry Designs.
I wish this post had included more info on staying healthy while travelling from the “avoiding getting sick” perspective. Like ways to prevent getting sick on the airplane, esp. on long-haul flights. Or avoiding food-borne illnesses, etc.
Thanks for the feedback Sheri, I’ll take it into consideration for a future post. Happy travels!
I really appreciate this blog!!! I am on a 45 day trip to South Africa, and at my midway point, I realized how extremely tired and painful my body was becoming. I took this opportunity to avail myself of the plethora of alternative healing practices here and I must say…my healing journey has become the highlight of my trip experience!
Wow that’s incredible Deborah! Thanks for sharing! Sounds like an incredible experience! Enjoy it!
With regards to Tip #3 Journaling, my favorite way to capture memories is to use the Collect App on my iPhone. You can save your photos & notes each day, and print them when you get home. Then you have a Photo Journal you can share with your friends & family.
Great advice Sharon! I love keeping a journal during my travels!
Good advice! It can affect your travels is you don’t take care of yourself.
Thanks Kayla, totally agree!
Great article! I have to include meditation into my travels, and journaling more.
Glad you enjoyed it Johanna! Thanks for reading!
I think it’s important to try to eat healthy when you are on vacation. Too many of us, myself included, tend to completely change our eating habits when we are away from home. I used eat too much or too little, too many carbs or too many sweets. I might have gone a couple days without even seeing a vegetable. Nowadays I keep my eating in line, starting with breakfast. Whenever possible we stay in apartments so we have access to a fridge. We stock up on yogurt and healthy cereals, maybe some eggs and cheese. That way we at least start our day off with “normal” food before we leave for the day. We indulge ourselves at lunch, but come dinner we like to head back to our own apartment and make a giant salad or a plate full of local veggies lightly sauted and tossed with garlic or fresh herbs. It has helped my energy level a lot when I travel since I don’t feel sluggish and bloated from big meals.
Great tips Cindy! Sounds like you’ve really found a system that works for you! Happy travels!
Fantastic ideas! I travel loads so will start doing a few of these to keep me healthy, especially the meditation.
Thanks for reading Lucy! Glad you enjoyed them!
I love these tips especially the journaling one… in my last 18 day trip to Europe, the exhaustion definitely hit me in Paris. I always feel bad because I feel like I am missing out on something, but really traveling exhausted is not a good way to soak up the culture.
Thanks and totally agree Sydney! Love keeping a journal during my travels!
This is so important – I recently took a 9 day cruise and failed at most of them. Felt horrible and just out of sorts. Vacations where I take care of myself are always the most enjoyable….that is what vacation is all about!
Very true Sharon 🙂
The 10% Happier Meditation app by Dan Harris is also great. Nice article.
Great tip thank you!