How to Stay Healthy While Traveling: What You Need to Pack

Traveling, be it for work, pleasure or necessity, uproots you from your routine and normal comforts. It can often be a stressor, both physically and mentally. One thing that people often complain about is how hard it is to healthy while traveling. With long flights, train or bus rides and less access to healthy foods and meals, I can understand the problem.

However- there are many ways to prevent this and still stay healthy while traveling. While many essentials can be found in countries and cities across the world, there is some planning and some items you may want to consider stocking up on before you go. These my top items to pack and wellness hacks:

1. Travel Blender

Breakfast is not my favorite meal. I religiously drink a smoothie every morning and that’s all I want. My favorite purchase by far was my portable, battery charged travel blender. Purchased on Amazon, affordable, and it has truly come in handy.

I use it everyday and it gives my morning the stability and energy kick I need. That way I don’t need to stress about finding something to eat in the morning before starting a big day and I know I can get something nutritious. It is the easiest way to stay healthy while traveling.

Most smoothie ingredients don’t need to be refrigerated, so if you just have a hotel room, it’s easy to grab some fruit to store. I would recommend traveling with some packs of protein powder and almond butter to really drive it home. 

2. Vitamins and Supplements

Finding high quality vitamins and supplements abroad has been a struggle. If you’re on a road trip, forget it. I know bringing a bunch of vitamins might sound stupid and like a waste of precious room, but it’s essential to stay healthy while traveling.

Invest in a pre-supply of the things you absolutely need and stock up beforehand. While I’ve come across some amazing health food stores and gold mines, these are not guaranteed and few and far between.

There have been many months where I felt the effects of going so long without a B-Vitamin or iron supplements and it’s not fun.

3. Travel Workout Equipment 

You may be traveling with a carry on, or you may have one suitcase for the year like I did. I can promise you though, that there is room for one or two pieces of workout gear. Most brands make amazing, lightweight and compact versions of the things you know and love.

My top three essentials are: resistance band, travel yoga mat, and a core ball. The ball is inflatable, the resistance band weighs nothing and the travel yoga mat folds up and is only one pound.

Even if I’m staying somewhere for a month or two, I rarely join a gym anymore because I have everything I need at home. Utilize a free streaming service like youtube and you can find just about any workout class you want. This makes staying healthy while traveling so easy.

4. Sleep Aids 

This is crucial if you are changing time zones and your schedule doesn’t allow for you to be sleep deprived and loopy for a week. Bring what you need because the international pharmacies are not going to be easy to navigate. I personally love melatonin and it’s all I need to get to sleep, but if you need something stronger, stock up before you go.

If you’re taking a red eye flight or a 9+ flight, you are definitely going to want to have something prepared to get yourself to sleep, not just relying on booze or luck. Sleep and rest is also essential for our immune system and you need that to stay healthy while traveling. The last thing you want is to get sick on vacation. 

5. Trusty Shelf-stable snacks

Clean energy bars are not a thing in most international locations. Finding truly healthy snacks without lots of sugar and extra ingredients is difficult, especially if you’re planning on going on a long road trip or bus trip.

If you have room in your luggage, or found some good stuff at the local health food store, plan ahead and pack what works for you. There have been travel days where there was literally nothing I could eat besides potato chips, which makes being healthy while traveling difficulty.

You can’t take for granted or assume that every place you go will have something for you, especially if you have dietary restrictions.

6. Invest in a Game Plan

The first thing I do when I get to a city is to scope out vegetarian places, healthy food markets and even yoga studios near my accommodation. I often do this in the airport on the way there. Though I sometimes utilize blogs, the most valuable tool is google maps.

I use google maps to save and organize all the places I want to visit, and after spending some time doing this, it will pick up on what you like and value and recommend places accordingly. Not to mention, by saving locations on the map, I can always see them when I return or want to remember where I visited.

I’ve personally been so impressed by the local takes on vegetarian or vegan dishes and it’s one of my favorite parts about traveling. 

7. Carve Out Time for Wellness

Without fail, no matter where I am, I plan a spa day. It keeps me on track both mentally and physically. When we travel, we are often sitting and sleeping in uncomfortable positions, staring at our phones and straining our neck and eyes.

We may spend three days suddenly walking 20 miles a day and then sitting on a plane for 10 hours. This is stressful and we need to make sure we’re taking care of ourselves.

Take time to book a massage or a sauna and steam room session. Not only is it good for you, but it’s also a great way to experience the local wellness scene in whatever country you’re in.

I’ve discovered so many new massage methods and wellness hacks by making this a regular thing. Not to mention, the international prices are actually affordable for someone on my salary.

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