How To Stay Healthy While Traveling

If you're in the midst of planning your next big vacation (or just your next work trip), one thing you DEFINITELY don’t want to pack is an illness! We’ve all been there: trying to see the sights but really focusing on blowing our nose and trying to ignore that scratchy throat…misery!

There are a few basics to staying while traveling that you probably already know: Vaccines, vitamins, washing hands, not drinking tap water, and avoiding uncooked food.

The good news: this not another one of those articles that repeats those healthy tips you already know.

Don’t get me wrong, I definitely use those common things while traveling, but I’ve put together some hopefully new ideas that will help you to stay healthy while traveling and ready to fully enjoy your vacation! Having been sick on the road plenty of times, I (unfortunately!) have a lot of experience with trying out new ways to stay healthy. Here’s what seems to work best:

Healthy Travel Snacks

Good High Protein Snacks

Protein Bars

Perfect healthy snacks for the road and for flying. They’re especially good if you’re planning a hike or walking long distances through a city all day. Keeping your body happy and your energy levels high is key to staying healthy while traveling: one of the easiest ways to get sick is to push yourself physically while not fueling your body properly.

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is a great travel snack that will keep you healthy, full, and happy while snacking on the road. Packed with protein, peanut butter sometimes gets a bad reputation but is actually full of healthy fats and can be a great part of a balanced diet. Best of all, it’s easy to bring with you on a trip and convenient to eat with celery, carrots, and apples to up the healthy factor even more!

Nuts, Seeds and Dark Chocolate

A homemade mix of nuts, seeds and dark chocolate is one of my go-to snacks. I’ll eat them while writing, an hour or so before going to the gym ,or after a meal if I’m craving something sweet. I love dark chocolate almonds, so of course I always bring some with me on the plane or during very adventurous trips. Just remember that eating large quantities of nuts, especially during long flights, can be a little hard on the stomach . Nuts and seeds are harder to digest than other healthy snacks (fruits), and they are also very calorie-dense. Moderation is key for these snacks!

Healthy Fruit Snacks

I love fruit! And you can never go wrong snacking on apples or grapes during a long flight or while exploring your favorite European cities. Days at the beach are definitely more fun while eating mangos and coconuts. Fruits are mostly water, so they help keep us hydrated and healthy. They are super easy to digest, especially during flights when all we want is to feel good and focus on the next destination. There’s nothing worse than being bloated and uncomfortable during a flight. The best thing about fruit: you can bring the fresh version or the dried version, either one is delicious! Note: be careful when buying dried fruits, as many can have added sugar. Try to find natural options!

My favorite fruits while traveling :

Bananas: Good source of potassium and vitamin C. They are also good for your heart and blood pressure. Bananas are high in carbohydrates, which will give you lots of energy and help you feel fuller longer.

Oranges: Absolutely packed with vitamin C, oranges will boost your immune system naturally and can help your body fight off sore throats and colds. I always pack some hand wipes or sanitizer so I can clean up after eating these…they can be super sticky!

Other Not So Healthy Snacks

When I decided to change my wellness routine around 3 years ago to be more health-conscious, I started to focus more on what I eat and especially on how to stay healthy while traveling. I decided to stick mostly to whole, unprocessed foods. trying to avoid anything processed or refined. Snacks like chips and pretzels are considered healthy by many, but are something I try to avoid. While pretzels are low in calories, they also have very little nutritional value. Chips contain more fat than the pretzels, and often this is mostly saturated fat. Popcorn could be a good healthy road trip food, but pay close attention to the packaging labels: some are highly processed and contain unhealthy levels of sugar and salt.

International Travel Tips

Antibacterial wipes:

I always keep a small package of antibacterial wipes with me. You don’t have to go overboard, but you can use these to clean ANYTHING, from your face and hands to tables and bathrooms. They’re especially useful when I grab a bite of street food outside and there’s no place to wash hands before eating! Pro Tip: I use these to clean my seat on the airplane before sitting down. Who knows what is on those seats!

Water:

We all know we should only drink bottled water while traveling, but many people don’t realize that this can easily limit how much water you are drinking. Staying hydrated is vital to stay healthy while traveling, especially in a warmer climate where you can lose a lot of water sweating/walking around. Make sure you are drinking at least 4 small bottles a day (=2 L ). My go-to move: grab a bottle (or two!) from your hotel room while heading out in the morning. Almost every hotel room will have free bottles of water, and usually the hotel employees don’t care about giving you extra bottles if you ask!

Wellness shots/vitamin C shots:

I drink these as often as I can while traveling. They give your immune system (and energy levels!) a boost, especially if you are stuck in a plane/airport all day and you can’t easily get your hands on fresh fruits. They come in small bottles, so you should be able to bring some from home through security.

Scarves:

Scarves are the perfect accessory for any trip. You can bring a scarf to cover your nose/mouth if you’re going to a dusty/sandy place (think desert!) or just to keep yourself warm on the plane. We’ve all had a flight where the person in the next seat blasts their AC endlessly, so put a scarf in your carry-on/personal item for easy access!

Exercise!

Swimming, jogging, hiking, or even a quick workout at the dreaded hotel gym is a great way to feel good and on how to stay healthy. Physical activity will kick your immune system into gear so you avoid a nasty cold during your vacation. Working out while traveling is usually fun! A quick run in the morning lets you take a different route and see new parts of the area you are staying in, and getting some exercise before or after those delicious vacation meals is the perfect balance for your body. I often workout just so I can eat more in my favorite countries… why must EVERY pasta in Italy be so delicious?? Oh well, it’s worth the hour in the gym!

Besitos from the road,

Laura