How to stay healthy while travelling

The benefits of healthy living while travelling are many: it reduces stress levels, helps us sleep better and improves our moods. In addition, exercising while travelling is a great way to make sure we meet our physical activity goals every day. Here are some useful tips for staying active on the road and how to stay healthy while travelling.

How to eat healthily when travelling

Travelling can be difficult for people with specific dietary requirements or health issues. However, there are some easy ways to make sure that you’re staying healthy on the road. If you are vegan or dairy-free then check out this huge list of vegan food ideas for a road trip that has lots of meals and snacks that don’t need refrigeration.

If you are travelling to a county that speaks a different language, learn the names of any allergens you are allergic to so you can identify them on food packages. Also learn the phrase, or write down the phrase, for “I am allergic to X” so you can show staff in a restaurant or cafe to ensure the food you order does not contain the allergen.

It can also be hard for anyone, with or without allergies or dietary requirements, to stay healthy on holiday. After all, you are out of your usual routine, on holiday and you want to treat yourself. That’s fine, of course, but you should still eat unhealthy foods in moderation, and I guess you wouldn’t be reading this blog post if you didn’t care about being healthier whilst you travelled, so here are some more tips on how to stay healthy when eating on holiday or when travelling:

• The first thing to do is to eat more fruits and vegetables – they are often more available on holidays, especially in countries like India where street stalls sell fruit all day. If you have an all-inclusive hotel go for the fruit, veg and salad bars which are filled with colourful, delicious healthy foods.
• Drink lots of water – don’t forget to take your reusable water bottle with you on holiday to avoid plastic waste. Some destinations do not have safe drinking water from the taps in which case it’s better to buy a large bottle of water, think 5 litre size, and fill your bottle up as you need, to prevent so much plastic waste.
• Pack healthy snacks when you’re actively travelling – whilst you are on the road it can be so easy to grab convenience food or to stop at service stations for fast food, so instead be prepared and pack lots of healthyh snacks to enjoy on the road so you don’t get hungry and tempted to stop for junk food! Think dried fruits, nuts, vegetable sticks and the like. You can even get crisps made out of 100% fruits and vegetables nowadays and chewy 100% fruit snacks that are like sweets, so these will satisfy any sweet or unhealthy cravings you might have without the negative consequences of added sugar and unhealthy ingredients.

How to exercise while travelling

Living a sedentary lifestyle can be very harmful to our health. Exercising is the best way to keep in shape and avoid many diseases. However, when travelling, it can be difficult to find time for exercise. Exercising while travelling is not always easy. But with the right preparation, it is possible.

The first key is to plan ahead and prepare by doing some research on where you are going. If you are going somewhere with a gym, then that’s great. If not, then try to find something more accessible like an outdoor running track, beachfront path or even a simple 10-minute walk around your hotel after dinner.

If possible, factor this into your decision when booking accommodation. That is, choose somewhere with a gym and pool so it’s easy to exercise every day around your other travel plans.

In most cases, if you are on a beach holiday, then it’s easy to find ways to fit exercise into your travel routine. Beaches are perfect for long walks, watersports, swimming, cliff hikes, running and ball sports. If you are on an inland holiday then explore the local landscape and countryside. On a city break, choose to explore on foot rather than taking public transport everywhere.

What to pack to stay healthy while travelling

Make sure you pack your gym or workout kit – this includes everything from your workout clothes, sports shoes, water bottle and headphones – you’ll be more motivated to exercise if you have the right equipment and clothing with you!

Don’t forget any health supplies you may need whilst you are away from supplements to a reusable water bottle, to anything you need for any health conditions you have. If you need oxygen for a health condition then check out this article from The Oxygen Store on travelling with oxygen and the rules you need to be aware of. You may need a letter from a health professional, for example.

Other items that are great for protecting your health and you should consider packing are:

• Hand sanitiser (great when using public transport or public toilets)
• A small first aid kit (protect yourself from any cuts)
• Headache relief (I love Tiger Balm as a natural solution)
• Lip balm (perfect for cold and hot climates)
• Sunscreen (opt for natural suncream and check it’s coral safe if you’re getting in the sea)
• Anti-itch cream (or mosquito repellent if you’re going somewhere renowned for mosquitoes)
• Moisturiser (to prevent your skin from drying out in a different climate, or on public transport)