Traveling for business or pleasure
can easily derail your health and fitness regime. It’s easy to fall into the
trap of high calorie meals and little exercise because “I’m on vacation” but,
with a little research, some smart packing, and a bit of prioritization, you’ll
be on your way to the healthiest trip of your life. These 12 healthy travel tips will keep you in
optimal health both in transit and once you reach your destination.
The more you can research and investigate prior to your
trip, the easier it will be to maintain a healthy lifestyle while
traveling. To stay on track with your
food, try to find a nearby grocery store or health food store, look up a couple
of well rated restaurants that offer some healthy choices, and try to stay
somewhere with a fridge (bonus for a kitchenette or full kitchen). Knowing the lay of the land gives you an
advantage as you’ll have an easier time finding healthy options for eating in
and out.
2. Keep your Breakfasts
and Lunches Healthy
Structuring your days as making breakfast, packing lunch,
and going out for dinner allows you to explore the local food scene while
getting in some solid nutrition throughout your days away. If you have the capacity to make some of your
meals, you can exert control over your food choices which can help you stay on
track while on vacation. Even if you
don’t have access to a fridge or a kitchen, you can still find some healthy
packaged options that can make meals.
Since exploring a new country means sampling exciting and exotic new
foods, don’t completely deprive yourself – check out some new restaurants and
be sure to try something new, just don’t eat out breakfast, lunch, and dinner
for your entire trip or you might hurt your waistline and your wallet…
3. Get as Much Sleep as
You Can
Both in transit and once you arrive; try to get at least 7
or 8 hours of sleep every night while away.
Sometimes work and play gets in the way of sleep, but if you make it a
priority, you can easily achieve your sleep goals. If you are adjusting to a new time zone, try
to stay awake on the first day until your usual bedtime in your new place, and
then go for a full night’s sleep to quickly adjust. Adequate sleep helps your immune system stay
strong and promotes recovery, so prioritize accordingly!
4. Scope Out the Local
Fitness Scene
Try to find healthy activities that you are excited about at
your destination. If you are a
crossfitter, look up a local box. If you
are a yogi, find a nearby yoga studio.
At a beach? Grab a surf or stand
up paddle board lesson. Some fitness
institutions allow free drop-ins or have promotions for out-of-towners. Not only is it a great way to maintain your
exercise regimen while traveling, it can be an authentic way to connect with
those in your temporary community and feel a part of something while in
transit. Who knows? You might make some lifelong friends or learn
something new.
5. Make your Own Workouts
If you want to get your sweat on but don’t want to spend any
money, make up your own workout! If
you’re staying somewhere with a fitness facility, make yourself a hotel workout
using their equipment, head to a park for a bodyweight workout using the
playground equipment, hit up the pool, and remember that you can get in a good
workout just about anywhere by combining things like pushups, sit-ups, squats,
and sprints!
6. Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated is key to feeling your best. Pack an empty water bottle while flying that
you can fill up once you’ve passed through security, and stay ahead of
dehydration by drinking plenty of fluids.
If you are exercising while traveling or headed somewhere hotter or more
humid than your usual climate, make sure to take in extra water. As an added bonus, staying fully hydrated
prevents your body from confusing being thirsty with being ravenous and
accidentally consuming too much!
7. Pack Meals and Snacks
Avoid unhealthy, greasy, processed food while traveling by
packing your own meals and snacks.
Bringing healthy food from home ensures you know exactly what goes into
your food and prevents you from spending money on food that doesn’t even taste
good! Before you pack a Tupperware of
sloppy soup, make sure you check out the rules to make sure you don’t get
hassled at airport security. Also be cautious about traveling with fresh
fruits, vegetables or meat and dairy products as there are many restrictions
about bringing these into other countries. Make sure you declare any food
products upon arrival! If you have some favorite packaged snacks like protein
bars, beef jerky, or nuts, you could stash some extras in your checked luggage
to have once you arrive at your destination.
8. Walk Every Day
Exploring your destination on foot is an amazing way to
sneak in some exercise while traveling.
Grab a map, get lost, get found, and take in the sights, smells, and
sounds of where you are. This is a great
way to find hidden gems that aren’t in the travel guides. Depending on where you travel, you may want
to consider restricting walking and exploring to daylight and enlisting a
travel companion to be your walking buddy to double up on safety.
9. Rent a Bike
Cover more ground while torching calories by renting a
bike. Many major cities have bike share
programs, or you could contact a local bike store to inquire about bike
rentals. Grab a bike map of the city,
research day trips and pack a picnic, and get exploring. If you’re traveling for fun and have an open
schedule, you could even research bike tours – many cities offer them and are a
great way to cover a large distance in a short amount of time while avoiding
motorized vehicles.
10. Pack your Gym Gear,
Vitamins, and Supplements
It is a lot harder to find motivation to work out while
traveling if you don’t have the gear that you need! Always pack gym gear so that you have no
excuse not to exercise, and consider bringing some light weight equipment like
a skipping rope to boost your workouts on the road. If you regularly take vitamins and supplements,
pack yourself a supply for the duration of your travel so that you can maintain
your routine while you are away. Keeping
up with healthy habits can have a snowball effect where if you maintain healthy
aspects of your regular routine, you are motivated to make other healthy
choices with respect to your food and exercise while on vacation.
11. Plan Ahead for Special
Dietary Needs
If you’re gluten-intolerant, celiac, or have other food
allergies, consider printing a card that lists your dietary needs in the local
language. This way, you can communicate
your requirements to the staff in a way that they understand so that you get
what you want to stay healthy while traveling.
Sometimes in the service industry, the staff is so eager to please the
customers that they will assure them that something is possible without fully
understanding the implications, so if you are risking a health problem, this
could be a low fuss solution.
12. Keep a Dictionary on
Hand
If you are traveling somewhere with a different language,
pack a dictionary and keep it close to help you navigate the menu and make
healthy food choices. You can’t avoid
deep fried food and rich sauces if you don’t know that they’re in there! Look up the words that you don’t understand
to help you learn about cooking methods and ingredients so that you can choose
healthy food.
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