I have done some traveling the past couple of weekends and have been reflecting on ways I could stay a bit healthier when out of town. Usually when packing up, there are so many things to take care of: watering plants, taking pets for boarding, arranging someone to bring in the mail, etc., and I often forget to pack things that will make me feel better along the way. Here are some tips that might help us all.

The first major area is food. When I don’t pack snacks for myself, I end up eating things I would never eat. This past weekend, I found myself in the late night drive through of a fast food restaurant, yuck! I begrudgingly ate some chips and cheese and a bean tostada and paid the price for it the next day. When you eat healthy regularly, food like that completely disrupts your system. What if I had packed some turkey, cheese, spinach, and tortillas? I could have had a late night wrap and felt much better. I also failed to pack small snacks and ate mostly pretzels. While I do love some good pretzels, they have no real nutritional value and are just processed junk. Next time, I am bringing almonds, apples, yogurt, and carrot sticks. Seriously, I know better! I also recommend sticking with high protein foods, such as omelets, for breakfast and avoiding pancakes and waffles, which leave you with a blood sugar crash after a couple of hours.

The next obvious travel concern is how to get adequate rest. I am normally a go to bed at 10pm and get up at 6-6:30am person. This is rarely my schedule when I travel. Most of the time, I am staying up until about 1am or even later when we go see concerts (my favorite pastime). I am not the world’s greatest sleeper in the first place, so being in a place with unusual sounds can be a problem. If I am staying somewhere where there is electricity, I use a small white noise machine. This works wonders for blocking out miscellaneous sounds and providing constant background soothing sounds. If I am camping or sleeping near others who do not like white noise, I will resort to earplugs. They are very useful for camping near others. If you are going to be gone several nights, your own pillow will probably help you sleep the soundest. Whatever you do, don’t sacrifice good sleep when traveling, because we have all seen what happens to tired travelers. It’s not pretty, myself included!

What do you do for water when you travel? Do you buy water from machines or gas stations? We used to buy a 2.5-gallon container of water before leaving. Now, we use a 2-gallon portable drink dispenser. We fill it with our filtered water from home and use it to fill our individual water bottles during the trip. Doing this helps us save a few bucks, avoid contaminants from plastic, drink the water we are used to drinking, and help the environment just a little bit.

I am almost always really good about taking my normal supplements when I am traveling. I keep them in my normal pill box I use weekly at home. Before we head to a meal, I stick them in my pocket or a baggie in my purse and take them at breakfast and dinner, per usual. That said, I also like to have a small “first aid kit” for any issues that might turn up.

Here is my list:

Skullcap extract: Take a dropper full for travel anxiety, stress, or insomnia.

Angelica extract (or bitters formula): If having issues with gas or bloating when traveling, take a dropper about 10 minutes before you eat swishing the extract in your mouth with a little water.

Probiotics: Always take when traveling in developing countries, but will also assist those who get digestive disturbances, such as constipation or diarrhea when not at home. I recommend taking probiotics at bedtime for best results and after each loose BM.

Psyllium husk: Take a little baggie or container of psyllium with you (buy in bulk at most health food stores). Use about ¼ tsp in a little water a couple of times a day if constipation is an issue when traveling. This will bulk up the stool and greatly assist with elimination.

Melatonin: Use when traveling to different time zones. You can start taking it a couple of days before traveling around the time you plan to go to bed at your destination. Then, take about 1 hour before bed once you arrive. Melatonin helps reset your circadian rhythm to the current time zone.

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list. Don’t forget your sun protection, comfortable walking shoes, and a sunny disposition! But, if we take a few minutes to think about how we will stay the most comfortable away from home, we might just have a better time.

What do you bring with you to make traveling go more smoothly? Please share in the comments below and share this article with your friends who are also going places this summer. Happy Trails!