Going travelling is a life-changing experience that can be a whirlwind of excitement and new experiences, but at times, it can also be tiring, stressful, and mess with our established routines.
This shouldn’t need to be something to worry about, though, as by following a few simple steps and ensuring you take the time to take care of yourself, we can experience all the benefits of the life of a globetrotter while also maintaining our happiness and health.
Here are a few tips that can make your travelling more enjoyable, more rewarding, and less damaging to your body and mind.
Let’s start with the basics:
Remember Your Hygiene
There may be times when you’re staying in a low-budget hostel with basic washing facilities or are camping in the wilderness. Even when staying somewhere nicer, hygiene is crucial. When travelling we are exposed to many viruses and bacteria that we are not accustomed to at home, and catching a nasty bug could take a week or more out of your travel time.
Hand sanitizer and wetnaps/wet wipes make staying clean while travelling pretty easy so don’t neglect to take them with you!
Keep Hydrated
A simple one but hydration is the foundation of good health and it’s easy to forget to drink water when you’re travelling around a lot, especially if you drink alcohol or carbonated soft drinks often.
Don’t leave this up to your memory – take a refillable water bottle with you everywhere, and we promise you’ll often be glad you did, especially when travelling in hot countries!
Keep Up an Exercise Routine in Any Way You Can
Travelling can be exhausting, but if you get public transport everywhere you might be physically exercising less than you realise.
It would be unreasonable to expect you to keep up a strict workout routine on the same level that you would at home, but visiting the gym when you’re able will still help a lot.
Hiking is always a great way to see a new country, and even just walking a few blocks instead of taking a taxi helps you keep active and is also one of the best ways to soak up the atmosphere of a different culture.
Pace Yourself
How often have you turned up in a new place, got overly excited and tried to see everything in a day or two, then crashed and burned, not wanting to do anything for the next couple of days?
Instead of letting your excitement get the best of you and try to cram everything in, spread your schedule out a bit, give yourself time to just wander the streets in between trips. In the end, you’ll see more, feel less exhausted, and actually feel like you’ve lived and breathed in a new place for a while, as opposed to just rushing around like a headless chicken and seeing all of the sights as quickly as possible.
SLEEP!
This is another one that’s obvious to everybody when at home, but easy to neglect when travelling.
You could well find yourself jetlagged and rushing around with baggage one day, hiking another, then getting drunk, then crossing another timezone. Over time this can take a toll on your body and ensuring you give yourself enough sleep each day doesn’t just protect your health, it will give you the energy and mood to enjoy travelling more too.
Taking a nap between activities is also a great idea if you are struggling to catch up on sleep in the nights alone.
Maintain Healthy Nutrition
This might sound a little too obvious because you should look after your diet all of the time, right?
Well, of course, but when you’re travelling this is often a lot more difficult to do as you might spend most days and nights in different places and feel tempted to grab food to go for convenience.
Doing this consistently for months is going to damage your health though, so being conscious of your diet is important and following these simple steps can help to mitigate any unhealthy decisions you have to make on the road:
- Make your own meals sometimes – eating your own cooking while travelling might seem super boring but a picnic in the park can be a beautiful break between sightseeing, and each takeout meal you skip for healthier food helps your wallet and your waistline! Besides, shopping in foreign supermarkets and seeing the differences in produce can be an experience in itself!
- Eat your fruit and vegetables– Fruit can be found for cheap in almost every country in the world, and many countries have excellent vegetarian options, especially in Asia. Remember to go for the healthy option every now and then, even when eating out.
- Eat breakfast – This is way too easy to forget when you’re excited about today’s plans. Eating breakfast sets you up for the day and allows you to explore for longer before needing to stop to eat out. It can be something as cheap and healthy as oatmeal, but skipping breakfast is always a bad move, especially when travelling.
- Take vitamin supplements – Be honest with yourself. Even if you follow all of the steps above, there are going to be times where you drink way too much alcohol or eat fast food for several days in a row. Supplements can make sure you get everything you need in the times you slip up and prevent you from getting sick and wasting valuable travel time.
Get Your Vaccinations!
You should always see a Doctor before travelling so you can discuss any potential risks in the countries you’re travelling to. Malaria prevention tablets and vaccinations are an absolute must when travelling to certain places, and even things like food allergies are worth considering as staple diets vary so much globally.
If you are in the UK it might be more convenient to visit a leading travel clinic like Clari Health Birmingham as opposed to your GP, so definitely look into the options first, but travelling to places that are considered risky without vaccinations is a really dangerous move.
We hope this guide has helped give you some inspirations for staying healthy while travelling!
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