I am going to be on the road for about eight months. My husband and I are on a world travel adventure, we have always wanted to explore the world together. Our destinations include: Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia and Europe. We plan to settle down in Thailand for a bit, so I hope to start posting regularly again soon.
Being on the road this much can be hard on the body. It’s easy to get sick and tired due to different foods (usually heavier foods), a lot of plane and train travel and inconsistent sleep schedules. I’ve compiled some tips that I’ve learned along the way and some travel health tips for staying healthy while traveling:
1. Hydrate. This would be my number one tip. When traveling its easy to forget to drink. You might not have your reusable water bottle with you, or you might just be too busy to forget to buy some water. Whatever the reason, make water your main priority. First off, airplanes are super dry, they have around 5-10% humidity, that is less than the desert! There are a million reasons why staying hydrated is essential to your health, but one interesting point I learned is that your nasal passage ways are your bodies first defense against germs, if the membranes are not hydrated germs can whizz by (okay, not exactly sure the best term for that, but you get the point!). You can now see why people get sick after a plan ride with all of the germs circulating around.
2. Don’t overindulge at every meal. Yes, you are on vacation in a new place with a lot of exciting new food, but if you treat yourself at breakfast, lunch and dinner you will most likely end your trip with some extra weight or a sluggish digestion. This is not to say you shouldn’t try all of the local food and late night street food (hello Asia), just try enjoying a few bites or half of the item and not the entire heavy dish. I like to share dishes or deserts with my friends or husband and fill up on something lighter. That way I get to try everything I want so I don’t feel deprived, but I don’t leave the meal (or city) sluggish and unhappy.
3. Don’t try to see everything. This especially makes sense on a longer trip like ours or a long weekend trip, but even if you have a solid week you are not going to get to see everything. In a city there are endless museums, sights, restaurants, tours and neighborhoods to explore. Trying to see and do everything can be exhausting and overwhelming. You don’t want to get back home from your vacation feeling like you need another vacation to recover! So pick your top choices and leave some time for downtime by the pool or to sleep in. Also, don’t pack your day full, give yourself more time for each activity or give yourself an afternoon to just wander without a map. In the end you might not see every place you wanted to see, but you will get back home hopefully feeling more sane.
Happy travels!
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