Traveling in general is not easy, but it's even harder when you are constantly worried about your health (this does not relate to covid, but it could still help). No matter what your health struggle may be, if you're worried about pain, food, over-exercising, fatigue, bowel troubles, etc., it can be daunting to even think about packing up and leaving the comfort of your own home.
I by no means consider myself a pro health-wise when it comes to traveling, but I have been to China, Belgium, and on various short weekend trips while dealing with my Gastroparesis and Hashimoto's. I understand what it's like to be in pain when traveling, have anxiety over planes, food, bathrooms, etc. I also understand that it takes time to recover after traveling. Even on my short weekend trips, I always come home a bit earlier than planned to make sure I can relax that evening before going into work Monday morning. With that said, I have also drastically improved health-wise over the past year, along with being much more educated on it. I can now travel easier by doing what I mention below.
I hope this post can give you some tips and ideas on how to plan, pack, and relax while traveling anywhere you are headed!
Tips:
Plan plan plan. It doesn't matter if you booked an international trip 6 months in advance, or a spot at a campground nearby... it is never too early to plan. Planning ahead can save you a lot of time and stress, and we all know what stress can do to the body...
Research. More in-depth but along the lines of planning, you need to research the area. You should find out what it's like where you are going, especially if it's somewhere new. What are the restaurants like? The public bathrooms? Will you need to walk a lot? Trust me when I tell you it will save a lot of anxiety if you research well ahead of time. If you're just heading to a family member's house for a few days, you still need to find out what will take place, as well as things like how/where to store stuff.
Write a list of what you can eat. My boyfriend decided one night that he wanted to write out everything I could eat... at the time I thought it was a bit silly, but let me tell you that it's incredibly useful when it comes to meal planning! It is nice to be spontaneous with food, but it is really hard to do so when traveling. The last thing you want to is to get somewhere and not have food you can eat... (my experience with China).
Figure out your luggage. If you're flying internationally, what luggage are you bringing? Carry-on only, or are you checking a bag? Either is fine and I have done both, you just need to plan how much space your health items will take up. Figuring this out ahead of time will make it easier to plan. If you're checking a bag, you can easily put protein bars, drinks, etc., in that bag. If you're carrying on, you may have to be a bit more creative and pack less clothing/non-essentials in order to make room for health products and food.
Do you have any medications to keep refrigerated? I have my pre and probiotic, so realizing ahead of time that they will need extra care due to needing refrigeration is important. If you're going on a couple-day trip like camping, or just on a road trip, you can get by with sticking them in a cooler or in a lunch bag with a cooler pack or ice. If you are unsure about refrigerated medications on the plane, contact the airline or see the airport's guidelines.
Decide what to bring for health products. Of course bring what you're taking every day, but also think of symptoms you have had and write out what you have done to help yourself get through them. If you bloat a lot, what do you take that helps you? If you are constipated or get diarrhea, what do you take? Headaches, nausea, or stomach pain? Grab everything you have and decide how much you should bring (note: the more the merrier). Even if you haven't been nauseous or bloated in 6 months, what will you do if experience either on the plane, or out hiking, or at night? Bring all that you'll need especially if you're going abroad, as other countries may not have the brands or medications you take. This includes tea. Always bring tea no matter where you go.
Travel pill case. Decide how you should bring all your medications/supplements. A huge tip I have is to not bring the whole bottles if you're camping or staying in your country, because if you did and something were to happen to them, you would be out on your doses completely for awhile and out of the money you spent on them. If you're flying, then bring the whole bottle with the label on it for airport security reasons. I also highly recommend that you grab a travel pill case; it helps you out both at home and while traveling. Here is a link to the one I have, I really love how travel friendly it is! (Not an affiliate link, and only $10)- https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Pill-Organizer-Twice-Day/dp/B07RGJSY5X/
Plane options. For flying, each airline is different and will offer certain things such as dining choices and seat location options. If you are nervous and want to be close to the bathroom (as I was when traveling to China), make sure to go on your booking early and pick a seat you're comfortable with, even if you have to pay extra. Comfort is a HUGE thing when traveling. If you're comfortable, you will feel so much better. The dining options for my Belgium trip were great: we ended up booking with AirFrance, and they had an "easy to digest" meal option. I do not remember what the meal was exactly, but I do remember being able to eat at least half of it which I was really happy about. Always pre-pick your meals and desserts, especially if you have allergies/intolerances to foods like diary or gluten.
Decide on snacks. I think that snacks are the hardest to get when it comes to my diet. Pre-plan ahead of time for snacks you can bring on the plane, as well as some to carry around with you at your destination. Some options could be crackers, pretzels, freeze-dried fruit, and most importantly, protein powder.
My must-haves for packing:
Bach Flower Remedies Rescue Remedy. This is one of the only things that help calm my nerves no matter what I'm doing. I take a few drops when I first get seated on the plane, and again later if needed. You can get this in almost any health food store near the other supplements, or on Amazon.
Portable heating pad. I bought one off of Amazon that has a USB plug, which was great for my 13 1/2 plane ride from Detroit to China. It's small, and can go under your shirt so it can't be seen. Rael.com also has heating patches in packs of three that are incredible for any stomach pain, cramping, or bloating.
Ginger chews. Great for a sweet treat, but most importantly great to soothe the stomach and help with any nausea.
Tea. Always tea. Ginger, echinacea, chamomile, peppermint, vanilla, sleepy time, traditional medicinal belly comfort, easy breathing tea, etc. Tea is absolutely 100% necessary for me pack.
Pepto Bismo. This is something I really don't like taking (I would rather use something more natural), but just in case you're in an uncomfortable situation, feeling completely sick to your stomach, or having traveler's diarrhea, it'll come in handy. I always bring a box with me and, knock on wood, haven't yet needed to use it while traveling. Traveler’s diarrhea is a thing, so a few days before and after traveling watch your diet and try to eat more bland. You will thank yourself later on.
Traveling pill case. As mentioned above, I couldn't go anywhere without this.
Shampoo, conditioner, lotion, face cleanser, etc. If you're a clean-living junkie like I have been becoming, you will want to pack your own bath and body products since regular stores probably won't carry chemical-/everything-free products, and hotels definitely won't. A post will be coming later regarding the clean living products I use.
Protein powder. For flying I stick to protein powder I find at whole foods that comes in travel/one serving sizes, for the labeling. When camping or national trips, I just lit the protein powder I have at home in a small bag or mason jar to bring along. It is important to get in your calories and protein each day, you will feel better if you do, especially energy wise.
Backpack. No matter what trip I’m on, a backpack is needed. I like a backpack because when I travel I walk (a LOT), especially in Europe. Wearing a backpack is easier than a purse on your shoulders. I put everything I could possibly need for the day health wise in it, so if I ever feel sick or need something, I have it.
I hope these tips can be of use to you in your upcoming adventures. Pre-planning, researching, and comfort are key to traveling with any health problems. If you are a worrier or get anxious often, try taking something to help you with that. I recommend Bach rescue remedy as mentioned above, but whatever you do or take to help you calm down will work. Any added stress will only upset your stomach more.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to let me know.
Additional travel tips can be found on my Instagram page: gphealth_loreal
Stay healthy and travel safe,
Loreal
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