Five Tips for Staying Healthy on Your Next Trip

“What do you mean you ‘lost weight’ on your trip to Italy? How did you do that while eating all of those bowls of pasta I saw photos of?” my mom asked me last summer.

TW: This post contains language on eating and exercise. This post contains affiliate links.

Well, it’s not because those bowls of pasta are going in the trash like a food influencer. Whenever Michael and I travel, we always make a point to consume all of the things we want – be it pizza, doughnuts, tacos, or ice cream – though it’s usually done in moderation.

To be honest, we sometimes go a little bananas with all of the eating on our short weekend getaways. But at least those are short bursts of excess that won’t do detrimental damage to our bodies, and we often dash place-to-place to soak it all in. On longer vacations, we make sure to find balance in all areas of wellness; in fact, I’ve found that my body comes to crave that balance on its own.

But when I find myself wanting to overindulge (as in, dessert after every meal), I reel myself in by making a few small adjustments throughout the day. I feel better, I sleep better, and I’m far more present when my body feels balanced.

Here are five ways I ensure I stay healthy during a trip (without feeling any sort of deprivation!):

HOW TO FEEL HEALTHY AND BALANCED ON YOUR NEXT TRIP

1. Choose your indulgence

Dinner is usually my preference, as it gives me something to look forward to and a reason to be virtuous at breakfast and lunch – but you may find you prefer a different way to indulge.

Many days Michael and I will have just two true meals for the day, opting for a light breakfast like toast and coffee. For lunch, a farm-to-table restaurant serving what’s in season can be easy on the wallet (hey, that’s financial health) and the waistline, and also gives you a true taste of that region’s cuisine.

Personally, my toughest challenge is limiting alcohol consumption to once a day, especially in Europe where wine is often cheaper than water. But I’ve found that wine at lunch leaves me sleepy hours later, and a second glass at dinner makes it a challenge for me to sleep soundly. Sound familiar? Why not splurge on a glass of the good stuff rather than a carafe of the house varietal?

As for sweets, it’s tempting to order dessert after each meal on vacation. And for the most part, I let myself give in, with one caveat: Michael and I have to share. I find there’s just as much satisfaction in sharing a dessert as there is if we’d each had one all to ourselves.

Markets are also great places to indulge wisely while traveling. Visit the supermarket to pick up decadent chocolates, candies, and other treats to bring back home and enjoy in moderation later, and hit the local farmers market to delight in the season’s best produce.

A collage of food eaten on travels: pizza from Brooklyn, a grain bowl, hot chocolate in Paris, and more — Treats from all over the world: Provence, Brooklyn, Orlando, Providence, Paris, and Gainesville

2. Walk there

Ability varies from person to person, but I recommend making a rule that if your destination is within a certain distance, you’ll walk there instead of taking transit or a car (my personal cutoff is one mile).

It doesn’t have to be a hard and fast rule – I’m sure we’re all acutely aware of the cost of time when we travel, and I’ve definitely jumped on the metro for just one stop to save time (when I have unlimited rides, of course!). But when we do have the time and it feels safe, I vastly prefer to walk.

Yes, a bus or rideshare driver may take you down the same path to get to your destination, but walking gives you more time to soak in your surroundings and a fresh perspective. You may even notice little things you’d never have seen if you took another mode of transport. Plus, it’s simply good exercise and will help you burn off last night’s gelato (while maybe helping you locate the gelato shop for tonight!).

3. Make sleep a priority

I can’t say that I consistently get eight hours of sleep each night when we are away, but I’ve found that putting myself to bed a little earlier helps more than it hurts. Getting good rest improves overall mood as well as aids in compartmentalizing your days away so you can remember them more clearly later on.

In my experience, I usually have one good “late-night” in me per trip; any more than that and I transform into an absolute monster. Sure, I can give myself a plausible reason for staying up late, but it never pans out the way I want it to. I find myself wanting to stay up late so that I don’t miss any excitement, but the next morning I have to sleep in so long that I end up missing the next day’s excitement.

Despite sometimes being so exhausted that our eyes barely open, we have to make the effort to call it a night, because we know we’ll have more enjoyment if we awake fresh the following day. Surprisingly, I rarely have an issue falling asleep while traveling (airplanes don’t count) because we’ve done so much that day that I’m well tuckered out by the time my head hits the pillow. You may find you feel the same way!

4. Stay clean

On one of our trips to France, I discovered Michael had removed the hand sanitizer from his liquids bag to make room for other toiletries. Buying a new one wasn’t as high on our list of things to do in Paris as consuming bread, cheese, and wine, so it took a few days for us to acquire one.

Huge mistake. I’m not sure if I caught something from the airplane or elsewhere in Paris, but regardless, we spent way more time at the pharmacy trying to mime “post-nasal drip” to the pharmacist than we would have trying to purchase a bottle of shampoo or whatever it was he was making room for. Now, we always make sure to have a bottle in each of our bags (this one is my current fave).

Obviously, keeping clean isn’t the only way to reduce the risk of illness (see here for evidence), but good hygiene and limiting contact between your hands and face when out and about can go a long way toward keeping you healthy. It’s the little things, you know?

5. Perform a mental check-in each day

Tuning in to how your body feels and determining what it might need is a great way to make sure you’re in your best shape while traveling. Some stressors are normal and unavoidable, like delayed flights or changes in attraction hours. Try to come to terms with the fact that nothing you can do will possibly change that fact, and let some of the stress go. It’s incredibly difficult, but if you can bring a little peace in, it will do you a world of good.

Another thing to check in with yourself about is your itinerary. Are you enjoying it? Are you seeing what you want to see, or seeing what others think you should see? Do you feel like you have ample time to explore, or are you trying to fit in too much? It’s perfectly okay to skip out on some things or completely restructure your trip. The most freeing thing you can tell yourself about travel is, “There’s always next time.”

FINAL THOUGHTS ON REMAINING HEALTHY WHILE TRAVELING

In many ways, travel puts our bodies through the wringer – travel can be physically demanding while amplifying moments of stress and duress. We never want to feel like we’re struggling during a trip, but having the tools to take care of ourselves can make our trips exactly the experiences we hope they’ll be.

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How do you stay healthy while traveling? Are there any particular challenges you face, and how do you overcome them?