Sometimes, when we’re out and about exploring new places on our travels, it’s very easy to forget to take care of yourself and prioritise your wellbeing over the sights we want to see, sounds we want to hear and food we want to eat (especially that last one). Your wellbeing should always be your first priority even when you travel – there’s nothing worse sometimes than trying to have a great time travelling and exploring when you feel under the weather. The good thing here though is that it can be very easy to still take care of yourself, even with a rather manic travel schedule. Here are a few pointers to help you on your way!
1.) Moisturise daily: Skincare is probably the first thing that goes out the window when you travel and this is wrongly so. The skin is the largest organ and it’s only right that it be accorded the respect it deserves. It’s fairly easy to stay on top of this however – you can even bring your own stuff from home even when you travel with #HandLuggageOnly 😉 and so dry and irritated skin (which is a pain to have when travelling) can very easily be avoided by taking those few extra seconds to moisturise every day.
2.) Eat Fruits & Vegetables: Okay, granted, when you travel, controlling your diet is preeeetty hard – especially with all the delicious food on offer! These foods though are typically packed full with carbs and fats and lacking in some other essential vitamins and minerals you body requires. Yes, I know there are healthy places to eat out there but I do not travel (for instance) to Brussels to gorge on salads! Oh no, it’s full on Belgian Waffles and Belgian chocolate carnage when I’m in Brussels! This is why it’s very important to take the time to balance things out with fruit and veg. They’re also easy to get either in a restaurant, a supermarket or even in more traditional farmers market. Whatever option you go for, ensure you prioritise getting your 5 a day!
3.) Take Time To Meet People: This is important for your emotional wellbeing – as well as for the more superficial aim of just having fun. Human beings typically thrive on interaction (even the most solitary of people needs some extent of human interaction). Plus, the best way to travel is to immerse yourself in the culture and there’s no better way to do that than to get to meet locals and indeed fellow travellers who can help really enrich your travel experience.
4.) Drinks lot of (clean) water: Reasons for drinking water are pretty obvious yet with the mix of sugary (and indeed sugar-free) drinks, delicious cocktails and other alcoholic beverages on offer, drinking water is very quickly placed on the back burner. This should not be the case and it’s important to not just stay hydrated but to also stay hydrated with the right type of drink – the best choice of course being water!
5.) Walk around as much as possible: The best way to see a city/town/village is by foot and exercise has long since been proven to be good for your health so the ideal thing for any traveller worth their weight in gold is to explore their respective travel destinations on foot as much as possible. Granted, this can’t be done all the time but I guarantee, it does make you feel better to walk off that huge cheesecake you had for lunch – you know, the one meant for 4 people to share but somehow you managed to finish it all in addition to having your main meal and 2 starters – surely I’m not the only one who’s done this. 🙂
6.) Spend as much time as you can outdoors during the day: Sunshine is great for you, it not only provides you with vitamin D but it also helps make you feel more upbeat and positive. Spend as much of your travelling time in daylight as possible! Night time is also brilliant exploration time but moonlight doesn’t hold a torch to sunlight (pun intended).
7.) Wash your hands regularly: Wherever and whenever possible, wash your hands. It’s the easiest way to avoid picking up germs and nasty bugs while travelling!
8.) Pack some antibacterial wipes or hand sanitisers: This is a poorer substitute for actually washing your hands but sometimes, the luxury of accessing soap and water while travelling is one that a traveller is not always afforded and in these cases, try to pack some antibacterial wipes or hand sanitisers to stave off said nasty bugs.
9.) Sleep as much as you can: There is very little substitute for sleep when it comes to recharging your energy and giving your the right frame of mind you need to explore as many places as possible on your travels. Always prioritise getting a decent amount of sleep, no matter how excited you are about your travels or how much you want to pack into it.
10.) Stay warm and dry: The easiest way to get sick or feel poorly on your travels is to end up getting cold and wet. Try to avoid this as much as possible. If you’re exploring cold places (as I imagine you might be tempted to in the coming winter months) try to stay as dry and warm as you possibly can!
And there you have it. Are there any other things you would add to this list? if so, please do share!!! 🙂 It would be great to hear what your travel personal care routine is!
Photos taken in The Blue Lagoon, Iceland
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