The Ultimate Guide to Staying Healthy While Traveling: 17 Simple Hacks
Traveling is exciting, but staying healthy is key to enjoying your trip. This guide provides quick tips for staying active, hydrated, and prepared so you can fully enjoy your adventures.
Traveling is one of life's purest joys, but it's not fun if you fall sick or get injured on your trip.
Between planning your itinerary, packing, long flights, adjusting to your new destination, and an eagerness to dive in immediately, it's easy for your health to take a backseat.
But that should never be the case.
With a bit of preparation and knowledge, you can keep yourself healthy throughout your journey, enjoying every moment.
In this guide, we share 15 simple hacks to help you stay healthy while traveling.
1. Research before traveling
Proper research before traveling can go a long way in keeping you healthy during your trip.
For starters, if you're traveling abroad, know where your country's consulate is located and save their emergency hotline number.
In addition, watch travel vlogs from other travelers to get a first-hand experience of your destination and tips for safety and well-being.
Also, one of the perks of home exchanging as a rental option is that your hosts, who are locals, can provide practical tips on the best places to visit, what to do, and potential pitfalls to avoid.
Moreover, HomeExchange Collection homes are located in very safe and clean neighborhoods, ensuring peace of mind during your stay.
Many countries also provide tools and directories for accessing care while there. For example, the South African Society of Travel Medicine provides access to clinicians in South Africa.
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2. Listen to travel advisory
Before traveling, check the travel advisory for the country you're visiting and continue to monitor it while you're there.
Travel advisories come in four categories:
Level 1: Exercise normal precautions
Level 2: Exercise increased caution
Level 3: Reconsider travel
Level 4: Do not travel
These travel advisories are based on sound intelligence and analysis; you should take them seriously and have a plan if the advisory upgrades the risk level.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also publishes travel health notices for all countries, providing valuable information about the current disease climate.
3. Get vaccinated
Before traveling, ensure you're up-to-date on routine vaccines, especially those for infectious diseases like measles.
More importantly, schedule an appointment with your doctor to determine which destination-specific vaccines you should take and what medicines to carry.
The CDC has a comprehensive list of destination-specific vaccines you should consider for each country.
Bonus tip: Try to take the vaccines at least a month before your departure date to ensure you can recover well if there are any side effects.
4. Register with your government
We recommend providing your country's government with information about your journey, such as contact details and locations you'll visit.
By doing so, you can get real-time health, safety, and security updates while traveling.
Furthermore, the government can pinpoint your location in times of unrest or emergency and share medical news or personal emergencies from home.
The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program by the United States and the Registration of Canadians Abroad by Canada are examples of programs created to address this need.
5. Get travel insurance
Despite taking recommended precautions, adopting healthy habits, and doing all the right things, there's always the risk of injury and sickness while traveling.
Get a travel insurance plan that covers your health care while abroad, whether you just need to see a doctor or you're hospitalized.
We particularly recommend opting for a plan that also covers emergency evacuation, especially if you're traveling to a remote location where treatments and emergency care may not be locally available.
6. Carry a health travel kit
A well-prepared health travel kit is essential for a smooth trip. Firstly, ensure you carry enough of the medications you use daily/regularly for existing health conditions.
This will ensure consistency and help avoid the risk of counterfeit drugs while traveling.
Also, add first aid essentials such as bandages, antiseptic wipes, and over-the-counter medications for flu, motion sickness, and menstrual pain to your kit. These will come in handy for minor injuries or discomforts.
It's also prudent to carry a card detailing your medical history, current treatments and medications, and any known allergies. This information can be vital during emergencies.
Pro Tip: Check with your HomeExchange host to know where their first aid kit is located
7. Avoid risky foods and beverages
While we encourage healthy eating habits during your travel, you should be wary of fresh fruits and raw vegetables you have not cleaned or prepared yourself.
The same advice applies to beverages or "street food" produced with tap water or ice cubes made from the same. We recommend sticking to bottled drinks and beverages.
For the most part, stick with cooked or peeled fruits when outside to reduce the risk of compromising your immune system. However, avoid meat that has not been thoroughly cooked or unpasteurized milk.
Again, you could also lean on your HomeExchange Collection host’s recommendations to experience the local food scene safely and confidently, with less risk of food poisoning.
8. Eat breakfast
One of the ways to get each day off to a great start is eating breakfast, more so when you're away from home. More importantly, ensure that breakfast is a balanced diet.
Eating breakfast daily brings some level of normalcy to your trip and also ensures your blood sugar levels remain optimal.
You could also pack some healthy snacks like nuts, roasted edamame, and protein bars to supplement whatever's on the menu every morning.
These snacks add much-needed fiber and protein to your meals, making you feel full on less and for much longer as you continue your adventures or business.
9. Stay hydrated
Staying hydrated is one of the simplest yet most important ways to stay healthy and keep your energy levels up while traveling.
Air travel, unfamiliar weather and environments, and being in a different time zone can quickly lead to dehydration.
Dehydration, if not addressed, can lead to minor and major health issues, including increased risk of blood clots, changes in blood pressure, lethargy, and dizziness, highlighting the importance of hydration.
Make a mental note and set alarms to drink water regularly, at least 6 cups of pure water daily. You can also get a reusable water bottle to ensure that drinkable water is within reach, even in transit.
10. Transform your stay into a wellness retreat
Imagine having access to saunas, spas, and gyms in your rental home while traveling. That’s the ultimate cheat code to remain healthy during your trip.
HomeExchange Collection homes provide just that: luxurious homes that will transform your stay into a wellness retreat.
Unlike regular Airbnbs, these homes often feature state-of-the-art gyms, top-of-the-shelf saunas, and spaces perfect for yoga or meditation.
This way, you can easily plug your wellness routine into your travel experience.
11. Get quality sleep
During sleep, the body produces the necessary proteins that mop up infection and inflammation and trigger your immune response.
Not getting enough sleep can decrease concentration and slow your thinking, increasing the risk of accidents.
Accidents are one of the leading causes of injuries and deaths for travelers, with road traffic crashes and drowning topping the charts.
12. Stay active
The benefits of staying active while traveling are tremendous, including helping with jet lag and improving your mood.
To stay fit while traveling, you don't need to be gung-ho or go to the gym; simply being active and consistent is enough.
If the gym is your happy place, many HomeExchange Collection homes have well-equipped home gyms, which will ensure you stay active during your trip.
Schedule daily walks to explore the location you're currently visiting. Hiking is especially a great way to take in the fresh air your destination has to offer.
Before you know it, you've taken over 5,000 steps daily. You may be there for business and don't really have time to indulge in recreational activities; taking the stairs instead of the elevator also helps.
Vacation-friendly exercises like planks, lunges, squats, and banded squats require no equipment.
Join others for a round of volleyball or tug of war at the beach and practically anything to move your body, including partaking in musical chairs.
13. Use sunscreen
Use sunscreen daily during your travels to protect yourself from UV exposure. This is especially important if you're traveling during the summer months.
According to the CDC, "You are at the highest risk for UV exposure when you are traveling near the equator, during summer months, at high elevations, or between 10 am to 4 pm."
Locations near the equator include Congo, Brazil, and Indonesia.
Ensure the sunscreen you carry on your trip has an SPF rating of 15+. Also, check that the sunscreen is labeled "broad spectrum" or "blocks UVA and UVB."
Remember to reapply sunscreen every two hours, even if it's cloudy or cold.
14. Wash your hands regularly
Washing your hands regularly is an underrated part of being healthy. It eliminates germs that can make you sick from your hands.
You're protecting yourself and others, too, by washing your hands. Here are a few tips to wash your hands properly:
Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds
Ensure you get the back of both hands
Wash your hands under flowing water
Dry your hands afterward
Close the tap with a disposable towel or tissue to avoid retransferring the germs to your hands
When water is not available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
15. Minimize contact with animals
We're not here to spoil the fun, but some of these animals may not be up-to-date on their vaccines, posing potential health risks, particularly concerning rabies.
Even minor contact can lead to exposure, so avoiding unnecessary interactions altogether is best.
If an animal bites you, wash the area thoroughly immediately with soap and water and then get to a hospital to get care from a healthcare professional. They'll be best positioned to determine if you need a rabies vaccine.
16. Avoid bug bites
Mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas are carriers of both serious and life-threatening diseases like malaria, Zika, and Lyme.
Although vaccines can help with diseases like yellow fever and malaria, they cannot help with Zika and Lyme.
Your best bet is to use an EPA-registered insect repellent. If you're using the repellent with sunscreen, ensure you apply the latter before the former.
Other tips to prevent bug bites include:
Wearing long-sleeved shirts, socks, and long pants
Sleeping under mosquito nets if you're camping outdoors or in unscreened rooms.
17. Stay connected
Staying connected while traveling is important for safety and peace of mind both for you and your loved ones.
Let at least one family member or friend know your location at all times, especially when you step out of the rental home.
Takeaway: Stay healthy, travel better
Packing a health travel kit, staying hydrated, minimizing contact with animals, and staying active are some hacks to stay healthy while traveling.
Adopting these tips, you'll be better prepared to handle expected and unforeseen events and enjoy a richer, more fulfilling, and undisrupted travel experience.
