We all like to travel and see different places throughout our lives. But often, it can come at a cost with our health and our wallet. How many times do we travel and end up catching a cold or feeling a little run down after a long car or plane ride? Or how often do we spend just a little too much money and regret it when we get back to reality? It happens way too often in our fast paced worlds!
Bethany and myself have been doing a lot of traveling from coast to coast and all along the eastern US these past several of years. We know what it's like to drive/fly long hours and stay in random hotel rooms. But it didn't take us long to figure out a few key tips to help us stay vibrant and healthy at the same time. If you need a little bit of health insurance when you travel, here is a list that we stick to every time we go somewhere.
1. Plan out your trip ahead of time
"By failing to prepare, you're preparing to fail." -Benjamin Franklin
It might sound simple, but knowing where you are going and what you're going to do before you even get there is a great way to enjoy your trip and stay organized at the same time. Bethany is usually the one who gets the itinerary ready and lets me know what we are doing and when we are doing it. She is very good at organizational skills and the communication between the both of us is key!
If we have a layover or need to stop in some random city on a long car ride, we like to search healthy places to eat beforehand so we don't get stuck eating low quality food somewhere.
We know the importance that eating high quality food can have on our bodies and the ultimate impact it can have on our travel experience. We don't even recognize McDonald's or Burger King anytime we travel, it just doesn't exist to us anymore. Instead, we plan out where we should go and stick to the schedule as best as we can.
If something comes up and throws us off our game plan, it's not the end of the world. With a trip already planned, those unexpected moments will become the exception, not the rule. But sometimes those curveball moments are the memories worth remembering most!
And sometimes those memories might lead you to being stuck at an In-N-Out in Los Angeles with dead cell phones and no way to get back to your hotel!
2. Boost your immune system before you travel
Traveling can be a stressor for a lot of people, no matter who you are. You're exposing yourself to many toxins, heavy metals, and EMFs on plane rides. And for lot of people, the only time they care about their immune system is after they are already sick.
But if you’re anything like me, I prefer to keep my immune system in check all year round with daily lifestyle factors that I know will help keep me up and running at full efficiency. Things like:
Daily exercise
Eating proper nutrition
Getting high quality sleep
Supplementing with high quality, whole food nutrition
Daily meditation
Managing stress healthfully
However, when I know I'm going to be traveling, I always make sure to take care of myself a few weeks before I leave on my journey and keep sticking to what's working while I'm traveling.
One thing that I always do no matter what each time I travel is use my medicinal mushrooms to help balance my immune system. These are known as immunomodulators and either help to ramp up our immune system or calm it down, depending on what our individual bodies need.
If someone has a weakened immune system (in the case of a common cold) the mushrooms can ramp up our NK cell activity by over 300% (1)! However, in the case of someone experiencing an autoimmune condition (the immune system is running too high and attacking itself) then these mushrooms can actually calm it down (2).
The great thing about these is that they don’t taste like mushrooms. They come in instant coffee packets, teas, superfood mixes, protein powders, and more.
Nearly every day for my morning coffee or my evening night cap, I’ll drink these in my daily tonics. When I’m getting ready to travel, I’ll really ramp up my medicinal mushroom use to keep my immune system top notch.
Whether you’re a traveler or just wanting to optimize your performance in life, these mushrooms are your best secret weapon!
Grab yourself some here and use code ‘CRAIG’ for epic discounts off everything.
3. Get Grounded
Grounding is a term that refers to coming in direct contact with the earth's surface. Think about the last time you directly touched the surface of the earth with your bare skin. It's probably been awhile, hasn't it?
The earth is the largest source of free electrons. You can think of it as the world's largest anti inflammatory. Over time our bodies start to become more positively charged with inflammation and free radicals. Coming in contact directly with the earth helps to neutralize the positive charge in your body and, in turn, reduces the inflammation (3).
Logically thinking, we have been connected to the earth our entire evolution. Only more recently in the past 100 or so years have we become insulated from the earth due to things like rubber soled shoes, high rise buildings, and asphalt roads.
Reconnecting with the earth when you first get to your destination when traveling has been shown to help with jet lag and can get you synced up with the time zone that you are in (4).
It's one of the first things Bethany and I do anytime we travel. We like to find a little grassy patch and put our bare foot on there for about 15 minutes. It makes a world of difference when we travel across time zones! I also make sure to get "grounded" on a regular basis throughout the year using indoor earthing equipment. I sleep on earthing sheets and use an earthing grounding mat at my standing desk when I study. There's amazing benefits earthing can have on your health, especially when you travel. It's one tip I highly recommend you look more into if you plan on traveling anytime soon!
4. Stock Up on high quality water
One of the first things Bethany and I do when we reach our destination is go to the local Whole Foods and get high quality water.
Being even just 1-3% dehydrated has been shown to increase occurrences headaches, energy dips, and more (5, 6, 7).
However, it's not just enough to drink any kind of water. I'm very particular about the type of water I drink. The type of water you consume can have the biggest impact on your overall health, especially while you are traveling. Like I said, you are exposing yourself to many toxins and you need to flush them out properly during your stay.
For traveling, Bethany and I always get The Mountain Valley Spring Water and stock up for the duration of the stay. It isn't that expensive and it's water that we trust. It really does make a difference in our travels. And we return with our health, and our wallet, still virtually untouched!
On a consistent basis for home use, since we no longer have access to a spring in our hometown, we invested in the AquaTru Reverse Osmosis system. It’s the only countertop RO machine on the market and it’s been a game changer for our health!
Feel free to check this out and if you’d like to get one for yourself, they graciously offered my community up with a $150 off deal - no code required! Just be sure to add minerals back into it to ensure you’re getting optimally hydrated. We use these ones here.
5. Travel with your supplements
If you follow me on social media, I'm sure you see the Instagram stories anytime I travel with my little lunchbox full of supplements. Now, I believe solely in the power of food before anything else, but supplements, if used to supplement your diet, I believe can give you that extra edge you need.
I take several things with me while I travel to ensure my health and brain are working at full capacity.
This includes:
Fish oil
Night time tea
If you are looking for a way to supplement your diet and lifestyle to meet your exact needs, be sure to checkout my latest ebook, Smarter Supplementation.
I give you my top 11 supplements I recommend most people take on a daily basis. As well as I included a 20 page bonus section that describes in depth each major vitamin and mineral, what symptoms to look for if you’re deficient, how to correct those deficiencies with whole foods, and recommended supplements to ensure you know exactly what you’re putting into your body.
Final Thoughts
Everybody travels whether it's for vacation, work, family gatherings, or anything else for that matter. And it's what you do before you go that can make all the difference in the world.
Abraham Lincoln once said, "Give me six hours to cut down a tree and I'll spend the first four hours sharpening the axe."
These are just a few of the tips Bethany and myself always do when we travel and we hope that they benefit you in your journeys as well.
For more great tips and personalized coaching, be sure to sign up for my Ultimate Autoimmune Reset™ today!
