A Guide to Staying Healthy While Travelling

Whether you are travelling for leisure or business, we all become more susceptible to getting sick due to all the changes in temperature, being in confined spaces for hours on end, and jet lag amongst other things. There are some precautions we can take in order to protect ourselves from getting sick, and if we do fall victim, there are some things we can do to prevent general illness from worsening. Below are some tips on how to stay healthy while travelling.

1) Drink lots of fluids

They say prevention is better than cure, right? Travelling can take a lot of energy out of us, and much of that is caused by dehydration. Strict laws on how much liquid you can carry through an airport result in us having to pay exorbitant prices for bottles of water after security. This in turn only exacerbates the situation. In the days before travelling, make sure you drink an adequate amount of water in preparation for the journey. Invest in a water bottle that you may take through security too; that way you can save money on constantly buying disposable water bottles. Also, don’t drink local tap water – your body will probably not be used to it and it will show.

2) Bring a variety of layers of clothing.

Rather than bring huge, chunky layers of clothing, bring many thinner items that you can layer on top of each other. This will help you to easily regulate your body temperature, especially in places where it can change sharply – think Hong Kong outdoor humidity but ice cold air conditioning in almost every building! For example, I ditch my parka jacket when I travel abroad in favour of my lightweight mens waterproof jacket. Not only can I wear many layers underneath depending on the temperature, but it saves a lot of weight and space when I don’t need to wear it.

3) Reduce your alcohol intake

If you find it hard enough to function at home after drinking alcohol, what more when abroad and the mix of tiredness and a hangover hit? Another prevention instead of a cure, reducing the amount of alcohol you consume will leave you fresher and ready to enjoy your experience abroad.

4) Exercise

Exercising at home doesn’t mean you should stop when travelling. Continue your routines so as not to lose everything you have gained. Also, get out more – instead of going to the gym to run on the treadmill, run outside – kill two birds with one stone by running through a new city and seeing things you wouldn’t have otherwise. However, don’t forget to stay hydrated while running and keep yourself wrapped up if needs be – there are countless great rain jackets for men on the market that will protect you from the elements while running, and still be breathable.

5) Keep your regular sleeping schedule

In order to beat jet lag, you should try and become accustomed to the local time as quickly as possible. If you land at night time, get yourself relaxed and comfortable so you can fall asleep more naturally. We all know how hard it is to fall asleep, especially when the sun is out.