Essential travel tips

Travelling provides an incredible opportunity to explore new cultures, soak in breathtaking views, and create unforgettable memories, but have you ever felt like your wellness routine goes out the window as soon as you start travelling? It is a common struggle!

Our expert nutritional therapist, Isabelle Nunn (MPHARM, Dip NT), who practised as a pharmacist for 10 years, provides tips to help you feel balanced, energised and refreshed throughout your trip. So, grab your passport and say goodbye to travel burnout.

Holiday skin

Many factors when travelling can influence the health and appearance of your skin. Skincare routines can get neglected, sleep can become unsettled or hormonal imbalances occur with a change of routine, stress or diet. The pressurised environment and low humidity on an aeroplane can contribute to reduced blood flow causing skin dehydration. Your destination’s climate or pollution could disturb your skin’s natural balance, causing outbreaks.

Not sure what your body needs? Create your Diet Profile.

How to prepare your skin for holiday?

Exfoliate: Eliminate dead skin cells and prevent oil, dirt or bacteria build-up - this can clog pores and cause ‘travel acne’.
Power up on antioxidants and consume foods rich in Zinc, Selenium, Vitamins A, C, and E, and essential fatty acids. Vitamin E foods help minimise 'photodamage' (when the skin absorbs too many rays of sunshine). Zinc and Selenium are valuable nutrients for skin healing and hormonal balance, regulating the skin’s natural oil production. Learn more in 'Why zinc is so important for your skin'.
Exercise supports blood flow to the skin, and sweating through the pores helps eliminate toxins which otherwise may accumulate. Try to exercise and work out before and during your holiday.
Hydrate daily, with 2-3L of water. In our latest skin research, only 46% of people said they regularly consume two litres of water daily. Staying hydrated and drinking two litres of water daily is one of the most effective ways of reducing dull, dry skin complexion. Avoid coffee, alcohol or sugary drinks because these create havoc for cortisol (your stress hormone) and insulin (blood glucose), causing dehydration, puffiness and redness of skin. You may also enjoy 'Best alternatives to caffeine'.
Nourish your skin from within with Skin Saviour^{^®}, a uniquely comprehensive formula of clinically proven ingredients including antioxidants, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin C, Zinc and probiotics that fuels your body's natural collagen production for clearer, plumper, glowing skin, and helps to fight breakouts and dull, dry skin complexion.
Wear SPF daily. Make sure you use a high-quality SPF - it is important to keep this up even when the sun is not out, as our skin is still susceptible to the sun’s rays.

You may also enjoy '6 tips for healthy skin' and 'How bad is tanning for skin health?'.

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Flight anxiety

Travel and flight anxiety is a common condition that many experience. It can be debilitating, particularly when you need a holiday and want to enjoy the whole experience, including getting to your destination. Signs of flight anxiety can include feelings of fear, worry, and stress. Some may even experience intense symptoms including sweating and panic attacks.

How to overcome travel anxiety:

Arrive at the airport early: there is nothing worse than feeling stressed before you have even boarded the plane.
Box breathing is a powerful relaxation tool that can help bring attention to each breath, while the repetition takes the attention away from flight anxiety.
Choose foods that can help address anxiety, including wholegrains, kiwis, chia seeds, flax seeds, walnuts, and dark chocolate. Learn more in 'Foods to help anxiety'.
Try natural supplements: Stay Calm™ includes a unique blend of botanicals, adaptogens, amino acids and minerals, including clinically studied Ashwagandha KSM-66^{^®}, Rhodiola, Cordyceps, and Schisandra, to naturally bring a sense of calm, balance, energy and focus.

Discover Stay Calm™.

Banish bloating

Many factors can impact the gut when travelling. The flight itself, stress, new cuisines or new environments can all affect your gut health and cause constipation, diarrhoea, bloating or general digestive discomfort. Changes in air pressure on board can also cause a build-up of internal gas.

Stress less and try these suggestions:

Avoid FODMAPS 48 hours before you fly, especially if you are sensitive to them.
Eat a wholesome diet pre-holiday: packed with plants, fibre and without any artificial sweeteners. Fibre will support regularity of your stools and good gut health. Artificial sweeteners such as stevia or sucralose in your drinks or chewing gums can disturb your gut bacterial flora, causing bloating. Keep up good habits where you can at your destination. Learn more in 'How to beat bloating'.
Chia seeds: 2 tbsps daily to water to help support regularity.
Peppermint teas: a soothing peppermint tea can help ease abdominal distension.
Daily movement helps ease ‘belly’ tension and fluid build-up.
Keep a high-quality probiotic with you in the cabin: Gut Works^®, providing 50bn CFU and formulated with 6 clinically studied probiotic strains, is the multi-award-winning probiotic that repopulates the gut with healthy, active bacteria, helping address constipation, IBS, and stomach upsets. If you're just experiencing digestive discomfort, try Debloat & Detox.

You may also enjoy '7 Best Foods to Help you Debloat' and '10 practical tips to reduce bloating'

Beat jet lag

The inconvenient jet lag occurs when travelling across time zones, causing the body’s internal clock to go out of sync with new cues. However, it is only a temporary sleep problem.

Things you can do to help reset your sleep pattern:

Re-synchronise your body clock with your new time zone. Jump in the shower and put on some fresh clothes to crack on with your scheduled activities. Napping isn’t a good idea, but if you really need one-aim for a maximum 30 min nap.
Expose your skin to natural daylight as soon as you arrive: it has a powerful influence on your circadian rhythm.
Exercise outside for timed daylight exposure while movement also supports good sleep.
Consider supplements if you're struggling to sleep: try Vegan Nights^®, an advanced nootropic formula with clinically studied ingredients to help relax your body and mind for a better, more restorative night's sleep and energised wake-up.

Discover how your diet can impact your sleep.

Fuel your daily energy

Jet lag can disrupt sleep, making it worst with the longer days while you’re sightseeing and soaking up all the culture. Symptoms include waking up early, daytime sleepiness, physical tiredness and/or feelings of irritability.

How to help fuel your energy for long days ahead:

Energising nutrition: Start your day with a protein fuelled breakfast and lots of fluid to rehydrate. While it can be tempting to stick to caffeinated drinks for a quick burst of energy, caffeine will only give you a short surge of energy followed by a big slump.
Snack smart: Favour healthy snacks to maintain your energy levels.
Reduce stress with a warm bath.
Support your energy levels: if you're just looking for more sustained energy throughout your long days and you're not struggling with sleep, you can try UltraEnergy, a high-strength B Vitamin Complex to help fight fatigue and maintain consistent energy.

Support your vaginal health

Your vagina’s pH balance can become disrupted, especially when travelling during the summer, or in tropical climates.

Besides maintaining regular hygiene, try these tips:

Avoid wearing tight clothing made with synthetics. Choose loose, cotton fabrics instead.
Avoid lounging in your swimming suit for too long, as moisture accumulates and disrupts vaginal flora, facilitating yeast infections.
Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. Yes, vaginas can also get dehydrated, causing itchiness or burning sensations!
Be proactive by packing pH Hero^{^®}, to minimise the risk of developing infections. pH Hero^{^®} is an advanced natural formula of clinically studied probiotics and botanicals for vaginal flora and vaginal health, protecting against harmful bacteria and UTIs. Discover difference between a UTI and a yeast infection and symptoms of Bacterial Vaginosis (BV).

*This article contains data from UK surveys conducted by DR.VEGAN^®. All survey findings reflect our own research efforts and have not been influenced or verified by any external organisations or third-party entities.

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