5 Ways to Stay Healthy
When Travelling the World

25 October 2017 | Isla Olivier

Travelling brings with it a whole host of new experiences, but amidst the excitement it can be all too easy to let good, healthy habits slip. So here are five ways to look after your health while you see the world so that you can have a safe and robust trip as well as an amazing one.

Thanks for visiting Lifelong Vagabonds! By viewing these ads you're helping us create more awesome travel tips like this one.

Want to purchase this ad space?

1. Remember to Get Some Shut-Eye

Going on long journeys from place to place, carrying your heavy luggage, and dealing with time differences can all take their toll and leave you feeling exhausted; so getting enough shut-eye time is crucial. Sleep allows your body (and mind) to recover and plays a critical role in strengthening your ability to fight infection. So even if you’re exploring the City that Never Sleeps...make sure you get some sleep in order to stay healthy when travelling the world. Aim for 7-9 hours a night to really reap the benefits and you’ll be ready for your next adventure before you know it.

2. Eat Breakfast Every Morning

Taking the time to eat something in the morning will give you the energy boost you need to really get going throughout the day. Skipping breakfast causes your body to go into survival mode and start storing calories. The body then uses them to create fat because it thinks you’re starving. So by grabbing some food — even a simple banana or an apple — will kick-start your metabolism and improve your stress and concentration levels, leaving you fully able to deal with the challenge of miming directions from a stranger.

Bonus tip: If you’re too busy to stop for food, you can still stay healthy while you travel by packing some easy to nibble snacks.

3. Stay Hydrated

Pack a reusable water bottle and take it everywhere, filling it up whenever you can. Sip from it regularly to replace lost fluids and keep your energy and hydration levels up. Drinking water improves your brain function, your kidney function, and even your mood, so staying hydrated is a vital point in stayng health no matter what your travel plans are.

Bonus tip: Heading to a destination where the quality of the water is questionable? Sooth your worries (and stomach!) by buying a travel purifier or purification tablets, which both make sure that the water is safe to drink. Failing that, boiling water (if you have the facilities) will normally kill off any bacteria, viruses, and parasites. However, it will not remove chemical or physical contaniments.

These might be affiliate links, but all that means is Amazon pays us when you shop at NO EXTRA cost to you. So you get to donate to us without actually donating a thing. And we get to keep on supplying you with free travel tips. Win win for the both of us.

4. Protect Yourself From the Environment

You’ll be aiming to keep your bags as light as possible, but there are a couple of essential items that everyone should pack in order to stay healthy when traveling the world. These won’t take up much room, but they will do you a world of good.

Hand sanitiser or wet wipes will fight harmful, illness-causing bacteria. Insect repellent will ward off any pesky bugs (and any diseases they might carry). Sunscreen will stop harmful rays from giving you cancer. So be sure to apply an SPF of at least 15 (higher if you’re in a hot country) to your face and body 30 minutes before you step outside, and then reapply it every two hours to ensure that your skin stays protected from the sun’s rays. Choose an SPF that shields you from both UVA and UVB rays for the best results.

5. Don’t Forget About Travel Insurance

Taking the above four precautions means you’re more likely to stay healthy while travelling, but they’re not guarantees that nothing will go wrong. Things happen even to the most prepared of travelers, so don’t forget to take out travel insurance for an extra piece of mind. The cost of medical bills abroad can skyrocket before you know it, so make sure you have a plan before traveling and keep your insurance documents in a safe place once you’re on the road.

If you liked 5 Ways to Stay Healthy When Travelling the World, then you might also like these other great travel tips: