As you may have seen, the last 6 months have brought with it a lot of travel, through the Wellness Collective tour as well as life (#life).  I learnt the hard way on the immune front that flights take the wind out of you and wound up pretty unwell for the later part of the tour.

Today, I head to San Diego for the annual Mindshare Summit, which I am BEYOND excited about but what’s more, I’ve also in the lead up been flying.  What’s been most interesting is that after feeling really unwell (6 weeks of a barking cough and chesty stuff) after the tour, I knew something had to change.  I’ve discovered travelling requires the right tricks, and I’m pretty sure that you want in, because quite frankly learning the hard way really isn’t fun.

So here’s the swag of goods I’ve got for you, to help take your travel and actually your life from living on the edge to an almost insurance policy on your health.  In fact, travel or not, these goodies will save you.

Skin and Travel

My skin isn’t amazing.  When I take care of myself however, it is definitely better – but when flying on long haul flights, I’ve not generally ever felt comfortable going bare and have always felt better when wearing some makeup.  Until recently, after having my eyebrows feathered. It’s changed my life, but what’s more, when I ensure my skin is well hydrated, it tends to travel better.  I also travel with a hydrating mist like this that I can spray on my face throughout the flight and keep myself well moisturised too.

Dryness

My nasal passages and lips really suffer when I fly.  I recently wrote a blog for my friends at Pure Papaya care where I shared about why our nasal passages dry out, your immunity takes a dive and our lips can really suffer whilst flying. You can read more here. In a nutshell, because the plane is pressurised, the air does horrid things to our hydration, leaving us completely dehydrated.  My nose tells me so EVERY single darn time I fly, to the point it hurts like I’m sucking air – freezing cold air, through a straw that are my nostrils.  Not fun!  Pure Papaya Vapour Balm has been a godsend.  I do stick it up my nose (thanks for asking), but also it’s great for the kids, because of it’s natural antibacterial and antimicrobial properties (naturally found in active ingredients like eucalyptus and rosalina), it helps boost the immune system too, because what I didn’t tell you is that pressurised air is actually recycled, meaning it carries all kinds of bugs and germs. The vapour balm doubles as my immune boost.

I also almost always carry a box of tea in my bag, something caffeine free that I can sip my way through whilst waiting in airports and during my travels.  My favourite is the Mint Chocolate Rooibos from my peeps at Your Tea.  If you haven’t yet tasted it, it’s like a cup of magnificence!

Immune Support

Not only is my vapour balm saving me whilst in the air, I’ve learnt to boost my immune system before I travel as well as during and after.  I switch up my immune support depending on the season and what’s on offer in my medicine cabinet but there are plenty of over the counter supplements at the ready found in your local health food store or supermarket isle.  I also highly recommend making your cells work to their best ability – for this reason, I’m also traveling on long haul flights with CoQ10, an enzyme that aids your cells mitochondria (aka your cells power plant).  If that’s too much science, just know, it’s all about making your body work smarter and not harder.

Saving my Sanity

I’ve travelled so much of late, I’ve run out of entertainment factor.  But all I need is a good book, a couple of movies downloaded (because I’ve watched all the current inflight stuff) AND a trusty eye mask.  I generally loathe eye masks unless I’m on a plane and it is then that they seem to save me! Current read – Dave Asprey’s Headstrong.

Final tips

Travelling with kids can be tricky. I have a few rules.  When Geordie was little we would always fly at his sleep time and for long haul flights, we always (still) fly overnight.  This gives me maximum chance of a hassle free travel.  I also try and adjust my body clock from the get go.  That means I want to try and sleep with the sun of where I’m headed and staying awake can be a little hard but so worth it.  Finally, once I arrive, ensure I get my feet back on the earth asap – step outside and walk my feet, shoes off, on the ground.

One final mention – travel can do WHACKY things to your hormones, it can delay ovulation which means it can push out your cycle, especially if you’re travelling around ovulation time.  It’s no cause for concern, but important you understand this so you don’t freak out wondering what happened to your period.  In fact, travel is stressful for your body and anything stressful will impact happy hormones.  If you’d like to understand your cycles a little better (because we all deserve to understand our body’s more), you can find out more info like this in my Debunking Ovulation e-course, and all from the comfort of your couch!

Any travel tips you’d like to share with me?  Feel free to comment below – I’d love to hear from you and what you find useful!

*I am fully associated with both Pure Papaya Care and Your Tea as a brand ambassador.  I love sharing quality products that truly help take care of you and your hormones.  I know you will enjoy these products as much as I do!