How to Stay Healthy While Traveling Full-Time

When traveling is not just a holiday, you need to consider health while traveling. Here’s my best tips after 5+ years as a digital nomad.

If you are simply going for a vacation for a week, you don’t need to think so much about how to stay healthy while traveling. 

But if you are a digital nomad changing countries like socks, or wondering how to stay healthy while traveling for work frequently, you need these tips. 

As awesome as (full-time) travel is, it does affect your physical health, immune health, circadian rhythm, and mental health.

This is the ultimate list on how to stay healthy during travel.

Traveling requires a resilient body and mind, and in this article, we cover tips on:

• Supporting the immune system while traveling

• Nutrition and how to eat healthy while traveling

• Dealing with jet lag and disrupted sleep patterns

• Staying fit while traveling full-time and maintaining wellness routines on the go

• Mental health when traveling full-time

• Preventive health care and supplements for travelers

• How to deal with illnesses when traveling

• How to maintain wellbeing and  full-time travel or digital nomad lifestyle 

First off, our gut health is a big factor in feeling well when traveling.

It does not only affect the likelihood of “Bali Belly” or other stomach bugs, but gut health affects overall mood and holistic wellbeing. 

Here are the best tips on boosting your gut health when traveling:

Take Probiotics That Support Your Gut While Traveling

My go-to brand is Yourbiology Gut+, because it is scientifically proven to include 10 probiotic strains, 3 digestive enzymes and 2 prebiotics + D3 vitamin.

• You can also use a discount code: sinimalism

Wash Your Hands Often and Be Cautious with Food Hygiene

Simply hand hygiene is so essential. 

As for food, begin with cooked food and avoid meat.

If you see your belly is doing just fine, you might try some raw veggies as well, provided they look fresh and healthy.

Limit Sugar and Alcohol to Prevent Gut Imbalance

Avoid excessive amounts of white sugar when traveling. Alcohol on the other had can be even good; a shot of vodka/Jägermeister can actually kill unwanted bacteria.

Rest & Recover

Stress wrecks the gut. Simply taking it easier when feeling worn out also helps the gut to heal.

Avoid Drastic Diet Changes in New Countries

The time and place for 24-hour fasting, green juice detox or ayurvedic healing is at home, not in a new continent, new bacteria and non-existent hygiene levels.

Eat Regular Meals to Keep Your Digestion Stable

Regularity has always been the corner stone of my gut health.

When traveling, you can’t always affect what you eat, but if you carry snacks with you, you can keep consistent, regular eating rhythm.

If you suffer from digestive conditions like celiac disease, IBS, IBD, or food sensitivities or allergies, you might need to pack a few more items than the average traveler. 

Snacks – if you need to follow specific diet to feel well (like gluten-free or dairy free etc.), pack snack with you. There may not always be options available in the destination.

Probiotics –Opt for high-quality probiotics, like Guts+.

Digestive enzymes– Depending on your gut health, digestive enzymes can be a great thing to carry with you. 

Recommendation: Naturecan Digest Capsules

(Get 20% off with a discount code sinimalism)

Epipens – If you have a strong allergic reaction to certain foods, you probably already know to carry epipen with you.

Source used for the list: Canadian Digestive Health Foundation

As already mentioned, in the gut health tips while traveling, it’s about regularity, slight preparation and choices.

Here’s a simple checklist for maintaining a healthy diet while traveling.

• Pack a water bottle to always keep yourself easily hydrated.

• Take probiotics (and maybe also electrolytes and magnesium).
  
  

• Pack healthy snacks so that you can eat regularly, no matter where you are.
  
  

• Regularity: try to keep the same eating rhythm every day, if possible. 
  
  

• Check restaurant options beforehand, and you can also ask for healthier versions of meals, for example, without sugar.
  
  

• Avoid fast food, alcohol and white sugar.

Big changes in time zones can disturb your circadian rhythm and sleep. 

However, there’s a lot you can do to adjust faster to the new time zone.

Here’s my go-to tips (as a person who also suffers from insomnia, yet does not let that to stop me from traveling the world).

• Pack melatonin
  
  This helps you to fall asleep faster and is a common treat for jet lag.

• Calm down your nervous system in the evening
  
  There are many known methods that actually help you activate the parasympathetic nervous system and make you fall asleep and drop tension.
  
  I recommend checking this free nervous system reset course; pick a method and repeat it every evening. 

• Arriving in the evening: Go to massage when arriving
  
  If you arrive in the evening (local time), my best jet lag beating travel hack is to go directly to massage, and then for dinner and sleep. This is awesome, especially when traveling to Asia, and you want to fall asleep in the local evening.
  
  
  

• Arriving in the morning: Stay awake until evening
  
  
  If you arrive in the morning or noon, but already feel like going to sleep for night, try not to. Rather, take a little, max 30-minute power nap or do a relaxing practice to balance nervous system.
  
  Then, try to stay in natural light to adjust your circadian rhythm, and go to sleep when sun has set.
  
  
  
  

• Adjust to local timezone beforehand
  
  This is a common thing F1 drivers do; they already start changing their circadian rhythm at home.

  For example, you try to go to sleep earlier by blocking the natural light and not using any electronic devices. Or you start waking up earlier, already at home.
  
  
  

• Holistic health to prevent jet lag
  
  All the tips in this article, from diet to mindful movement and hydration, and magnesium intake, help deal with jet lag.
  
  Keep on reading to get all the best tips from insomnia and jet lag. 

I know it is hard to maintain consistent workout plans and routines when traveling. 

The crappy hotel gym with non-functional treadmill and a random machine from the 80s does not seem to help either.

As a frequent business traveller, the question how to stay healthy while traveling for work also concerns movement and workouts.

Follow-along bodyweight workouts and yoga challenges

So personally, my main goal during travels is to implement consistent bodyweight routines that I can do anywhere (like in a small hotel room or outdoors). 

Sinimalism.studio specializes on online yoga and movement challenges to maintain consistent movement routine.

I normally choose some yoga challenge from there to follow, or simply other videos from Youtube to practice along. 

Personally, I have a 15-minute yoga routine every morning to maintain well-being.

As for working out, I choose pilates or other bodyweight workouts from Youtube. 

We all know how suddenly you walk 20k steps when strolling around a new place. 

But this is also great when you are traveling for work; try to walk at least 8000 steps a day (or adjust the amount according to your personal goal).

It may be hard to squeeze in a full workout session in a busy work trip.

That’s why I think the Sinimalism.Studio’s 15-min free yoga challenges are a great way to maintain mobility and physical wellness when traveling. 

Travel in itself is stressful for the body, so movement that incorporates conscious, deep breaths helps you also to balance your nervous system.

Good, free challenges to try are:

7 mornings of Clarity Morning yoga challenge

Yoga for spine 28 day challenge

No matter how well you eat, sleep and move, you may still catch a nasty flu, injury or even parasites during travels.

I recommend getting a good travel insurance (personally, I have used Truetraveller and HeyMondo).

With the travel insurance, you can go to local doctor without worrying about massive invoice. 

There are also online doctors you can reach out for when traveling internationally. You can browse options for example from: https://air-dr.com/webapp/#home