Travelling The Healthy Way

Whether you’re looking to get one last long weekend of travel in before the end of the sunny weather or you’re looking ahead and planning a longer holiday, we can all do with some advice on how to make getting from A to B in a way that’s a bit easier on our bodies.

While a lot of the time it simply feels like sitting, travel can be extremely strenuous on the body. No matter how you’re getting there – plane, train or automobile – there are health considerations that you should be aware of. In this blog, we’ll show you the smarter way to travel, helping to protect your health so you can better enjoy the destination.  Read on and be a smarter traveller in 2018.

Stretch those legs

Sometimes the simplest steps are the most important. We all know by know the dangers of sitting for long periods of time, and just because you’re roaring down a highway at 100 kph or cruising through the air over the ocean while you do it doesn’t make you any less vulnerable. Taking the time to get up from your seat and stretching on a rest stop or during safe periods during air travel can make a real difference to how you feel when you arrive. Keeping your heart rate up can go a long way to helping you feel revitalised – not sluggish – when you step off the plane or out of the car, and can help to avoid deep vein thrombosis – clotting in deep veins in the legs – on long flights.

When you travel affects how you feel

Taking a long haul flight in and of itself is not going to compromise your immune system, but everything around it may. The stress and late hours often associated with long-distance travel means that many travellers are setting themselves up for sickness. Whether you’re catching a red-eye flight or driving for hours at a stretch into the evening, you’re putting yourself at risk. Add potentially having to rush to make check-in for a flight or appointment with loved ones and you have a perfect recipe for compromising your immune system’s ability to fight off potential infections.

Eat right, eat smart

Avoid the temptation to stick to quick-and-greasy dishes, both on the journey and at the destination. While it’s very easy to scarf down a pie, hot dog or other oily dish at rest stop, or overindulge on the flight over, it’s important to make the healthier choices. Packing a vegetable-rich sandwich or salad can ensure that you’re alert and energised without loading up on salt or sugar. Once you touch down, try to eat at last one meal a day in your hotel room or accommodation. Not only will you most likely eat healthier by default, you’ll also save money on meals out.