Have vacation or business trips coming up? Try these travel tips to arrive rested and glowing at your destination.
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Traveling is tough on the body. Planes are drier than the Sahara desert, getting to the airport in the early morning often means sacrificing sleep, and changing time zones in one day forces the body to adapt very quickly. Throw in the demands of handling family, and you have a perfect recipe for getting sick.
Want to know a secret? I haven’t been sick in years and I travel a ton.
I attribute this 99% to meditation, but there are also some essentials I make sure to pack every time I travel. These tools will help you not only survive travel, but actually enjoy yourself. Then you can use your travel as an opportunity to deliver some bliss to the people you are visiting, and all the stressed-out travelers out there.
10. Saline Spray
One of the main reasons people get sick when they travel is that the nose’s mucus membranes dry out and then are unable to filter viruses and bacteria. Seeing as the average plane has 10% humidity (the Sahara desert has 23%), air travel becomes an uphill battle to stay hydrated. Saline spray is a super handy weapon to combat dehydration and keep your nasal passages functioning as they are meant— and it’s only two bucks! I recommend spraying in each nostril 3-4 times during a 5-6 hour flight.
9. Empty Travel Thermos
Instead of buying plastic bottles of water, you can bring a thermos through security and simply refill at a water fountain. Even better, you can also ask the terminal coffee shop to fill it with hot water, which will keep you hydrated throughout the flight because water is absorbed more easily when it is not cold.
8. Rosewater
If you ever notice your nose hurting a bit towards the end of the flight, it is due to the incredibly dry air. To combat this, you can spray rosewater on your face to moisturize skin and breathe it in for a little extra humidity. Plus, this superfluid smells fantastic —without disturbing your neighbors!
7. Cocoa Butter Stick
When you need to pack light, it is important that your products can multitask. A small stick of cocoa butter can be your all-purpose chapstick, eye cream, hand cream and face moisturizer. I have one with a bit of mint and lavender that I got at a farmer’s market, but the classic Palmer’s Cocoa Butter stick can be found in almost any drug store (and is very affordable).
6. Earplugs & Eyemask
All earplugs and eye masks are not created equal, so it’s important to test out a few pairs and see what works best for you. When it comes to earplugs, I love ‘Hearos’ because they are soft and block out lots of sound. As for eye masks, any washable comfy one will do the trick— and will help if you like to fall into a nap after your meditation.
5. Giant Scarf
A giant scarf/ shawl is another multi-purpose gem. You can wrap yourself in it to keep warm, ball it up to serve as a travel pillow, or even use as a towel if you are roughing it/ have a spill. You can also use it as a shawl to drape over your head for a little meditation cocoon if you forgot your eyemask.
4. Lavender Oil
Lavender is one of the most soothing scents in aromatherapy, plus it has natural antibacterial properties, so if you are a nervous traveler, putting a bit of this on your pulse points can really bring you back into your body and the right now. I also find that the smell goes away quickly, making this a better option than perfume if you’re trying to be considerate to those around you who may not share your same tastes in fragrance. Being conscientious to your fellow travelers is important! This can also be a savior if your neighbor has the toots.
3. Noise-Cancelling Headphones
While I don’t recommend using these for meditation (they actually stimulate the brain because they create “silence” by countering external sound waves), they are fantastic for listening to music or watching in-flight entertainment. The biggest downside of these is the size…but if there are screaming babies on your plane, you will be SO glad you gave up the precious space in your travel bag.
2. EMF Blocking Clothes
I started getting serious about EMF protection during my pregnancy, but it’s something that everyone can benefit from. When you’re flying you’re a lot closer to the radiation coming off of the sun, and the small silver threads help to create a shield from that radiation. Also, sitting in the aisle seat in the middle of the plane gets the least amount of radiation.
1. Meditation!
While this is not a physical item, it is hands-down the most valuable travel tool I have ever used. Most of my students report an 80-90% reduction in jet lag.
For any flight, I recommend doing 1 meditation on takeoff* and 1 meditation on landing*. And for longer flights, do 1 additional meditation* for every 5-6 hours of flight time. So, for example, on a 6 hour flight, you would meditate 3 times.
For car, bus, or train travel: do 1 meditation* for every 5-6 hours of travel time.
*All of these meditations are in addition to your regular 2 daily meditations.
And remember that we don’t use headphones or earplugs to meditate. Let any sounds around you be part of your meditation.
If you don’t yet know how to meditate on your own, you can learn with zivaONLINE.
Extra Credit:
Once you arrive, kick your shoes off and get your feet on the earth as soon as possible to re-polarize you to the new location. Also take a bath as soon as possible, submerging the body under water can help rebalance the pressure in the body. Finally, watch the sunrise or the sunset to help reset your body clock. As you take in your new surroundings under the sky, be grateful for the opportunity to travel. The travel itself may take a toll on the body but the experiences you have are so worth it.