How to Stay Healthy While Travelling

I travel a lot, for business and pleasure. For work I have to go to London several times throughout the year, usually every other month. I'm from Belfast but live in England, so I travel home to see family at least every three months. I love going on holiday and this year so far I've been to Mallorca, Norway, Ibiza, Italy and will be going to New York in a few weeks (sorry I sound like I'm bragging here, in my defence I get depressed if I'm in the UK for too long lol). I'm giving all this detail to demonstrate why it's important that I stay healthy while I'm away. If it's one or two holidays a year then absolutely relax a bit if that's what you want to do - although if you feel the need to binge when away, consider why you need to - is your diet at home too restrictive?

For me, I want to feel my best at all times, especially when I'm away so that I can relax, enjoy myself and be fully present. Staying healthy while travelling and on holiday can require some extra planning and preparation, which is totally worth it to keep yourself feeling energised, happy and healthy. There's nothing worse than coming back from a trip away and feeling absolutely crap about yourself - trust me, I did it for years.

So, here are my top 6 tips for how to stay healthy while travelling!

Prepare food for the journey

IDGAF I will literally bring an entire frittata on a plane and eat it (and if you follow me on Instagram you'll know I did just that when flying to Italy). I prep my breakfast when I'm travelling to London, even though I'm in first class on the train for work and they provide breakfast. Airports are literal food deserts* and it's almost impossible to find food that's nutritious when you're in them and then you're stuck. Honestly there's nothing worse than eating a stodgy, white bread sandwich then having to sit on an airplane for 3 hours - that's a recipe for bloating and constipation if I've ever heard one.

*A food desert is an area that has limited access to food that is plentiful, affordable or nutritious.

Stay hydrated

I know you all love your airport pints but could you swap one for a pint of water? Please? For me?

Travelling can make you so dehydrated, usually because you're busy and forget to drink as much as usual, plus if you're flying, the recycled air can suck the moisture straight out of your body as it's so dry. Take a large bottle of water with you when travelling by road or rail and if you're flying make sure you get one in the airport and swap out some alcoholic drinks for water.

Fibre-rich snacks

Make sure you have plenty of healthy snacks for the journey like nuts, fruit, vegetable sticks and cheese. This will help make sure you're not getting so hungry that you opt for ultra-processed crap and some will also give a boost of good fibre to keep things moving in your gut. Travelling can make you constipated, as it disrupts your routine, includes a lot of sitting, can be stressful and the pressurised cabins in airplanes can also mess up your gut for a few days. Staying hydrated and eating fibre-rich foods will help.

Move when you can

If you can, walk as much as possible (e.g. don't use the travelator in the airport), get out and explore the place you're visiting by foot and take the stairs. It will help make up for all the time spent sitting while you were travelling and it allows you to get out and take in the atmosphere, wherever you are. I always book a hotel with a gym and will go at least once while I'm away, to keep my routine consistent. I went to London in September for work and did 20,000 steps the day I arrived, to make up for the time spent sitting on the train and I also got to go to Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Mayfair and Oxford Street.

Balance your meals

When I'm away I'll make sure that at least 2/3 meals per day are my usual standard of nutrition, then if I want to splurge a bit for one of them, I can. My absolute go-to meal when eating out is steak and vegetables. You really can't go wrong with a bit of meat and veg. I often swap chips for salad when out for dinner - although a waiter in Mallorca once told me no...they were nice chips to be fair to him. Most restaurants do salads that are absolutely delicious and you won't feel you're missing out on anything as they're so good, especially if you're somewhere hot!

Get a good nights sleep

Try to stick to a sleep routine when you're away, if you need things like ear plugs and a sleep mask, bring them with you. If you like white noise, download an app on your phone. I haven't gone as far as bringing my own pillow but I have a silk pillowcase which comes with me from time to time! It can be hard to sleep the first few nights in a new place, so having comforts from home will really help. Essential oils like lavender and drinks like chamomile tea are also easy products to bring with you to help create a sense of calm and cosiness, wherever you are.

So, there you have my main suggestions on how to stay healthy while travelling. When I'm away with work I'll stick to my routine as closely as possible. When I'm on holiday, I will treat myself more often to things like gelato, croissants and chips, but if I do that all day, everyday, I come home feeling worse than before I went - and the whole point of a holiday is to come back feeling healthy and rested. At least in my opinion!