5 Travel Take-Care Tips
I travel quite often for both work and personal reasons these days, and it leaves me feeling a little worn out from time to time. There are little steps you can take to save yourself some heartache (or literal aches) while hustling and bustling from place to place. Take a look at my five travel take-care tips for your next trip.
1. Keep hydrated as much as possible
Keeping hydrated is important at all times, but especially while you're hustling and bustling around airports and train stations. Bring an empty plastic water bottle to the airport if you'd prefer to fill your own once you're past security. Air travel in particular can be drying and rough on your body, so spare yourself the aches and go for that extra H2o.
2. Invest in products that make travel easier (before you get to the airport)
Make a checklist of comfort items and invest in them before you travel. Solid headphones, a neck pillow, international outlet adapters, travel-sized lotion –– all of these kinds of things will add a little extra comfort to your journey, and will cost much less if you purchase them before the airport. I once forgot an iPhone charger and the only ones at the airport were $60 and above; a mistake I will not make again. Here's a quick checklist of products to make life just a little easier:
– Headphones
– Phone charger
– Battery pack for phone
– Neck pillow
– Small empty water bottle
– Light sweater for bag
– Tissues
– Compression socks
– International travel adapters
3. Communicate regularly with the people you love
Traveling by yourself can become a bit lonesome at times. It is certainly fun to meet new people but at the end of the day, there's nothing like comforts of home. In many countries you can pick up an international SIM card fairly inexpensively to have a little contact with those back home (and for emergency's sake!) You can also use apps like WhatsApp and Telegram to communicate via WiFi or data. Plus, how else are you going to send those sweet travel Snapchat stories?
4. Map out the area you're staying in ahead of time
Never been to the place you're headed? Check with your friends and social following to see if they've got any recommendations for you. People who know the area can point you to niche spots that tourism sites won't think to tell you about. Another way to find out-of-the-box attractions: Instagram location tags. Scroll through the location you're going to on Instagram to see what other people have thought of as at least remarkable enough to take a photo of. If you've only got a short time in the place you're staying, make the most of it by setting a plan ahead of time. You don't want to spend half of your precious time in a new place Googling where to go next. Make a conscious plan, note the routes ahead of time, and set out for adventure.
5. Keep your immune system balanced
Additional to keeping hydrated is keeping your immune system balanced. It is so easy to fall ill while traveling as you're surrounded by people constantly and finding yourself in crowded public spaces. Be adventurous, explore, eat, drink–– but take care of yourself too. Take multivitamins, or the vitamins of your choice, to keep yourself in tip-top shape so your travel plans don't involve fighting off an illness.