Staying Healthy as You Travel

It’s easy to lose control over your well-managed eating habits when you travel because of all the delicious food options that you come across.  There are ways to make sure that you stay healthy when you travel.  There are so many really healthy and delicious food options all over the world to choose from.  Some of my favorites are: spicy hot vegetable soup in Southeast Asia, Som Tum green papaya salad in Thailand, seaweed salads in Japan, all the spices used in India like turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, and red pepper, lentil soup in Morocco, baked dried seaweed sheets in Thailand, and anything in the Mediterranean!  Make sure to drink a lot of bottled water.  I carry herbal tea bags with me so I can make tea where I can find boiled water.  Enjoy lots of fresh smoothies, fresh coconut water, fresh foods like seafood and vegetables, bring vitamin supplements with you, get lots of sleep which could be difficult due to traveling often or just wanting to have fun, limit the amount of alcohol you consume (your budget and body will thank you), go for a run on the beach (make sure to go during the day and try to have a partner to run with for safety), walk as much as possible,  allow yourself a lazy day, participate in group yoga, dance, or meditation which is often offered in many places, keep a journal to let out anything that is within, get a massage (only $2 for an hour in Thailand! Amazing! And I had salt scrub detox massage in Guatemala for like $8), try new herbal oils, creams, lotions, and treatments (I had an herbal massage in Thailand that used a cloth that had a ball of herbs inside and was heated up.  It was a great detoxifier), and many other options depending on where you are. Other tips on staying healthy are to buy healthy snacks as you travel on planes and buses such as roasted nuts, dried fruits with limited sugar added, and buy lots of fruits and veggies to carry with you.  I also carried lots of dried candied ginger with me because I often get nauseous on long bus or car rides and driving through the mountains or in higher elevations.  There are various ways to stay healthy as you backpack.