Summer is officially here, and that means vacation season. But for those with a chronic health condition, or those following a strict diet,  it can also mean stress due to the unpredictability of your otherwise controlled environment. Whether you’re folding in some “me” time to a work trip, or you’re taking a much-needed leisure vacation, your health doesn’t have to fall off track for you to enjoy the benefits of taking time off. 

Here are some helpful tips for making a memorable vacation without risking your health (and your sanity):

Prepare for the Trip

I can’t think of a more relevant quote than, “failing to plan is planning to fail.” It perfectly explains what can happen if you “wing it” without considering your unique health needs during vacation. Just as you plan the fun excursions you want to experience and the places you want to see, it’s also helpful to understand how you can successfully keep yourself on track with an anti-inflammatory and health-conscious lifestyle while on vacation – without the risk of feeling like crap or getting sick. 

Research Local Restaurants and Grocery Stores

As someone who has a digestive disorder and is gluten-free, egg-free, and dairy-free, I get it – eating away from home is stressful. When I’m away from the comforts of my own kitchen, my life revolves around finding a place that has food I can actually eat and restaurants that have a high standard for food allergies. It’s hugely time-consuming and cuts into the time I could be spending enjoying myself if I wait to do this until I’ve arrived. 

That’s why I now do the hard work before I leave. 

When choosing a place to stay, look at a map of the restaurants in your desired area, or even on your route to your destination, and peek at their menu. If you suspect that eating out will be challenging due to the availability of food in the area, research local grocery stores and stock up on some of your favorites – just make sure you’re mindful of your hotel accommodations (not all hotels have refrigerators, for example). I like to add all this info into a google doc and have it handy on my phone. That way, when I start to get hungry, I already have somewhat of a plan in place.

In addition to this, a great app to use if you’re gluten-free like me is Find Me Gluten Free. It uses your current location to find nearby gluten-free restaurants and allows you to read other customer reviews! And if you aren’t gluten-free, there are a heap of other apps that were created for those with special diets. One quick search on the Apple App Store for “Vegan Restaurants,” for example,  provided results for several really great options.

Personally, I also try to enjoy some local cuisine when I’m away from home, including as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible. As a bonus, fruits and vegetables will help keep you hydrated and encourage a healthy immune system! 

Understand Your Health Insurance

God forbid you were to face an emergency situation or need medical care while you’re on the road. But in case of such events, you’ll want to make sure you are prepared for all possible scenarios. If you already have health insurance, check to see if your policy has coverage for out-of-state or international travel and if so, learn what the details of that coverage are. It may also help to explore the coverage included in travel insurance to see if it can provide additional safeguards or additional coverage options not included in your health insurance plan.

Make a Packing List

Raise your hand if you have ever overpacked and then totally forgot something as critical as your toothbrush (*insert hand raise here*). I know it sounds obvious to make a packing list, but what if you forgot something essential like medication? Your 5-day stress-free getaway will soon turn into a wild goose chase for the closest health foods store or pharmacy. Not fun.

A few weeks before vacation, I usually make a list of all the things I use and need on a daily basis – those are my necessities. Then, I consider what I might need based on the activities we’re planning, the climate we’re traveling to, or what health issues I might face. I will then type everything up into a document or make a paper checklist.

Need help? Check out my Health-Conscious Packing List example below or create your own!

Also, if you’re a CBD user like me (which is great for anxiety and inflammation, by the way!), check out this post from FABCBD on traveling safely with CBD products. That way you can add it to your packing list and know you won’t get harassed at the gate.

Be Mindful of Traveling Toxicities

Sanitization and Hygiene Products 

With germs being top of mind for many people these days, we’re often reminded to be mindful of hand hygiene in public places – and, trust me,  it’s essential to take this advice. Planes, in particular, are super gross. I’m pretty sure I got sick on our plane ride back from our honeymoon because I wasn’t attentive in sanitizing the armrests and tray table. Learn from me and don’t make the same mistake I did. I paid for it over the next week when I had the flu. 

But, quality is crucial here, and we need to choose our sanitization products wisely. Not all soaps, sanitizers, and wipes are created equally. Many are chock-full of fragrance and other harmful chemicals like methanol, fragrance, and preservatives. Save yourself the hassle and bring your own products. 

Personally, I love Dr. Bronners Hand Sanitizer and EO Organic Lavender Hand Sanitizer for keeping my hands clean. You can use these for surfaces too, or you can bring your own “homemade” non-toxic multisurface cleaner by combining a few drops of Dr. Bronners Soap with water in a 4oz spray bottle (I use these for everything by the way, including homemade room sprays!). If you want the added benefit of sanitization, add a teaspoon or two of isopropyl alcohol. 

If you’re reading this too late and your bags are already packed, the Think Dirty app can help you choose the least toxic product on the shelf or your cabinet. I have personally used this app to see what harmful chemicals might be lurking in my existing stash and to help me make fewer toxic purchases in the future. Even if you aren’t going on vacation, I challenge you to download the app and scan your shampoo or hand soap just for fun! 

Sunscreen and Bug Spray

There’s a hot debate right now on whether it’s the sun or the sunscreen that’s responsible for the increase in skin cancer these days – and it’s a debate that hits close to home. 

In 2015, I was diagnosed with skin cancer and spent the next 6 years avoiding the sun like the plague. Come to find out, it caused me to become incredibly deficient in Vitamin D, which was exacerbating my other health issues. Now, after my daily threshold of sun exposure (for me, it’s about 20-30 minutes), I now apply a quality sun protectant product if I can’t get out of the sun or cover up with pants, long-sleeved shirts, and hats. 

I recently learned that many of these conventional skincare products (sunscreen, after-sun care, and bug repellant) have petrochemicals that are incredibly toxic and harmful to both humans and our environment. We don’t want to be putting that junk on our skin (and especially the skin of our babies).

In fact, in March 2021, Hawaii proposed legislation to ban products that contain octocrylene and avobenzone. This follows the law from 2018 that banned oxybenzone and octinoxate-containing sunscreens because of their damage to coral reefs. And if they’re doing damage to coral reefs, imagine what they are doing to our bodies. For humans, these ingredients can cause anything from skin reactions to male fertility issues. Most alarming is that many sunscreen chemicals can cross the blood-brain barrier and put you at risk for neurotoxicity.

Try to find a sunscreen that has a label like my Coola Mineral Sunscreen or check out my post on Safe and Non-Toxic Sunscreens.

Also, feel free to check out some of my other favorite outdoor skincare products, such as Earthley Sun Shield, Earthley Sun Sooth After-Sun Lotion, Earthley Pest Aside, and Badger Anti-Bug Spray. 

Looking for more non-toxic products? Try reading this guide with 6 companies that can help!

Choose Indulgences Wisely 

Mindset is super important for mental and physical well-being. We all weigh risk versus reward for our indulgences, especially on vacation. If you’ve overdone it, or have eaten a lot of processed food, consider bringing some activated charcoal. Activated charcoal is an excellent detoxifier that picks up and flushes out toxicities and chemicals in your body. It really helps to get things moving if you’ve exceeded your limit or are feeling generally unwell. I also take NAC or N-Acetyl-L Cysteine daily to help detoxify my body and increase glutathione (our master antioxidant!). If that’s not available, try getting some Glutathione.

But remember, if you are like me and have worked really hard on getting your health in balance, it’s probably unhelpful to think of vacation as an opportunity to come unhinged. Feeding your body all the junk it wants (even if you do have the activated charcoal or other detoxifying supplements) might feel good at the moment, but the effects of inflammation can last much longer than your 5-day vacation.

Also, this might go without saying but, drinking alcohol isn’t the only way to relax and enjoy yourself on vacation. I personally have to be very cognoscente of my alcohol intake due to my GI disorder and have completely reapproached how it fits into my lifestyle. Plus, many of the “vacation drinks” we indulge in are packed full of sugar, which can be equally as harmful as the alcohol itself. Since we are human (myself included), it still might be nice to sip on a cold adult beverage by the beach. Just choose wisely. Beer has yeast, sugar, and gluten – all of which are high-inflammatory ingredients. Cognac, tequila, plain vodka, and dry wines, on the other hand, tend to be lower in sugar and higher in antioxidants. 

Have Fun!

Vacations are just straight-up good for your health. Even before you actually go on vacation, the mere act of planning one can boost your happiness levels. I can remember planning my honeymoon. Just knowing I was going somewhere warm gave me the serotonin boost I needed to get through the last leg of wedding planning. 

And let’s be honest – most of us work our tails off and only take about half of our earned PTO. So, when you actually get to go on vacation, kick your shoes off and really dig into all the exciting, health-promoting activities it has to offer. Go on that jet ski excursion, get that massage, swim in the ocean, and enjoy yourself – however that looks for you!

Replenish and Rejuvenate When You Get Home

After your well-deserved time off, you may feel a little off-schedule, tired, and ready to sleep in your own bed. While you’re coming down from your time away and getting back to your old routine, try to be extra cognoscente of what your body is telling you – after all, you just took it on a riveting adventure 😉 Make sure you continue to nourish your body with whatever it needs, including plenty of fruits and vegetables and high-quality sleep. You might even want to incorporate some detoxing practices like using an infrared sauna, doing coffee enemas, or continuing to take detoxifying supplements like the activated charcoal or NAC mentioned above – just be sure to check with your healthcare provider first! 

The fact is, you don’t have to sacrifice your health to travel (nor do you have to give up travel for your health)  – you can have both. With a bit of health-conscious preparation folded into your itinerary planning, you can ensure your vacation can be healthy and fun for both the body and the mind!

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