Travel broadens the mind, textures the soul, and tends to make people more understanding and empathetic. That said, it’s also quite taxing, both on our mental and physical health. This is why it’s important to get plenty of rest each time you head on an adventure, and recharge during the middle of each foray into the unknown.
Of course, even luxurious vacations can feel taxing too, because acquainting yourself with a new environment, making plans, travelling for long distances – it’s all effort in the end. For this reason, it’s good to review your self-care plan from time to time, especially if you’re an ardent traveler.
We’re aware that this takes an undue amount of effort to do also, so let’s assist you with that in the best way. That may give you more time for traveling, and perhaps encourage you to share your experiences in the best way. With that in mind, please consider some of the following advice:
Eating Well While Traveling
Eating well is an important aspect of self-care, but it can be challenging when you’re constantly on the move. Moreover, when you’re on your vacations or enjoying free time away from your day-to-day lifestyle, the urge to indulge is real, and there’s nothing wrong with having some fun, a few mojitos on the beach, or lounging around after a food tour.
That said, of course, the better you eat, the better you feel. It’s good to make sure you get enough vegetables, supplement with Vitamin D and fish oil (unless you’re getting plenty of sun and eating seafood, of course), and most importantly of all, to drink plenty of water. If you’re in a location where you don’t trust the water supply, you can opt for filter straws that help you only drink filtered water. Moreover, try to eat in small amounts but more frequently, it can limit the intensive carb crashes that may lead to a wasted afternoon.
Physical Activities Help You Feel Great
Of course, we won’t tell you to “work out” on your vacations, or your luxury free time. It can be helpful, however, to add a little physical activity into your day to day planning, even if that’s walking around shopping, you’d be surprised about how much distance you cover.
From long treks along the beachside to mountain hikes with a guide, to more active adventures like a skiing holiday, or learning an entirely new skill like wakeboarding, you’d be surprised just how much physical effort can feel like play when you’re in the right mindset for it.
This can leave you feeling tired, yes, but also highly refreshed, and energized for the next day. If you can implement an ‘active day’ and a ‘rest day’ rotating against one another on a consistent basis, you can enjoy your time off with the most energy and clarity possible. Hotels in Madinah and other luxury destinations offer more than you will ever need to recuperate. It certainly beats only laying around on a beach and drinking, feeling exhausted and too sleepy by the end of the week.
Travel Is Intense, Utilize Mindfulness
Traveling can be overwhelming, and it’s important to prioritize your mental health while on the road. For that reason, it’s important to understand the benefits of mindfulness practices, such as meditation and deep breathing, and how they can help you feel more centered and grounded the whole way.
Sometimes, take a little of your own time to relax, enjoy a breather, and notice the world around you. Even if you’re a seasoned world-citizen with a few luxuries planned on their trip, heading from place to place is often quite dizzying, with so much to see, do and experience. After a while you may feel a little burned out, and that in itself can feel quite intensive.
Luckily, you don’t have to spend ten hours in a spa for every day you travel just to return to yourself, although that does sound nice. For this, we’d recommend taking up a hobby like journaling, bringing a camera to take photographs, or even a book. Give yourself a couple of hours from time to time to go at your own pace using this hobby as a conduit for peace. It will help you restore your mental wellbeing and give you a moment to breathe. Sometimes, that’s all you need.
Please, Focus On Your Sleep
It’s not always easy to get good sleep on your travels. Not everyone sleeps as soundly on public transport like when taking flights or long-haul trains, and jet lag or noisy hotel environments can sometimes be a difficult place to fully relax in.
This is why it’s important to focus on your sleep if you can. Quite often, travelers get to the destination, head out into the town or city, enjoy some great food, perhaps drink a little, and stay up into the early hours of the morning. Then they sleep in, not fully rested, and repeat. By the end of the vacation, you may feel much more tired than you had anticipated, and that can lead to a less enjoyable experience overall.
To help get off to sleep while you are traveling, there are a few things you can do. You might want to try and have as much of a routine as possible, as that can help a lot. And if you are particularly sensitive to noise, and you find yourself in a hostel or shared room, then it could be helpful to find some of the best noise cancelling headphones for travel and make sure that you wear those. This should help you to get off to sleep much more easily.
We won’t ask you to retire to bed at 9pm every night with your nightcap on, but it’s good to strike a balance. An afternoon nap can’t hurt if you feel tired, and sometimes, it’s good to stay in and relax with a nice mug of tea than to hit the bar or restaurant every single night. If you’re on a cruise, don’t be afraid to relax in your cabin, or to spend time in the luxury hotel wearing the best hydrating masks to treat your skin. A rejuvenating day like this only helps you look to the rest of your experience with a sense of settled joy, and that’s wonderful.
Self-Care During Transit
Heading from place to place can be enjoyable, particularly if you go for a scenic trip like a ride on the Orient Express, or heading via top-class accommodation. That said, moving such distances can certainly be hard on the body and mind, no matter how comfortable you are for the most part.
Self-care during transit is worth planning for, then, because it will make a difference. Don’t worry, you won’t have to bring a full massage team with you on your business-class trip, even though that would be a lovely idea. Instead, invest in some basics like anti-travel-sickness medication or just some ginger supplements, herbal tablets for relaxation like valerian root if you have a hard time settling down or have anxiety on planes, or perhaps even a travel pillow so you can sleep with ease.
It’s also good to plan out your journey. If you’re driving long distances, then make sure to book a hotel so you don’t have to drive more than you need to each day – especially if you know you’ll be tired from the effort. Pacing out the speed of your travels can be nice also. So for instance, if you have a 200 mile trip to meet your cruise, you might decide to book a hotel nearby the previous night, so you can have all your affairs sorted, park your car in a long-wait bay the next day, and then meet at the docks early without stress.
All of this is down to preference of course, but you’ll be able to enjoy the process more when you’re not rushing at a million miles an hour. With that in mind, you’ll be sure to benefit.
With this advice, we hope you can curate the best self-care plan for the ardent traveler, otherwise known as that part of you with wanderlust, going forward. In the long run, you might be surprised just how well this can work out.
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