How’s Your Travel Health?
After two months on the road, I keep hearing myself reply to “how are you today”, with, “happy to be going home.” I am a person who loves my days to be full of variety but, even for me, business travel wears me down.
As I sit down for my second to final flight before snuggling up in my own bed, I think of the reminders from Jamie Shapiro at Connectedec about the importance of travel habits. For those of us who live on the road, travel cannot represent an exception. When your life is travel, your life habits must follow you to whichever city, airport, and bed you find yourself in.
Some of us are great at setting healthy habits at home and, when we travel, all of our hard work disintegrates. For me, the hardest good habit to maintain is eating. The minute I step into an airport, I am tempted to buy packaged foods, jolt myself out of jetlag with a strong coffee, or unwind with an airplane cocktail. I urge you to consider, which of your hard-earned habits fall off during travel?
We all have a different travel narrative that influences the types of habits we add and subtract when we are on the go. Are you tempted to splurge, push the envelope, or travel on a shoestring? How does your travel narrative impact the way you care for yourself? For me it’s about saving money, I’ll sleep in a dump and skip the car rental, which makes my sleep rocky and travel stressful.
Counteracting our natural narratives and bad habits can be difficult. I recommend starting travel with a quick, pre-planned travel re-write to inoculate against your common travel pitfalls. Here are some considerations when aiming to make your travel healthier.
Travel: These little tweaks to your habits might help you travel with more rest and relaxation without compromising your productivity.
Ban red-eye flights.
Always grab a window seat for some extra shut-eye.
Put your computer in your checked bag and use the in-flight time to unwind and disconnect from technology.
Eating: The food we eat is the foundation from which our brains function to supercharge our creativity and effectiveness.
Stay in Airbnbs over hotels. I’ve been loving access to a kitchen while traveling. Eating out is one of my favorite pastimes but always takes me down a path of unhealthy over-eating. Now, I find a place to stay with a kitchen and a grocery store nearby.
Buy easy and healthy grab-and-go food from the grocery store at the beginning of your trip to avoid the coffee shop and restaurant traps.
Avoid setting mealtime meetings every day of travel. Spend a few days eating lighter and lonelier to help you rest and digest.
Drink plenty of water; bring your bottle with you, you’re more likely to drink if you don’t have to go out of your way.
Connection: Humans are more willing to take risks when they are tethered to a strong support network. When you are out traveling protect your appetite for risk-taking by checking in with the people who build you up and love you no matter what.
Travel with a team. Sometimes solo travel is necessary but, anytime you can take along a colleague, do it.
I use the time before the plane takes off to call my loved ones and shoot off a few heartfelt text messages. It makes me feel a bit more grounded to hear, “I love you” just before lift-off.
Schedule a social call - just for fun! Reconnect with an old friend who lives in your destination or attend a group event or Craigslist coffee. Warning: for extraverts only. If you need alone time, swap out this for an hour of reading or solo time in a beautiful new place.
Exercise: Moving your body keeps your energy fresh and your brain making novel connections. Long plane, train, and car rides are enemies to good health.
Set walkable meetings to increase fresh air and exercise.
Make space for movement. My travel yoga mat and running shoes are the must-packs right after my slacks when I travel. These are activities that can be done no matter the location and in a very short amount of time.
Sleep: You might have heard that driving when sleepy is more dangerous than driving when drunk. Now imagine making an important negotiation or meeting a client for the first time after having one too many drinks — if you wouldn’t drink before the meeting, then don’t walk in tired.
Schedule 8 hours of sleep. When traveling between time zones on red-eye flights, sleep can be the first thing to go. Sleep is always difficult but, when traveling, it becomes imperative to schedule and manage.
Travel with a familiar sleep cue, maybe it’s a pillow, nighttime scent or comfy PJs; whatever it is, find something that helps you feel like you’re sleeping at home.
These are just a few ideas and remember that changing your experience of traveling doesn’t have to be a comprehensive overhaul. Begin with a few small steps in an effort to build a strong arsenal of new travel habits.
I’d love to hear your travel non-negotiables and which new habit you plan to practice next. Of course, when changing any habit, it’s better to have an accountability partner, persistence, and a lot of self-compassion. Bon Voyage!