Nothing is worse than not feeling your best while on vacation. All the time and money put into this vacation, this is not an option. But let’s face it long flights which are notorious places for catching for being a flying petri dish, jet lag, eating unusual foods, sleeping away from home for some and just plain being on the go can take take it’s toll on the immune system. So let me share my tips with you on how we stay healthy while traveling.

Essential Oils Are Everything

I never ever leave home without my essential oils. They travel the world with me and have saved us on many occasions.

The first line of defense is protecting yourself on the plane. Think about it, we are confined to a very small space, sitting shoulder to shoulder with complete strangers who are carrying who knows what.

I never get on the plane without my OnGuard essential oil blend. For me, I apply it directly to my chest where I can inhale the wonderful protecting vapors. If you have sensitive skin, dilute it and apply it on a less sensitive area like the bottoms of your feet which are by the way a great place to apply essential oils. I reapply ever few hours and I also love the tiny little beadlets filled with a couple of drops of OnGuard. Just pop 2-3 in your mouth to support your digestive tract.

For that occasional upset stomach you might experience, I prefer the Digestzen essential oil blend. I prefer the oil in most cases mostly because we like to travel light, but it is available in tablets. You can also get pure Peppermint essential oil in tiny beadlets like the OnGuard. The Digestzen will calm most temporary and mild queeziness within minutes.

Dry air stuffiness is common while flying. The Breathe blend instantly soothes the respiratory airways given you a feeling of easier breathing. You can get Breathe in an essential oil or a vapor stick which is handy for kids.

For minor bumps & skin irritations I like to have Past Tense and Lavender essential oil with me. Past Tense is my go to for when I have overworked muscles, tension in my shoulders, neck or head. Calms all sort of discomforts right down. I also love Lavender as it calms all sorts of minor skin irritation down. I used it undiluted, but if you have sensitive skin, dilute it.

If you are someone who finds it difficult to calm down and and drift off to sleep on long haul flights Lavender may be helpful. I also really like the Serenity essential oil blend, which comes in a capsule. I find that very helpful, it’s my favorite. If you tend to feel anxious while flying you may find Ylang Ylang beneficial. I call it my Big Guns and reach for it whenever I am experiencing those anxious moments.

Many locations we travel too have a lot of bugs. Don’t care for bugs crawling on me or buzzing around so I use TerraShield essential oil blend. It comes in a little spray bottle and smells wonderful. Best of all it is pesticide free with with absolutely no synthetic chemicals added and it works really well. Ask my husband, bugs love him, it works great for him.

If you are wondering, essential oils can be carried on. They are so important to me that I never check them. Just be sure to have them in those quart sized bags.

Stay Grounded

Have you ever noticed, especially when you travel to tropical locations where you spend a lot of time barefoot on the sand and playing in the ocean that you feel incredibly relaxed. Some of your health issues may seem to subside during your holiday and for a period of time upon returning home? Well, there is mounting evidence that as humans we have lost touch with the earth and when playing at the beach we are actually making that connection to the earth once again with all of it’s health benefits.

I won’t try to explain the benefits of Grounding or Earthing as it has been known, instead I will refer you to a web site. But briefly, I am sleeping as I have not in decades, so are numerous friends and family members. My pain levels are way down. My need to turn to Ibuprofen is nearly non existent.

Much of our travel isn’t in the tropics and being barefoot on the beach is not always an option. Wearing shoes is the greatest factor in our prevailing disconnection from the earth. What can be done? We travel with our grounding half sheet. It’s fairly small, and packs easy enough. Requires no electricity. All that is needed is either direct connection to the ground by way of a tiny wire attached to a grounding rod placed literally in the ground or an electircal outler that is grounded.  Just simply sleep on that half sheet. Not matter where you are, you will sleep like you never have before. That in itself is so incredibly important to keep the immune system at optimal function while traveling.

Grapefurit Seed Extract

Another little trick we use is Grapefruit Seed Extract. You may find it to be a good alternative to antibiotics while traveling in 3rd world countries or the tropics where mosquitos are a major problem. Mosquitos don’t particularly like it or you when taken regularly while traveling. When in Thailand and Cambodia mosquitos were pretty bad. While mosquitos tend to love my husband, he only got a few bites and I got none that I can remember. That’s a good thing.

Don’t let unforseen health issues ruin your long waited for vacation. Be prepared ahead of time and enjoy yourself.