It’s easy to fall into some unhealthy patterns while constantly on the road. After living a nomadic lifestyle for about two years, I learned to incorporate some healthy practices into my life to keep me grounded, healthy, and sane. Here are the ones that I found the easiest to implement!
When at home, where we have the comfort of routines and schedules, itโs easy to have a healthy lifestyle. When travelling, however, our mental and physical health can often be compromised!
I spent two years of my life on the road, and during those years, I had to find a way to incorporate some healthy habits into my life. At home, Iโd go to the gym every day, but travelling, I had to find other ways of staying strong. At home, I had a routine and time set aside for grounding myself, but on the road, where life was serendipitous, I had to find other ways of keeping my head clear.
Here are my tried and true healthy habits for travellers.
Wake up and walk to breakfast
Getting your day started with some walking is a great metabolism booster, but there are benefits to this beyond the physical aspect. Walking as soon as you wake up is a good way to get some endorphins in early on in the day- youโre ensuring youโre waking up on the right side of the bed! Breakfast included where youโre staying? Wake up and have a walk after breakfast- itโll help you digest and youโll still be getting endorphins.
Make your meals colourful
Itโs easy to go overboard on food when travelling. While I donโt think you should hold back on trying local cuisine, I think itโs important to be filling up on fruits and veggies. I try to eat super colourful plates- think as many coloured vegetables as possible! If Iโm set on trying a dish (that may or may not have veggies in it), Iโll get a side of veggies to share. Try to add in colourful vegetables as often as possible.
Carry a water bottle around
Itโs especially important to stay hydrated when travelling! The different environment can do some weird things to your body, and often water helps with that. Iโm guilty of forgetting to drink water, but when I carry a water bottle around, I drink loads more. The water bottle is a constant reminder to have a sip here and there. This is especially important in some countries without potable tap water.
Try travel journaling
If you read my travel journals, youโll get a wide variety of things. Youโll see to-do lists, rants, deep reflection, and the shallowest things, all within the same page! I like to write everything down. The to-do lists and planning pages keep me organised, and thus, less stressed, and all the other stuff is great for getting whatever Iโm feeling out on paper. If Iโm having a great day, writing about it will inflate my feelings and help them last, and if Iโm having a bad day, writing ensures I donโt bottle up negativity and explode. Itโs a great way of keeping a clear head.
Challenge yourself regularly
Itโs easy to fall into a routine at home. In fact, I love my routines! When travelling, and living completely serendipitously, those are gone. While Iโm not acting as a creature of habit, I might as well take advantage of it and challenge myself. Getting out of my comfort zone is something I love to do when travelling. Itโs a great way to learn new things (about yourself and the world around us), to broaden our horizons, and to feel empowered.
My favourite ways of challenging myself:
Try to order food/coffee in the local language – It may sound like nothing, but speaking a different language can be intimidating, and getting over that little fear is great! Plus, itโs always good to try to speak the language of the country youโre in.
Do something physical โ Whether this is a super long hike or an uphill bike ride, doing something physical that is just a little harder than what youโre comfortable with is empowering. Plus, itโll help you get stronger at that skill!
Put yourself out there (when travelling solo) โ Sometimes travelling solo is a little intimidating. Iโve travelled solo LOADS and I still get a little nervous when trying to make new friends! Putting yourself out there and inviting someone to dinner, drinks, or sightseeing can be weird, awkward, and scary, but I like to force myself to have that confidence and just do it. Who knows? You might make a new friend out of it (Iโve met some of my closest friends by doing this).
Spend a day completely alone โ I love spending time with other people, so once in a while, I force myself to have a day to myself. I think itโs important to be comfortable with being by yourself, and itโs good to be able to be your own best friend. Itโs nice to have a day of adventure that is completely your own.
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Thank you for your tips! ๐ Keep up the good work on your blog, I’ll follow you!
Thanks so much!
Thanks for sharing! These are some amazing tips for people like me who travel so often ๐
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Good tips. However I am very lazy and prefer to have breakfast at the hotel and avoid to walk:)
when I visit any country I walk a lot to explore the places.
You made a good point when you shared that it is great to go for a walk after you’ve had your breakfast so it helps to digest your food better. My cousin just mentioned the other day that she is planning to go on a vacation with her friends during the weekend so they get to catch up after not seeing each other for a year. I will suggest to her looking for a hotel stay that prepares breakfast as well and make sure to go for a walk so it helps to digest the food easier.
So glad these tips were helpful!