How to Stay Healthy While Traveling: Top Tips From Experts
Traveling can present unique challenges to maintaining one’s health and well-being. This comprehensive guide offers practical advice gathered from seasoned experts in the field of travel health. Discover essential strategies for staying fit, avoiding illness, and maximizing your enjoyment during your journeys, whether you’re crossing time zones or exploring new cuisines.
- Maintain Hydration and Sleep Consistency
- Prioritize Gut Health with Smart Snacking
- Embrace the Slower Rhythm of Travel
- Incorporate Movement into Your Travel Day
- Use Hand Sanitizer to Prevent Illness
- Research and Prepare for Your Destination
- Support Your Body’s Natural Defenses Daily
- Stick to Clean Eating and Sleep
- Follow Simple Guidelines to Avoid Sickness
- Balance New Experiences with Rest Time
- Limit Alcohol to Protect Your Immune System
- Practice Hygiene and Avoid Risky Foods
- Be Cautious with Water Consumption Abroad
Maintain Hydration and Sleep Consistency
One of the best things I’ve learned while traveling is to stay consistent with hydration and sleep. No matter how exciting the destination is, I always make time to drink plenty of water and stick to a regular sleep schedule. It helps my body adjust to new environments and keeps my immune system strong. I also try to eat local but fresh foods and walk as much as I can to stay active. Simple habits like these have helped me stay healthy on the road and enjoy every trip to the fullest.
Andre Robles
Manager, Voyagers Travel Company
Prioritize Gut Health with Smart Snacking
When I travel, my golden rule is: don’t let convenience compromise your gut health. Airports, gas stations, and hotel buffets often offer salty and sugary foods that can negatively affect your digestion and immune system.
I always carry a small kit containing mixed nuts, a probiotic supplement, and electrolyte powder to maintain my energy levels. Additionally, I avoid eating heavy meals late at night since the body is already struggling to manage the time zone changes.
Renato Fernandes
Clinical Nutritionist, Saude Pulso
Embrace the Slower Rhythm of Travel
As the General Manager of Ngoma Bush Lodge, a rustic safari lodge in Hoedspruit, Limpopo, one of the best pieces of advice I can offer to travelers looking to stay healthy is: stay hydrated, eat fresh, and slow down.
Many guests arrive so eager to explore that they forget how different the climate and pace of the bush can be — especially on safari in South Africa. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day, especially before and after game drives, is key to avoiding fatigue, headaches, or digestion issues. We always keep water and cool drinks on hand for guests.
Another crucial factor is nutrition. At Ngoma Bush Lodge, we serve home-style meals made from fresh, locally sourced ingredients — many from our own organic vegetable garden right here on our 600-hectare private reserve. Our team is also experienced in catering for dietary requirements including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and others — ensuring every guest feels well taken care of. Healthy, thoughtful meals truly help support the immune system and keep energy levels up during travel.
Finally, I always remind guests to embrace the slower, more mindful rhythm of the bush. At Ngoma Bush Lodge, we offer a peaceful and personal safari experience, with only five private bungalows and no crowds. This creates the perfect environment for rest, reflection, and reconnection with nature — which is just as important to your health as what you eat or drink.
Whether you’re exploring Kruger National Park (just 45-60 minutes away via Orpen Gate) or soaking in the quiet of our game-rich farm, slowing down and listening to your body is one of the best things you can do to stay well on the road.
Cedric Mabuli
General Manager
Ngoma Bush Lodge – Rustic Safari Lodge in Hoedspruit, South Africa
res@ngomalodge.com
Ngoma Bush Lodge offers a relaxed, nature-filled escape in the heart of Limpopo, with guided plains game drives, comfortable thatched bungalows, and an authentic bush experience just minutes from the Panorama Route and Blyde River Canyon.
Cedric Mabuli
General Manager, Ngoma Bush Lodge
Incorporate Movement into Your Travel Day
I make movement part of every travel day plan. Even a few stretches at the gate work wonders. It keeps blood flowing and prevents stiffness from long sitting. I also walk rather than use Uber when possible abroad. Movement resets the body and sharpens mental clarity quickly. It significantly reduces fatigue and jet lag.
I wear comfortable shoes and keep my posture in check. Sitting with intention makes flying feel less taxing. I also practice mindful breathing before landing on each trip. That helps me arrive feeling more present and grounded. Movement is my best travel medicine, every single time. It’s simple, free, and always available to me.
Ivan Rodimushkin
Founder, CEO, XS Supply
Use Hand Sanitizer to Prevent Illness
As a local tour guide, I’ve learned that one of the best ways to stay healthy while traveling is to pack a small bottle of hand sanitizer and use it frequently. Germs can lurk on surfaces like doorknobs, handrails, and menus, so sanitizing your hands after touching shared items can help prevent the spread of illnesses. I always keep a travel-sized bottle in my bag and use it before eating or after visiting crowded attractions.
For example, on a recent tour of our South Omo Valley tribe city’s historic district, we stopped for lunch at a popular cafe. Before digging into my meal, I pulled out my trusty hand sanitizer and gave my hands a quick rub-down. It’s a simple habit, but one that has saved me from countless colds and stomach bugs over the years. When you’re constantly on the go and exposed to new environments, a little extra cleanliness can go a long way in keeping you healthy and enjoying your travels to the fullest.
Emany Cheneke
Local Omo Tour Guide, Explore OMO
Research and Prepare for Your Destination
Staying fit and healthy while travelling is imperative – who wants to waste valuable holiday time either laid up in bed or, even worse, in a medical center? As with most things in life, prevention is better than cure, so before you embark on your journey, make sure you’re up to date with your inoculations for your chosen destination. The key to remaining healthy is to ensure you’re well-researched on the area you’re travelling to. For example, winter sports are great fun, but it’s imperative that you take the right precautions to maximize your enjoyment. Simple things like having protective eyewear to avoid eye irritation or even snow-blindness are essential. Or even something as simple as ensuring you regularly apply a high-factor sunscreen to keep you safe from easily avoidable problems. It’s essentially all about planning – fail to prepare, prepare to fail. The best advice is to take a little time to make sure you’re fully versed on where you’re travelling to and what you’ll be doing. Understand the dangers and travel armed with the knowledge and kit you need to get the best from your break.
Robert McIntosh
Managing Director, Interschool Travel
Support Your Body’s Natural Defenses Daily
Travel exposes your body to novel bacteria and disrupts routine, weakening your immune system. The most effective way to stay healthy while traveling is to establish habitual behaviors that support your body’s defenses daily.
Hydration is crucial. Good hydration flushes toxins from your body and moistens mucous membranes, which are your natural defense against viruses and bacteria. Having an easily refillable water bottle with a built-in filter ensures access to clean drinking water at all times. Proper hydration also reduces fatigue and improves your body’s acclimatization to other time zones.
Sleep is another critical factor. Insufficient sleep compromises immune function. Earplugs and an eye mask can provide higher quality sleep, especially on an airplane or in a noisy hotel room. If consecutive nights of sleep are not possible, brief naps can help recharge and conserve immune vigor.
Diet significantly affects your resistance to disease. Eating snacks such as nuts and dried fruits helps avoid processed food, which increases inflammation levels. Maintaining a healthy gut through whole foods directly impacts immune cells, as the gut produces most of the body’s immune defenses.
Prioritizing sleep, food, and water during travel keeps you healthy and helps you resist illness while traveling. These practices can become strong habits, allowing you to focus on your journey without it being compromised.
Aspen Noonan
CEO, Elevate Holistics
Stick to Clean Eating and Sleep
Having taken close to 700 flights—including a whirlwind 14-day trip around the world with 23 flights as part of the SAS EuroBonus Millionaire challenge—I’ve learned that staying healthy while traveling isn’t about hacks; it’s about discipline with a few key non-negotiables.
My top three are: eat clean, hydrate constantly, and prioritize sleep. I avoid airport and airplane junk food at all costs and stick to simple, whole foods whenever possible. I always carry a refillable water bottle and make hydration a priority, especially on long-haul flights. And even when changing time zones rapidly, I do whatever I can to maximize sleep, even if that means skipping in-flight entertainment or adjusting my schedule (many apps help with that). These habits have helped me stay energized and avoid getting sick, even on the most demanding travel itineraries.
Germán Ceballos
Head of Growth (Phd), AwardFares
Follow Simple Guidelines to Avoid Sickness
Every time my partner and I travel, we follow a set of guidelines to avoid getting sick:
1. If we’re in doubt about whether a restaurant is clean, we avoid it; food poisoning is no fun.
2. We always bring our vitamins and take them every day.
3. We stay active and walk a lot every day on vacation.
4. We have a bottle of hand sanitizer in our pocket or bag to use frequently.
Phillip Stemann
Travel Enthusiast, LisboaVibes
Balance New Experiences with Rest Time
I’ve been doing work and travel for approximately 2.5 years now, splitting my time mainly between Dubai and Germany. However, I’ve also spent time in places like Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Nepal. The best tip I can give is: don’t overdo anything. Don’t spend too long in the sun, don’t set the AC too high, don’t eat too much exotic food too quickly, and don’t overtrain if you’re working out. When you travel—especially when you’re not just sitting at the beach all day—your body is processing a lot of new environments, food, and stress. Give it time to adjust and rest, so your immune system can do its job properly. That balance is what keeps me healthy on the road.
Heinz Klemann
Senior Marketing Consultant, BeastBI GmbH
Limit Alcohol to Protect Your Immune System
During a traveling excursion, what you eat can have a big impact on your health. Therefore, it is a good idea to limit your alcohol consumption to maintain your health and better avoid getting sick. It is not unusual for us to want to sample all of the local culture, and this includes food and, often, plenty of alcoholic beverages.
However, alcohol, being a diuretic, can not only dehydrate you but can actually affect your immune system by suppressing your white blood cell count, which reduces your body’s ability to fight disease. This can put you at great risk, as new locations will often come with new viruses and increased exposure to possible infections. So, if you are planning on traveling, make certain to limit your alcohol consumption to reasonable levels to better maintain your health.
Robert Applebaum
CEO & Plastic Surgeon, Beverly Hills Breast Reduction Center
Practice Hygiene and Avoid Risky Foods
My number one travel rule is never to drink tap water and to wash my hands frequently. I always wear a mask during flights and thoroughly disinfect my airplane seat area, including the table, screen, and controls, with sanitizing wipes. Although I rarely get sick, I also protect my throat by wearing a scarf or shawl in places where the air conditioning is strong. Additionally, I avoid eating raw vegetables, meat, fish, or seafood while traveling. A reliable hand sanitizer spray is always a staple in my bag.
Joaquin Calvo
Director, Comligo Spanish
Be Cautious with Water Consumption Abroad
There are many tips I have for staying healthy and avoiding illness on trips. One of the best pieces of advice would be to be extremely cautious about water consumption. In other countries, I make sure to use strictly bottled water for drinking and brushing my teeth. This precaution includes being mindful of ice in many drinks and even beverages such as teas and juices that may include water for brewing or mixing. However, there are exceptions, such as Starbucks, since they have a triple filter system for their water.
Scott Clyburn
Founder and Director, North Avenue Education
