I have packed my suitcase more times than anyone can even remember! Called a globe trotter, there are few countries left on my list I have yet to visit. My past jobs took me around the world and for a long time all my holidays had to be spent discovering a new country.

Whether we travel for business or pleasure... or both, whenever we visit somewhere that we do not live, there are physical, mental and emotional changes happening. These changes can have profound effects on our various bodily systems, as well as our state of mind and our relationships with others. With insights from Ayurvedic doctors and years of life on the road, I'd like to offer you some useful tips to consider when travelling... from a yogic perspective. Most of the ideas I will talk about here are regarding airplane travel over long distances but they are not exclusive to long haul flights. Car travel and shorter trips can be equally as taxing on your body/mind/spirit so this can apply to those too.  

As a whole, travelling is a Vata activity - in that it's related to the Air / Wind element and movement. So generally speaking, we want to keep Vata-inducing practices and habits to a minimum when we are on the move. Foods, activities and yoga practices that help with restoring Kapha energy or Earth energy are recommended.

Day of Travel:

Get your circulation going

Take some light exercise to move blood and get the circulation going and be careful not to wear yourself out. After experimenting with a variety of yoga practices (Vinyasa, Restorative, Yin) , I found that rolling the joints and a gentle lower back and hip stretch practice prepared me better for travel and also left me feeling much more refreshed after landing.

Prevent dehydration

One of the main problems with travel is dehydration, on the inside and out. To help keep your skin healthy and hydrated, try an oil massage a few minutes before showering on your travel day (or any other time!). Good oils for the skin include organic Sunflower, Jojoba or Almond. Coconut oil is good for hot climates but to be avoided in winter as it is cooling. Apply the oil generously in a circular motion on the breasts, abdominals and joints and then straight on the limbs rubbing towards the centre of the body. When you shower, only use soap / shower gel on the feet, underarms and genitals and don't wash the oil from the rest of your body. 

Drink lemon water and have a good breakfast

Start your day with a warm glass of water with lemon to aid absorption of the water and help your kidneys. An ideal breakfast would be some warm porridge with ghee, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon for your immune system. Also, Miso soup is a great start for a savoury palate and even some steamed greens with coconut oil or ghee.

Be organised

To help with mental stress, print out all of your travel documents a day in advance for the entire trip and put them in a plastic folder for easy access. Double check the flight time, boarding documents, confirmation numbers of hotels and cars and phone numbers you may need. Be prepared and take care of this in advance!

Arrive early

Also, know that modern-day airports and security are not always peaceful or friendly. So arrive early enough to deal with queues and be prepared for people who may not be as able to deal with stress as well as you! I suggest a short meditation before leaving the house.

At the airport / On the plane:

Take a breath

Remember that things can get a bit crazy when expectations are not met. Whether it happens to you or to people around you... there is stress when flights are missed or cancelled or when extra baggage fees are charged. Take a breath before reacting! This is is TRUE YOGA!

Avoid eating out of boredom

While waiting for your flight, resist the temptation for over-indulgent eating. Make sure you are satiated and have something in your stomach and be careful of eating out of boredom.  

Chant... if it's your thing!

If mantra practice is part of your yoga... sit and chant silently to yourself ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ to stay focused... be sure not to miss your plane through. If a mantra is too ambitious for the airport... do something to keep your mind engaged: puzzles, reading, movies, music...

Get in the timezone

Set your watch/phone and internal clock to the time zone that you are travelling to as soon as you are on the plane. Get in the mindset of your destination.

Airplane food? Keep it vegetarian

Even if you are not vegetarian, I recommend eating only vegetarian food on airplanes. In my ‘former life’ I worked for a big international airline and learned that a lot of the food is hardly ‘food’. You'll probably need to order your vegetarian meals before your travel, so get in the habit of doing it when you make your reservation. ‘Asian Vegetarian’ is usually the best option on most airlines. It’s also nice to travel with some healthy food bars - watch out for those loaded with sugar - and eat them with some warm tea to help dissolve them. 

Stay hydrated

During the flight, stay hydrated with warm water. You can bring an empty water bottle through security at the airport and then fill it afterward. In some places you can ask for warm water and other times I fill my bottle half way and then get hot water on the plane. You could put a squeeze of lemon or ginger in your water to give it a bit of taste.

To be realistic... a red wine is not the worst thing to help you sleep, but overall, avoid alcohol as it is dehydrating. For sure, avoid soda and carbonated drinks full of sugar as they imbalance the Vata as well as the nervous system.

Try a new mantra or meditate!

You could try chanting Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha 108 times... with your Mala, or some in-flight meditation and pranayama.

Movement and massage

Make sure to turn your ankles and neck often and keep the lower back healthy with a pillow behind the lumbar spine. I always travel with two tennis balls in a sock as a massage tool.  It's nice to put them in your kidney area during takeoff. For long-haul flights, spend some time standing and stretching between naps and whenever you can. Floss and brush your teeth before landing. 

Landing:

Land in your body by getting clean

Clean yourself upon arrival with a hot shower... with steam if possible!

Take Savasana

Take Savasana for 10 – 15 minutes and allow the ground to really hold you... without falling asleep! Take a nice slow walk in fresh air and shake out your legs as you walk.  

Get back to routine

Get to your normal sleep / waking routine as soon as possible. Coffee only in the mornings!  

Practise yoga!

When you are ready for a Yoga practice... go to my YouTube channel and practice one of my Vinyasa yoga classes that is ideal for after your flight. Follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/@christelwellnessyoga

Keep your diet simple

When it is time to eat, stick with simple foods that are easy to digest for the first day or two, like soup and steamed vegetables. Your digestive system will need a bit of time to recover from the speed of airplane travel. If you have access to grapefruit seed extract, put a few drops in your water. If you’re up for it, you could even eat a raw garlic clove! 

Post-Travel:

Rest

Travel can often bring about stiffness, constipation, irregular menstruation and congestion. The nervous system is also affected and needs extra care. The best thing to do is to rest. Take short naps when you need and get back into your regular routine as soon as you can. Legs up the wall pose with some pranayama and music is great in the early afternoons!

Mindful eating

When you eat, just eat. Sit and enjoy your meal and take some time for digestion and rest.  Keep your food intake simple and easy to digest. Avoid too much raw food and cold food as they are harder to digest. Find foods that help you to stay warm, grounded and clear minded.   

Keep it in perspective and be excited! 

Lastly, remember that travel is a luxury and can be an eye-opening experience! What used to take months to accomplish is now easily performed with relatively little effort. When you fly over the ocean or across continents, remember the great miracle of life and your part in it; and all the other people by your side going through their own experiences of seeing things from a new perspective. Do your best to stay calm and relaxed when faced with challenges on the journey and use your excitement for wherever you are heading to to feed the energy of your heart.  

If you have any other travel tips you would like to share, please leave them as a comment below.

Namaste

Christel 🙏