Taking care of yourself while traveling goes far beyond clever travel hacks. It’s about making sure your mind and body can keep up with the demands that travel—whether for business, adventure, or family—inevitably brings. From disrupted routines to jet lag and unfamiliar environments, travel can easily throw you off balance if you’re not intentional about your well-being. That’s why self-care isn’t just a luxury on the road—it’s a necessity. Whether you’re jetting off solo, heading on a family getaway, or traveling for work, prioritizing your wellness helps you stay grounded, energized, and present. Let’s dive into the best ways to look after yourself while you’re on the move. There’s a lot to unpack—so let’s get going!
Look After Your Phone
This might seem obvious, but your smartphone isn’t just an essential travel companion- it can also be a potential target for thieves. To keep your phone safe, always use a secure lock screen and think about installing a tracking app in case it gets stolen.
Additionally, you should preload it with data because if you use public Wi-Fi networks for sensitive transactions, you might have hackers piggyback onto your device and the wiser. There are ways that you can add extra security to protect your online privacy, for example, learning how to change IP address on Android devices and using a VPN (virtual private network) to encrypt the internet connection, these will all make a big difference, especially if you pay for everything with your phone.
Get Sufficient Rest
Rest should be a priority, but as we have so much to do in so little time, we can feel that we need to get up early and go to bed late, gradually burning the candle at both ends. If you are going on a long expedition over a couple of months, you’ve got to build in proper rest time. This can mean resting while you are traveling from one place to another, and when you’re on airplanes, comfortable sleep aids like earplugs and eye masks can help to take you away from where you are.
You should also think about a consistent sleep schedule. Knowing how to fix jet lag quickly is invaluable, and in fact, the solution is about slowly changing your body clock before you go. Needless to say, sufficient rest will ensure you get more out of the experience.
Keeping Physically Active
To ensure that you are ready for the road, you’ve got to get yourself into some form of peak physical condition. This is why preparing for travel begins months, if not a year, before you go. Think about the things you want to do because you need to be in the right physical condition to do them. If you want to go hiking or traverse across mountains, you need to start getting your body ready.
There is absolutely no point in doing it a couple of weeks or months before you head off because it will take that long for you to get used to any form of exercise, especially if you haven’t exercised for a long time or ever! Being physically active is about understanding the best protocols to acclimate your body gradually. One of the best methods is to ensure that you build up to a one-to-one ratio of work and rest. This means that if you want to improve your cardio fitness, think about running for a minute and then resting for a minute. But gradually, the more you do, the more your form will falter, and therefore, you need to build in a ratio of one to three work to rest.
The rest times will gradually come down, but you also need to make sure you’re not doing too much because there are other things you will have to do in your life to prepare. You want to get to the point where all of this is effortless when you head on vacation. So start now, start slow, and give yourself plenty of time to build up.
Consistency, not intensity, is what leads to lasting habits that support your well-being while traveling.
Get Your Wellness in Check
Most of us like to travel, but we don’t necessarily like to adapt to new environments, and going on vacation is always about new cultures, time zones, and environments that can invariably be mentally taxing. Much like building up your strength at the gym, you should work on maintaining wellness. Make it a part of your weekly routine.
Ask yourself if you are relinquishing unhealthy patterns, engaging in behaviors and practices that contribute to having positive energy and emotions, and guarding your mental health. Incorporate positive habits and rest assured that the more you repeat them, the more you will crave them because you will see just how better you feel. So even if you are traveling and in the air, you will feel grounded.
Traveling doesn’t have to mean putting your well-being on pause. By staying mindful of your phone use, prioritizing quality rest, keeping your body moving, and staying on top of your wellness routine, you can feel grounded no matter how high you fly. Whether you’re jet-setting for work or exploring for pleasure, these simple habits can help you stay energized, balanced, and fully present throughout all your amazing travels.
To a Fitter Healthier You,
The Fitness Wellness Mentor
About the Author
Adriana Albritton has a Master’s in Forensic Psychology, certifications in personal training, nutrition, detoxification, and is the founder of FitnAll Coaching and blog. She is the author of 28 Days to a New Life: A Holistic Program to Get Fit, Delay Aging, and Enhance Your Mindset, and a coauthor of The Better Business Book Volumes II and III. With a background in mental health, Adriana brings a holistic, science-backed approach to wellness. She combines mindset coaching, fitness, and nutrition to help people stay lean, energized, healthy, and centered. As part of Health Six FIT, she’s also helping reshape healthcare through AI-driven, integrative wellness education.
