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August is about many things, but one thing it is certainly about for great numbers of us, is travel. Nor can we exactly blame you for being eager to jet off on your holidays, which might be a source of much-needed escapism for you this year.
We love travelling – but it’s not always good for health
Travelling can be immensely beneficial for our health – but physically and mentally – but it’s also important to acknowledge that it comes with certain risks. In various ways, it could heighten your chances of getting sick compared to if you had stayed at home, and no one wants to fall ill when they’re on holiday.
The very process of travelling often leaves many of us lacking sleep, not eating as healthily as we normally would, and putting ourselves under exceptional stress. That’s before one even gets to the fact that if you’re cramming yourself onto a plane or coach, or surrounded by other people at bustling airports, you could be exposing yourself to a lot of viruses and bacteria.
But lest you think we’re being negative about August, let’s show you that you aren’t destined to end up feeling unwell on your hard-earned break. Below, we’ve set out some ways to ensure you stay healthy for the duration of your holiday.
- Stay hydrated – with the right stuff
As we touched on above, holidays can so stressful, in part because from the moment you leave your house for your break, you’re likely to feel that everything’s happening in a bit of a rush. And along the way, that stress could easily cause you to reach for caffeine, sugary fizzy drinks, alcohol… you name it.
None of those things are likely to leave you feeling great on your holiday – indeed, when combined with hot weather, they can lead to dehydration, headaches, and poor skin complexion, among other potential issues.
So, for this particular tip, we’re going to be very straightforward: bring good old-fashioned water, and drink lots of it all day! And enhance the routine still further by snacking on water-rich healthy foods such as oranges, watermelon, and lettuce.
And while you’re at it, why not make some of your drinks during your vacation our own all-natural Daily Immunity drinks, which contain a wide range of ingredients – including the likes of vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin D – to support your immune system naturally?
- Slap on that suncream
Yes, it’s obvious advice, except that it… isn’t necessarily all that ‘obvious’. After all, protecting yourself against the adverse effects of the sun isn’t even ‘just’ about putting on some suncream. As the NHS outlines, it’s also important to adopt other sensible measures, such as wearing clothing that keeps your skin well-covered, and spending time in the shade between 11am and 3pm.
The latter tip might be particularly easy to forget if you will be spending your vacation in exotic climes, catching rays on the beach, or spending a lot of time walking in the sun between visits to art galleries, museums, and heritage sites. But it really is crucial to swot up on how to spend your time in the sun responsibly, before you even board that plane.
- Walk more-or-less everywhere
This tip might seem to slightly contradict the above one – and of course, all those rules of protecting yourself in the sun still apply.
But honestly, depending on the destination, walking can be a super-easy exercise for many of us to incorporate into a holiday. It doesn’t matter whether you’ll be spending your break somewhere relatively rural and isolated, checking out the beaches at your favourite Costa del Sol resort, or shopping ‘til you drop on a city break.
The fact is, forgoing a few of those buses and taxis and instead placing the emphasis on walking, could be just the thing for boosting your mood and shedding those pounds.
- Get a full night’s sleep
When you’ve got a packed itinerary and you just ‘have’ to visit one, two or three more of the big tourist attractions you’ve been reading about, well… you can get exhausted quickly. Add in the effects of warm weather, and you can probably soon see why skimping on sleep would be ill-advised.
So, we would really advise you to get those full eight hours a night during your trip – not least as that will give you the energy to take in all the sights and sounds of your chosen destination each day.
- Put together a mini first-aid kit
You can never be sure of what might happen when you’re on holiday, potentially many hours and a fair few countries away from home. Packing a comprehensive first-aid kit can therefore, at the very least, help give you reassurance of being well-prepared for almost anything.
The NHS website has some handy advice on what kinds of items to include in such a travel first-aid kit, depending on such factors as your destination and what existing medical conditions you might have.
There you have it – five ways to help make sure you will be ‘fighting fit’ throughout your holiday, so that you can be in a better condition to enjoy the things you’re going on vacation for in the first place! Be sure to check out our complete Immunity Hub to discover other great tips for ensuring your health day by day, including how to conquer jetlag.
