Travel well with these Ayurvedic travel tips
Now that the world has well and truly opened back up, lots of people I know are getting out there and exploring our glorious world again. With a few trips coming up myself, I’ve been dipping back into some of my go-to easy Ayurvedic travel tips.
Whether you are flying, driving or catching a train, these Ayurvedic travel tips will help you balance the inevitable toll that time zones, airports and different food can have on our minds and bodies. These easy travel tips are designed to integrate into your day-to-day, giving you a simple means of taking care of yourself, so you can get out there and explore fully.
Happy travels!
1 Bring your own food
Airplane food is usually loaded with salt, preservatives and chemicals to make it last longer and appear fresh. In reality, it’s incredibly heavy, hard to digest and is one of the main reasons people find themselves constipated when they travel. Keep things flowing freely by bringing your own food – yes, you usually CAN bring your own food on a plane, though I recommend double checking with the airline to be safe. Their main rule is to avoid liquids, so things like broths and thin soups are a no, but you can easily prep a thermos of kitchari, roast vegetables or veggie poha. Whip it up before you leave, pack it in a thermos and all you need to do is ask for cutlery! I also recommend packing fruit, soaked almonds and raisins and if you have time, a batch of my tahini cookies.
This is probably my number #1 travel hack, so if you can only do one, make it this one!
2 Pack a thermos + herbal tea
Drinking cold water is one of the fastest ways to dampen your digestive fire. Once you’ve tried drinking warm water instead, you’ll notice the difference and won’t look back – cold water feels like it constricts your tummy. Warm water is more easily absorbed, meaning it is more hydrating, plus it helps to flush metabolic impurities out of the GI tract. Cold water on the other hand is like trying to use cold water to wash a greasy pan, it just won’t do the job.
Bring a thermos or heat-safe bottle and ask the airline attendants to fill it up for you, or fill before you leave if travelling by train or bus.
I also recommend keeping a stash of herbal teas on hand that you can sip throughout the day. These are some of my favourite herbal teas for travel:
Peppermint to cool the body in hot weather
Ginger for travel sickness or an upset stomach
Tulsi to help with sleep and pacify any travel-induced anxiety
3 Ground and oileate with abhyanga
Abhyanga, or warm oil self-massage, is a wonderful way to ground your nervous system and pacify the mind before long stints of travel. It lubricates the skin, which often becomes dry and rough in recycled air of planes, while helping to get blood circulation going (essential before long periods of sitting). Practice abhyanga as often as you can – it works to move the lymph, helping toxins to move through the bloodstream so they can be eliminated.
4 Meditate, meditate, meditate
Keep your meditation practice as your number one priority when you travel and watch as it helps you navigate long immigration queues, time zone changes, delayed flights, irregular routines and all of the other challenges travel can throw at us. Amidst all the movement and doing, prioritise your Being and make time to settle down into your most relaxed state. This will not only help you handle any unexpected surprises, it will also mean your mind is clearer, more relaxed and free to enjoy the adventure.
Tips for meditating while on holiday (because ironically it’s often the hardest time to stay consistent!)
Do it first thing – before any kind of stimulant. You might be itching to go out and explore or head to the hotel breakfast buffet, but before you do, sit straight down and dive into your meditation. That’s the first one, done!
Make the world your meditation spot: remember you can meditate anywhere – on a plane, in an uber, outside the Eiffel Tower, in a church, on a noisy Indian train, anywhere! If you can sit safely with your eyes closed, you’re good to go.
Save the aclohol until later in the day and get your second meditation in first – then go and enjoy as you please!
5 Nasya before flying
Flying dries out the nasal passages and all channels in the body, so it’s important we keep them lubricated to avoid them becoming irritated and susceptible to viruses and other nasties from entering the system. Nasya is a simple practice that involves placing a couple of drops of sesame oil in the nostrils. Doing nasya each morning helps to lubricate the nasal passages so they don’t dry out, become irritated and susceptible to viruses and bacteria. It also balances hormone functions by stimulating the pituitary gland (the master hormone gland in the brain). If you suffer from migraines or regular headaches, daily nasya is essential.
How to do nasya
Keep some cold-pressed black sesame oil in a small dropper bottle. Warm the oil gently by placing in a small cup of hot water or by running under a hot tap.
Once warm, place 1-2 drops in each nostril. Then, using your index and middle fingers, massage up the nose and around each eyebrow. Repeat this 3 times, finishing by massaging down behind your ears.
Cold-pressed black sesame is a great place to start. If you have specific conditions you’re working with, chat to an Ayurvedic practitioner about herbalised oils that may be able to assist on an even deeper level.
6 Find accommodation with a kitchen
Experiencing the food of another culture is one of the best ways to get to know a place and its people, and whenever I travel I like to enjoy all the food on offer – from street food stalls to local restaurants and fine dining, I try to get a taste of everything. That said, I also love finding accommodation that allows me to prepare a meal here or there if my digestion feels a little funny, or my body is just asking for something familiar. Where possible, pick places you can cook at. If you have digestive issues, you might like to ensure you have one familiar meal at home each day to avoid overwhelming your system. You don’t need much – a few basic kitchen items is enough to whip up a simple soup or breakfast for yourself. And though it means eating one less meal out, it actually opens up another very exciting opportunity: collecting a few goodies from the local market!
7 Avoid alcohol while flying
It’s very common to reach for the booze when flying, however while this gives a little satisfaction in the moment, it actually ends up wreaking more havoc. Alcohol further dries us out, but also means our bodies now have extra work to do to balance and recover – travel already adds a load to the body, and when we add alcohol into the mix, we make its job even harder.
Instead, sip herbal teas, watch films, read, meditate and let your consciousness remain awake and unclouded for the journey ahead.
8 Stay in sync with nature’s rhythms
Our bodies are hard-wired to live in alignment with Nature – as beings who come from this earth, we thrive when we live in accordance with the rhythms around us. When you land at your destination or back home, try to get back into regular sleeping rhythms as quickly as possible. This means that even if you land in the morning after a very long flight, stay awake until evening, then give yourself and early night. Getting outside as quickly as possible is also incredibly beneficial – it helps to reset your circadian rhythm plus the fresh air helps your mind and body hit reset.
9 Relax and enjoy
Exploring the world is one of the greatest gifts and life is short, so set yourself up for success by doing your best to arm yourself with these beautiful practices, then relax, enjoy and let go of the rest! Your mind and body are strong, resilient and always capable of coming back to good health, so don’t be disheartened or feel guilty if you don’t or can’t always make the ‘right’ choices.