Healthy travel can feel impossible for those of us who maintain a healthy lifestyle.
From limited healthy on-the-go food options to crowded terminals, it can feel stressful to plan a trip, especially to fly when protecting your health is a priority.
I’ll never forget the first time I flew after drastically changing my life in order to heal from a list of chronic symptoms.
I hadn’t packed enough food to eat before and during my flight, so when I landed I rushed around all over the airport hunting down the meager fruit cups I ended up buying so that I could avoid resorting to pizza, fried food, processed foods, or coffee chains and their pre-packaged “food”.
And healthy travel goes way beyond food.
Common questions I get about healthy travel include, “Where do I stay where I can feel secure that I won’t be exposed to toxic fragrances or mold?”, “How can I protect myself from inevitable toxic exposures?” and “How do I pack my supplements?”
Healthy travel felt like something I would never achieve. But over the years, I’ve discovered ways to plan ahead so that travel doesn’t have to be full of stress.
HEALTHY TRAVEL: PREPARATION IS EVERYTHING
The key when it comes to healthy travel is to plan ahead as much as possible and then trust yourself to deal with anything that you can’t control.
With healthy travel, preparation brings peace of mind. Share on XMy family and I don’t travel long distances often. This has become the case even more since the pandemic. But recently, we took a much-needed family trip to get away for a little while.
When you’re a health-conscious person – and especially when you’re healing chronic symptoms – it can feel risky to leave the comfort zone of your home with your staple foods, supplements, and protective measures like air and water filters.
If we prepare well, travel can become far less of a risk so that your needs are met every step of the way.
TRAVEL TIP 1: PACK YOUR OWN FOOD AND PLENTY OF IT
Neglecting to bring enough food is a very common mistake for those who are just starting their healthy travel journey.
It’s a reality that healthy food options are extremely limited in airports, train stations, and in highway rest areas and gas stations.
And don’t get me started on airplane meals and how shockingly unhealthy they can be!
When traveling with kids, healthy snacks are a must. Share on XYou are allowed to pack food to carry onto a flight with you, there are no exceptions to this that I’m aware of. And bringing your own food onto trains, buses, and into your own vehicle is even easier – no security check or liquid limits!
Of course, we must limit the size of our liquids, but solid food is allowed in whatever quantity you can fit in your carry-on bags.
Here’s an example of what we packed for our recent journey, which was about a twelve-hour trip door-to-door.
Everything listed is 100% plant-based, oil-free, gluten-free, soy-free and corn-free!
- Organic Apeel-free apples for the whole family
- Pasta salad
- Mashed potatoes in almond flour wraps
- Potato salad
- Cauliflower and greens 369 Cleanse salad (for me)
- Homemade potato cutlets
- Incloosive foods waffles for the kids
Here’s a great healthy travel tip for long plane trips: pack your sauces in travel tubes!
As long as you’re using travel-size-compliant cosmetic tubes, which are readily available, you will be allowed to take on any homemade delicious sauces you’ve prepared as well.
Below you see my imli date chutney – a major family favorite – which we brought to put on our potato cutlets and just about anything. This chutney is so good!
Homemade Imli Date Chutney for our plane meals!
You can find the chutney recipe in my Chutneys and Sauces ebook, which is just $7.77, with all proceeds going to Underdog Warriors, a nonprofit that supports those who suffer from chronic illness.
Simply purchase a set of silicone cosmetic travel tubes, turn them inside out and wash them well, then fill them with your favorite sauce! They are so easy to clean afterward that you may start to use this tip for potlucks and picnics as well.
My biggest piece of advice when packing for healthy travel is to pack more food than you think you need.
Sure, it can be a hassle to haul ten bananas, six apples, a large package of dates, and three Tupperware containers full of potatoes onto your flight.
But the alternative usually involves eating processed or potentially toxic foods or having to rely on non-organic fruit in limited quantities.
Packing and planning ahead brings peace of mind, so you can travel without that added element of stress.
An amazing option is travel-friendly snack packs of raw honey, which can be a perfect boost of glucose in a pinch.
Ready to dive deeper into how to make healthy travel work for you?
Check out my Travel Made Easy Masterclass for more insight into how to pack smart, prep well, and enjoy your time away while healing.
TRAVEL TIP 2: CONTACT YOUR ACCOMMODATIONS IN ADVANCE
Using toxic air fresheners, cleaning products, and laundry detergents is becoming more common every day.
It’s simply true that most people aren’t aware that these products contain toxic fragrances which can impair our immune systems, weaken our livers, and upset our neurological health.
Read more about these toxins in my blog, How to Breathe Cleaner Air.
That doesn’t mean we’re helpless to protect ourselves in someone else’s space. Healthy travel is still an option.
Whether you’re staying at an Airbnb, hotel, resort, or friend’s home, I recommend that you always contact them ahead of time to share that you have an allergy to products with added scents and fragrances.
Use allergy specifically to describe your sensitivity so that it is taken seriously. Most people don’t understand chemical sensitivity or how much suffering it can cause.
Ask the Airbnb host, hotel staff, resort staff, or friends to remove all air freshener products and to use or provide scent-free detergents if possible.
If they say this is not possible, pack your own fragrance-free products in travel-size containers or in your checked bag if you have one.
Consider packing your own towels and pillowcases as well to avoid toxic laundry detergent fumes. There are fast-drying gym towels you can purchase that travel very well. Packing bedding is almost always unreasonable, so do you’re best.
If you’re looking for a toxin-free healthy travel destination so that you don’t have to think twice about any of these elements of your stay, check out a few of my favorite clean accommodations below.
Smoky_mtn_paradise
A beautiful and picturesque location in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina where you can book toxin-free accommodations and get away for a soul-healing retreat.
Health hotel in Austria
A husband and wife team who are building a healing retreat hotel in the mountains of Austria.
Imiloa
A gorgeous all-inclusive retreat center in Costa Rica where all of your healing foods and tools are provided for you in a breathtaking tropical setting.
TRAVEL TIP 3: PACK SMART WITH SUPPLEMENTS
When it comes to supplements, a few simple tips can make healthy travel easier and safer for you.
First, when flying with carry-on luggage, only pack what you need.
Our carry-on luggage goes through a large X-ray machine which exposes our bags and everything inside of them to radiation.
Most of the radiation is absorbed by the bags themselves (which ideally should be thrown away and replaced after three times through the airport scanners), but the contents also absorb some.
If we pack only what we need for the trip, we prevent our supplements from being irradiated multiple times as we continue to take them.
You can dose your supplements out in dropper bottles (if your trip is five days, you can put however many dropperfuls into a bottle that you’ll need for those five days) to prevent them from going through the scanners more than once while you’re consuming them.
Only bringing what you need will also help you manage the amount that you’re packing. Bringing an entire bottle of Micro-C isn’t necessary – just take what you need!
Taking that further, only take your core supplements with you. You don’t have to bring everything for a week away – it’s okay to take a short break from certain supplements while you’re traveling.
Be sure to pack immune-support supplements, which is very important when exposed to crowds and air that may not be well-circulated.
These include the Core 7 antiviral supplements, which are all designed to keep your immune system strong in all circumstances. Be sure a high-quality liquid zinc sulfate is on your list, no matter what.
TRAVEL TIP 4: PLAN FOR EXPOSURES AND BE PROACTIVE
There are certain exposures we know we will encounter while traveling.
For example, we know from respected health authority, Anthony William (the Medical Medium ®), that airplane travel involves multiple exposures to radiation. Read more here.
This radiation begins with airport baggage scanners and continues while actually in the air, as everyone’s irradiated bags sit above our heads and with radiation in the atmosphere penetrating the planes at high altitudes.
We also know that moving through crowds of people and using public bathrooms carries exposure to various viral and bacterial pathogens.
All of this knowledge allows us to protect ourselves – it does not have to create fear. Read more about invisible toxins like radiation, wifi, and EMF and how to protect yourself in this blog article.
We can wear and carry orgone devices, which protect against radiation by diffusing harmful frequencies around us.
Check out organic.vegan.living for high-quality orgone necklaces and tower busters, which you can bring onto your flight for added protection.
And visit dani.in.the.raw for high-powered orgone pyramids you can bring in your checked bag and set up at your destination to diffuse anything you pick up along your journey.
Wearing masks is a helpful measure when traveling on planes where the air supply is recycled and pathogen exposure is common. I like Vog masks and high-quality N95 masks for travel.
And we can also use the power of healing foods to support our bodies, like the Medical Medium Radiation Exposure Brain Shot and Pathogen Exposure Brain Shot.
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TRAVEL TIP 5: KNOW THE RULES AND KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
It’s important to know the rules while traveling to avoid any loss of your precious products or foods and to stay friendly with travel staff, who can sometimes make our lives easier when in transit.
For example, don’t try to bring a standard-size jar of raw honey with you while traveling, as it is seen as a liquid and will be thrown away if you attempt to bring it in your carry-on luggage. Opt for a travel-friendly size or snack pack.
Coconut oil in quantities over 2 oz will also likely be thrown away, so if you’re bringing a homemade SPF 4 sunscreen or other skin care product, be sure you pack accordingly.
You also have rights as a traveler that you should be aware of, which can help protect you against toxic exposure.
It is currently required worldwide to allow passengers the ability to opt out of airport body scanners. While we cannot avoid our luggage being exposed to radiation during the security check, we do not have to subject our physical bodies to the same toxic scan.
Simply notify the security staff that you are requesting a pat-down or manual check – look up the correct language for your airport of origin.
This will require staff to direct you to a private room in some cases or to receive a patdown in the security area near the airport scanners. Sometimes you will have to wait – be sure to stand as far away from the luggage scanners as possible to avoid exposure.
In my experience, airports in the United Kingdom are extremely unfriendly to travelers who request a patdown. I’ve been bullied by staff to try to save them the hassle of performing the check, which must be done in a private room in the UK.
Don’t let treatment like this deter you. Remain firm, patient, calm, and gracious.
On the other hand, in Germany, there is often airport staff assigned to every security scanner specifically to perform manual checks for those who wish to avoid the body scanner, and the staff is very friendly. It’s not all bad!
In the US, it’s a mixed bag. Don’t let anyone talk you out of asserting your rights to avoid toxic radiation exposure, no matter how normal or safe most people believe these machines are.
Airport staff in the UK have told me that within a couple of years, passengers will no longer have the option to opt out of a body scan. I’m not sure if this is true or if it’s just another bullying tactic.
If you live in the UK, contact your local airports and politicians and demand that passengers retain this right of refusal while traveling. You will be supporting the health of millions of travelers by doing so.
TRAVEL TIP 6: PACKABLE HEALING TOOLS
We live in a time when packing healing tools is easier than ever.
Yes, it can feel overwhelming as you create your packing list and see it getting longer and longer, but the peace of mind that it brings is so worth it.
A few of my favorite healthy travel items are a lightweight, nontoxic plastic citrus juicer for lemon and lime water, a portable blender like BlendJet, and a travel juicer. There are several good options for simple juicers you can pack in your checked luggage.
A friend of mine in Europe found a hand crank juicer that is lightweight and possible to bring in carry-on luggage which he uses for daily celery juice while traveling! Link here if you’re in Europe.
If your budget allows for it, the Go Berkey water filter kit is an amazing travel companion. You’ve got a one-liter high-powered filter to use for all of your water while staying at your accommodations, and the blue Sport Berkey bottle has a built-in filter you can refill after the security check and use in the airport while you’re in transit.
TRAVEL TIP 7: ALWAYS BRING YOUR OWN
I never leave home without a few healthy travel essentials.
I don’t ever want to be in a situation where I don’t have hand sanitizer (I love EO Organic sanitizer spray) or toilet seat covers for those moments where a public restroom is the only option.
I also carry hydrogen peroxide wipes with us in case of any spills or stains on the go. The American drugstore CVS sells a great product.
We always travel with our Sovereign Silver bio-active silver hydrosol liquid and nasal spray to protect against pathogen exposure as well.
Some of my other favorite travel products are below:
- Poetic Pits Deodorant from Living Libations
- Hooray Hand Cream from Living Libations
- Yogi Tooth Serum from Living Libations
- Sani-Hands Sanitizing Wipes
- Kikkerland First Aid Kit
- Bamboo Travel Utensils
- SaniGirl Women’s Urination Products
Some travel essentials from our recent trip
KEEP THE JOY IN AND THE STRESS OUT
Travel is meant to be a joyful experience. Healthy travel too.
So many memories are made during trips taken, whether we travel alone, with our partners, with friends, or with our families.
I love to travel. It’s such a blessing to be able to see other parts of the world and to meet a variety of people with varied experiences.
For this reason, I want to protect my travel experience so that I can enjoy it and not feel like it’s more of a hassle than it’s worth. Healthy travel shouldn’t feel like a chore.
Look out for more blogs in this healthy travel series coming soon, where I share more tips on making the most of your stay while traveling so that you can enjoy a pause from your normal routine without stress.
Because we all deserve to take a break and get away from the world here and there, and I want you to feel that you have the ability to do so.
To your health and peace,
Muneeza