The holiday season brings with it holiday travel. Plan accordingly and start preparing yourself (and your immune system) now to keep feeling your best during the most wonderful time of the year. Here are ten tips to help you stay mindful while traveling this holiday season.

#1 Say No if You Need To

The holiday season brings with it family festivities , cocktail hours with co-workers and endless Christmas cookie exchanges with friends and neighbors. It’s easy to spread yourself too thin and skip on sleep to accomplish everything on your holiday to-do list. Instead, avoid feeling run down and simply say no. You can’t do it all, so be selective when saying yes to social commitments and obligations. Participate in events that are the most important to you and simply skip the rest.

#2 Supplement (with Food!)

The holiday season just so happens to be the start of cold and flu season, so take extra precaution and add a few immune supporting foods and supplements into your daily routine. Food, especially citrus fruits like lemons, oranges, grapefruits and pineapples are the best source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

#3 Keep it Clean

If traveling by plane this holiday season, be sure to sanitize. Since the air in airplanes is recirculated, germs don’t have anywhere to go. Once seated, use antibacterial hand wipes to clean arm rests, tray tables and any buttons on the overhead features. Position your personal air vent to blow in front of you to help keep any germs at bay.

 #4 Hydrate

Travel of any kind can leave you feeling dehydrated, sluggish and lethargic, but drinking water can combat these feelings. Staying hydrated will help keep you feeling energized and will help you keep your radiant glow. 

#5 Eat Well

One of the challenges of travel can be to find fresh, wholesome, plant-based foods, but you can beat the system with a little advanced planning. One of the easiest things you can do is to create your own homemade trail mix with mindful ingredients. Here are five last minute road trip snacks to get you through all of your holiday travel.

#6 Move

Whether it’s walking the airport terminal while you wait for your flight or performing a set of squats and lunges when you stop to refuel with gas, make time for movement. Plus, movement helps keep the lymphatic system working properly and moving toxins through the body. Get your namaste on in your hotel room or simply stretch while you wait at baggage claim.

#7 Get Outside

When we travel, we can be stuck inside for long periods of time deprived of natural sunlight and fresh air, so do your best to find your way outside. Travel can leave us feeling frazzled and spacey, but a simple walk in nature can be deeply grounding as it helps us get back in touch with our body.



 

#8 Meditate

Travel can be quite overwhelming: planning, packing, shipping Christmas presents ahead of time, long lines, security checks, delayed departures, irritated passengers and crowded spaces. No wonder we feel out of sorts when we finally arrive to our destinations! Remember to take deep breaths as this will help activate your parasympathetic nervous system and will signal to your body it can relax. Try closing your eyes and meditating with your favorite meditation app at any point during your holiday travel to help calm your nerves. 

#9 Relax and Have Fun

It’s easy for holiday travel to become chaotic, overwhelming and downright exhausting. Stress has been shown to seriously degrade the body, so reframe your thoughts around the holidays and holiday travel. Focus on what this time of year really means to you and remember to revisit it often, especially during the busyness of holiday travel!
 

#10 Plan and Prepare

All of these mindful holiday travel tips will go a lot smoother if you think about them first. Instead of being reactive with your holiday health, be proactive. This will help you avoid feeling disjointed from the stress that accompanies holiday travel. For example:

- Rather than waiting to buy a water at the airport, pack an empty one and fill it up once you pass security.
- Don’t wait to see what the airport restaurants offer and instead make your own healthy snacks beforehand. Be sure to pack plenty to share with your fellow travelers. It is the season of giving after all!
- Pick your favorite work out moves so when the car stops for a 15 minute rest break you can get your sweat session on right away.

Holiday travel doesn’t have to be stressful. Incorporate these ten tips for healthy holiday travel and feel your brightest this holiday season.