5 Guaranteed Ways You Can Stay Healthy through Winter Travel Season

Take your health into your own hands this cold weather season with these tried and true ways to stay healthy during your winter travels.

From packed airplanes to breakfast buffets and perpetual jetlag, traveling can wreak havoc on your health – inside and out. Add winter to the mix, and it can become a downright personal health code violation! Winter travel comes with its own mix of considerations. I want you to globetrot, see your friends and family, and hit the slopes, but I also want you to look and feel great all season long. As we step into the winter months, let’s commit to staying healthy with these 5 Winter Travel Health Commitments

To Stay Healthy, Commit to Hydrate

When the weather turns cold, It’s easy to forget to grab the water bottle. After all, you’re not sweating or trying to stay cool. Your winter skin, and body, need hydration more than ever. The cold air zaps the moisture from your skin, and you might be eating fewer juicy peaches and fresh cucumbers this time of year. To avoid that under the weather, feeling dehydration can cause, stay true to your hydration schedule – regardless of the temps. Bring a water bottle on your flight or road trip. Many airports have water bottle refill stations now.

Need a little nudge? S’well has the cutest Winter Blooms Collection for your winter water goals.

To Stay Healthy, Commit to a Different Kind of Sweat Sesh

As mentioned above, that lack of water can cause dehydration. Add in the dry air our heaters put out, and cold weather season becomes synonymous with dry skin season. Luckily there’s a warm and relaxing solution: winter is the perfect time to hit the sauna or steam room and give your skin some love. During your travels, ask the hotel if there’s a nearby sauna or if the hotel spa has one you can use. If you’re going to New York City, definitely check out Higher Dose infrared sauna. It’s a gamechanger.

To Stay Healthy, Commit to Sleep

I just wrote a piece about sleep on my blog. Check it out here if you haven’t read it yet. Winter can mess with your sleep schedule because the days feel shorter. In NYC, in November, the sun sets around 4:30 pm. FOUR THIRTY PM! This can cause us to stay up later since we lack the natural signal that day has turned into night. We also tend to spend more time indoors now at night, settling into hours of Netflix or computer screen time. The benefits of good sleep are endless, and one of the most impactful is that sleep regulates appetite, helping us avoid mindless snacking, and healthy sleep curbs inflammation. Rest is a crucial component of staying healthy. When traveling, bring an eye mask, essential oils with lavender, and try to stick to your sleep schedule.

To Stay Healthy, Commit to Skip the Buffet

I don’t know about you, but traveling is the worst for my diet. I grab airport food on the fly, indulge in dessert every day at the hotel restaurant (because it’s sooooo good), and suddenly find myself having wine at lunch and dinner. When it comes to winter travel, indulge a bit in the yummy apple cobbler and mulled cider, but also remind yourself that staying healthy is impacted by your diet. And maybe give yourself a little reminder from time to time that you don’t want to spend next summer working off every sugar plum Danish and glass of eggnog. As much as possible, even when you’re traveling, stay true to your wellness and nutrition standards. It’s all about balance.

Finally, To Stay Healthy, Commit to Having Fun

Wellness is emotional as much as it is physical. During winter, we may choose to stay inside and avoid the cold weather and elements, or we can choose to feel like a kid again. Wherever your travels take you, have some fun! Ice skate at an outdoor rink like the one at the iconic Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, build a snowman in Central Park, walk around and look at the holiday lights in whatever city you’re visiting. Embrace the magic of the season!