Ayurveda Travel Tips
Going somewhere?
Try these Ayurveda Travel Tips on your next adventure! We all love a good trip to someplace new, but management of health on travel days can make or break your vacation. Both air and car travel can greatly increase Vata Dosha, create weak agni, slowing the digestive process and promote feelings of unrest if not properly managed.
Simple preparations of food, self-care practices, healthy eating guidelines and rest can make a world of a difference.
Ayurveda Travel Tip #1: Preparation
Prior to travel there are a few things you can do to maximize the experience.
- Get Plenty of Rest Now
- Stay Hydrated–try our Ayurveda-Aide
- Self-Oil Massage (at least the day prior but ideally 3 days leading up to leaving)
- Eat a Local Seasonal Diet (see our Seasonal Regimen Outlines) the day before leaving
- Exercise- take a long walk or yogasana practice followed by relaxation or meditation to reduce any stress of preparation and give the mind a break
- Prep snacks to go (Bliss Balls, Fenugreek Roti, Peanut Travel Chutney)
Tip #2: Travel Day
The most important Ayurveda Travel Tip for the day is to properly eliminate before leaving the house. If you need to support or motivate the body to do so, sip on warm water upon rising and give yourself enough time to not feel rushed. This may mean setting your alarm 15-30 minutes earlier than you typically would.
- Elimination
- Nasya Oil– especially prior to the dryness of air travel we place a few drops of sesame or Nasya oil in the nostril.
- Hydration- sip on water without over drinking to reduce excess urination.
- Pack snacks- be sure to wait to eat until hungry to keep your digestive fire (agni) as strong as possible during long travel days. Avoid overeating or eating foods that are heavy, overly dry, or hard to digest. Try our Fenugreek Roti and Peanut Travel Chutney.
- Upon arrival at your destination, do a Self-Oil Massage and have a light dinner; clear broth soup is ideal.
Tip #3: Post-Travel
You have arrived! The first day in a new location is a great time to eat light, easy to digest foods like soups or dals.
Follow your Dinacharya (daily regimen) outline to keep consistency with home practice.
This is the perfect time to get out into the new local environment and start collecting seasonal produce. Taking time over the next 24 hours to transition into a new climate and potentially shift food choices to balance the new weather patterns or external environment. For example, if you travel in Winter from the North to a warmer tropical region, eat a nourishing meal prior to departure. Roti and chutney on travel days, followed by an easy to digest, simple dinner. The next day you would have a light, easy to digest breakfast, like porridge or dal, and then venture out to find fresh local foods. Afterwards you could begin consuming fresh locals fruits, make a nice dinner with cooked local vegetables and transition into a Summer Rutacharya outline during your stay.
On the way home you would follow a similar protocol, switching back to your local foods and seasonal outline upon arrival.