How To Stay Healthy While Travelling

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I don’t think there’s any sane human being out there who wants to get sick. Unless of course they want to escape a deadline at work or if they are dreading to go to work because they have realized that their work has become boring. I am positive that a step towards healthy living –  keeping healthy and knowing how to stay healthy is everyone’s top priority. Who doesn’t?

Why Should You Stay Healthy?

Let’s admit it. No matter how religious you are in following some tips for staying healthy, you will still eventually get that dreaded colds, body malaise or what have yous no matter what. Our body is not bullet proof.

So why should you stay healthy and follow some tips for staying fit when you know you’ll just get sick down the road?

Because you have to.

No one wants to put up with your mess once you get sick. Getting sick is expensive too. You need to associate sickness with money, money to pay for medicines or hospital bills. Therefore, it is important that you become responsible with your health. You need to avoid getting sick for the sake of your family and loved ones too. And if you are a traveller, for the sake of your travel companions and for travelling’s sake.

For those who are always on the go or for you who just found your own dose of medicine through travelling, it is important that you find ways to stay healthy.

How To Stay Healthy While Traveling

Despite the temptation from countless food trips when you travel, staying healthy while traveling is not a difficult thing to do. All you need is a bag of discipline and a handful of determination in order to achieve your goal.

When I backpacked in Thailand and Cambodia for 5 months, I had to find ways on how to keep healthy. I checked out for information on tips on how to stay fit. I was working while traveling back then and I had to make sure that I take care of my health to continue leading the lifestyle I chose, otherwise I wouldn’t survive living in different country.

bangkok street foodmangoes or pork?

As much as I wanted to try out all the delectable street foods I saw in Bangkok, I had to remind myself that I was travelling on a budget. If I did, I’d probably accumulated enough calories to block my arteries. I also didn’t want to end up having a hard time keeping up with my weight when I try to hop on a running bus. Self discipline has taught me to choose pineapple over a hotdog once roaming around Pratunam in Bangkok.

biking in Siem Reap

In Siem Reap, I learned how to ride a bike in order to achieve my healthy living goal. Biking is one of those great tips for staying healthy while you are on the road. It helps work out all the muscles in your body making it a great work out to burning your calories and keeping healthy while travelling. I found time to make sure I get to exercise in my own way to keep fit and stay healthy.

Tips on Staying Fit As Shared By Famous Travel Bloggers

If you want to know what are some of the ways to stay fit and healthy, I asked a couple of my traveller friends and friends from the Pinoy Travel Bloggers group how they stay physically fit during their travels. I asked them to share their secret on staying fit and healthy. Check out their healthy travel tips, which you can apply in your day to day living in your quest to achieving that healthy lifestyle.

I walk a lot. Like from Khao San to Platinum in Bangkok; the whole of Singapore by foot; the whole of Kathmandu and from Nagarkot to Changu Narayan in Nepal; and the epic Palaui Trip in the Philippines. But I keep myself hydrated 🙂

– Angel of lakwatsero.com

healthy fruits

pineapples! i love fruits- freshly-picked, juiced, shaked, dried, etc. i always see to it that i eat healthy and drink lotsa H20. its no secret, just eat healthy to be healthy.

– James of journeyingjames.com

Aside from the things that Angel mentioned, Aleah says “I also do yoga in my room” and she had written a post on “How to avoid getting sick while traveling“.

Whenever I travel, I used to always run to keep fit. When I injured my back in 2010, though, I had to stop running and had to find ways to keep in shape. I do yoga and other exercises I can do in my hostel room. I also prefer to walk rather than take the buses/trains, and the purpose of that is two-fold: to get to know the place better AND to keep fit.

– Aleah of solitarywanderer.com

mica of senyorita dot net

First of all, you need to Keep Yourself Hydrated. Water is essential when traveling. I see to it that I always bring one bottle with me especially when I need to do some activities under the sun. Second, do not feel guilty on splurging on food. Don’t spend to much either. Third, get some rest when needed. Do not force yourself to cover all the possible destinations because you’d end up tired and disappointed. Fourth, walk. I think walking is a good way to exercise and it is also good for thinking as you pass along different paths. And lastly, a little dancing infront of the mirror will do 😛

– Mica of senyorita.net

Getting sick on the road is a big no no. Pag food trips, as much as possible I try to avoid foods that I have history of allergies with pero since adventurous tayo eh nagdadala na lang ako ng first aid meds just in case may nakain na di ayos. 🙂 Also I like to walk and swim din so ayun 🙂

(Getting sick on the road is a big no no. During foodtrips, as much as possible, I try to avoid foods that I have history of allergies with but since I have an adventurous nature, I just bring with me first aid meds just in case I eat something bad 🙂 Also, I like to walk and swim and that’s it.)

– Oman of lawstude.net

alexandra of crazysexyfuntraveler dot com

walking, hiking and swimming if possible 😉

– Alexandra of crazysexyfuntraveler.com

eat or drink lots of vitamin C. Vitamin C is the key to strong immune system along with adequate rest. =)

– Joanna Jane of thebackpackchronicles.com

jinkie of livelifetothefullest

Love beach and mountains. For me, this is also time for me to do those physical activities while traveling like:

  • Swimming at the beach doing free style and floating (1 hour)
  • Trekking the hills (2 hours)
  • Walking along the whole beach shore taking photos (2 hours) – morning and afternoon
  • Drink lot of water but rarely drink cola nor beer
  • Bought fruits like mango and banana
  • Ate more fish than meat during meals

– Jinkee of livelifefullest.com

i take several food supplements, avoid junk food and eat healthy snacks like grapes, celery and yogurt

– Atty. Mhe-anne of mycomingsandgoings.com

dane of tramping philippines

This is a kind of cheating from us because as Agnes and I go on a trip, we prefer to do climbs at nearby mountains situated in the area we’re traveling. That in itself is a kind of exercise that keeps us fit. It renders our heavy-eating good for our trip as calories give a big strength boost to a climber. But in the instance where mountains are not included in the IT, we walk. If the distance between point A and B is reasonable, we hike the path instead of riding motorized vehicles.

– Dane of trampingphilippines.com

I prefer to walk and eat less … one time I explored Singapore’s MacRitchie Reservoir park. 10 km of mountain/jungle/swamp trails. I even explored the whole Sentosa island by foot from boardwalk

– Welson of http://welscua.blogspot.com/

pinoy adventurista

When I’m tired, I take a rest and just enjoy the view… I also keep myself hydrated… Since I go for budget travel, I don’t have unlimited access to food, but I choose where to eat. I see to it that it’s clean and safe.  I always bring snacks with me (bread, biscuits), so when I get hungry while on the road, I’ll have something to eat.

– Mervin of pinoyadventurista.com

“stretch, take the longer or harder route, sleep, eat right and stay hydrated”

– sums up what Chris Johns shared with the Sole Sisters, Lois and Chichi.

Machu Picchu HikeGaye with her lovely daughter Luna during their halfway hike up to Machu Picchu’s Guard House.

I walk whenever, wherever I can…AND carry our one year old toddler while doing so, to tone my arms.

– Gaye of pinaytraveljunkie.com

soloflighted exercise

I lose weight when I travel as I’m usually on a budget and I don’t eat as much. However, I realized I need to maintain a routine since I can’t go to the gym as often. These days, I do push-ups and a few body weight exercises when I can. I’m still starting out so I go to YouTube to see how to execute them properly. With these exercises, you just need an open space in order to do them and they require no other gym equipment at all.

– Edcel of soloflighted.com

dong ho of escapeislands

“Walking, trekking, cycling, kayaking and swimming. Doing this complemented with an energy drink or enough water keeps me healthy during the trip. Fruits as merienda also  helps specially when you go to the provinces where fruits are fresh and cheap.”

– Dong Ho of escapeislands.com

There you have it. Those are just a few of the helpful tips on how to stay fit on the road that you can apply on your daily routine. Whether you are travelling or not, it is best to start changing your health habits and continue applying those tips on staying fit in order to prevent sickness and prolong your life.

Do you have eating healthy tips or healthy travel tips? How do you stay fit and healthy when you travel? I’d love to hear your tips on how to stay healthy while traveling too. 😉

18 COMMENTS

  1. Great post Doi. Bad trip talaga magkasakit ka when you’re traveling. Dami mong mami-miss! I missed visiting France and the Netherlands during my Euro trip kasi nagkasakit ako. Booo. Kaya keeping myself healthy when traveling is now a priority for me.

    • ei Aleah, sinabi mo pa! we travellers can’t afford to get sick talaga coz sayang ang travel destinations and sayang ang cost ng trip if di man lang natin to mapupuntahan coz we got sick. sorry to hear bout what happened to you in Europe. the good thing is you’d always have more reason to go back! 😉

    • thanks sky! 😀 if you’re going trekking, don’t forget to bring bananas. they say its potassium contents will help prevent cramps. then again, don’t forget to drink lots of water too 😉

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