Self Care During Travel

Hello Friend! Welcome back! I’m glad you’re here with me today!

I’m going to admit, today’s topic has not come as easily to me as other topics have. Probably because I am also working on being better about it myself. I am a work in progress too. Today’s topic is self-care while traveling.

This looks nice, but it’s not self-care. Photo: Roberto Nickson

Let's first talk about what self-care really is. Capitalism has branded self-care to women as taking bubble baths, drinking wine, and reading a forbidden romance novel. Or as going on shopping sprees or “treating yourself” to a cookie or dessert you really like. But none of that is really self-care. All of those things are self-soothing behaviors. Capitalism, then, turns around and tells women to feel guilty for partaking in these things because they’ve taken a break from the caregiving self-sacrificial maternal role.

On the flip side of that coin, men don’t even get messages that self-care is acceptable for them in the first place outside of going to a bar and knocking back drinks until the feelings are gone. (1. That’s dangerous and unhealthy on so many levels, and 2. That’s called numbing. Not self-care either.) Capitalism, society, and in the larger perspective “the Patriarchy” confine men into this two-dimensional space of protector and provider and tell men that feelings outside of a warrior’s battle cry are not allowed. Yikes. Let’s not do that. Both men and women need self-care and should feel comfortable about doing it.

How DARE you have needs! Photo: Andreas Nast

So, what is self-care?

Self-care is the stuff you have to do to take care of current and future you. Self-care is creating an exercise routine even though you would much rather sleep an extra hour. It’s also going to the dentist even though you have a phobia about it. It’s planning those healthy meals instead of getting takeout all of the time. It’s setting aside money in an emergency HYSA whenever possible. It's also going to therapy. It’s taking care of yourself in ways that no one else can or will. When you are taken care of, your cup is full enough to take care of people around you.

That time I finally got my split back right before I got an injury… Also the only exercise photo of me that I have.

How does this apply to travel?

Traveling puts you in a position of vulnerability. You are usually outside of your comfort zone and normal safety nets. That is usually one of the reasons for travel. To experience things outside of your normal daily life. Traveling can reveal to you boundaries that you didn’t know you had. Usually, you will start to feel those boundaries if you get really really worn out and tired during your trip or you start having panic attacks. (Check out my post on managing panic attacks here!) That’s often a sign that some self-care is needed. Let’s go over some travel self-care tips.

1.       Learn your boundaries.

Some folks love to plan every minute of every day of their vacation down from the moment they land at the airport right up to when they leave again. If you have that kind of stamina, I applaud you. I do not have that stamina at all. I know that I need rest, especially right after I land. I don’t sleep well on airplanes because I can’t lie down. My spine aches from the unnatural shape it's being forced into from worn-out airplane seats, and try as I might to support my neck with all different kinds of neck pillows, I’m a side sleeper and my face needs that contact. So basically, I just don’t sleep on airplanes unless I’m absolutely exhausted. This is something that I know about myself very well. I am physically unable to hit the ground running when I travel because every inch of me is screaming for a nap. This is a boundary. Knowing this about myself helps me plan rest time into my trip and when those rest times need to be.

2.       Bring extras of your necessities.

If you have stuff you NEED to bring with you, like medicines, multivitamins, or anything that helps your mind and body function at its best on a regular basis, bring extra of it if you can. I always do this as a precaution just in case something unforeseeable occurs and my return home is delayed. I never assume that the location I am heading to will have supplies I can buy there. Often they don’t. Plus you don’t want to be making a special trip to get the thing you need when you could be off on a tour.

3.       Leave a day or two completely unplanned.

Having a few open days allows you flexibility. It puts less pressure on you to always do every little thing on your schedule. You might get really tired after an entire day of touring, having an open day allows you to take a nap. Or maybe during that tour you saw a place not listed online that looked interesting but didn’t have time to explore it. Then you can use that open day to head over there and check it out. Having that flexibility gives you options.

4.       Know your emergency plans.

This goes back to when you are planning your trip. Make sure you have something in place in case of emergency. Travel insurance is a good place to start. Make photocopies of your passport and have a picture in your phone. Have the phone number to your embassy or consulate saved on your phone and also a hard copy in case your phone is damaged or lost. Consulates can help you with a variety of emergencies such as theft to finding you an emergency response for medical emergencies. Know your travel policies with your airline or rental car company. There is always a section for emergencies in the paperwork.

5.       Have the right gear for the trip.

You might need to purchase special stuff for your trip. If you find out that your destination has a history of pick use anti-theft belts and backpacks to protect your stuff from pickpockets and travel with only one or two of your credit cards and limited cash. If you’re going to a place with lots of walking, it might be a good idea to get fresh shoes and break them in for a week before you go. Having the right gear will help you adapt to your new surroundings with more ease and respond to situations more efficiently.

Thinking ahead like this will help you have a more enjoyable trip. You won't spend tons of time responding to something that could have been preventable, and you will have peace of mind that should something out of your control were to happen, you have measures in place to take care of it more easily. Taking care of current and future you is just as important as taking care of the rest of the family.

Leave a comment with some of your own travel self-care suggestions!

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See you next week!