8 Summer Travel & Wellness Tips

Create a comprehensive checklist to avoid a last-minute scramble. Pre-book services such as transfers, car rental, restaurants and spa treatments to help the smooth running of the trip and stay. Packing cubes can be a game changer for organising your case and helping you to pack more efficiently.

Farzanah Nasser, a nutritionist and functional medicine practitioner, says air travel exposes us to free radicals, which can be draining. To combat this, she suggests consuming a variety of colourful fruit and vegetables that are rich in antioxidants, such as blueberries, blackberries and kiwi. To stay hydrated and energised, she adds electrolytes to her water – she recommends the travel-sized sachets from Ancient & Brave. Another favourite of hers is Revive Active Zest Active, which is easy to carry and could help fill nutritional gaps when travelling. 

 You could also pack some healthy snacks for your journey as airport and in-flight options are often not very nourishing. Nuts, bananas, grapes, crackers and houmous are excellent choices. Ineke Nugteren, founder of Nourish and another functional medicine practitioner, always travels with snacks such as high-fibre or collagen bars, coconut bites, dark chocolate, tree nuts, homemade energy balls, vegetable sticks and organic berries for her kids. Her favourite Nourish snacks to have on board include Cacao Coconut Cookies and The Nutty One.

Farzanah explains that our wake-sleep cycle is aligned with the sun and moon, and one of the most effective ways to adjust to a new time zone is to get sunlight when you land. Simply taking off your shoes and socks and grounding yourself once you arrive might also help you acclimatise. Farzanah likes homeopathic Arnica as helpful for adjustment – take two pellets at the start of a journey and then every three hours for the next 12 hours. Travelling can also deplete our magnesium stores, exacerbating exhaustion and jetlag. Supplementing with magnesium before and after a flight might be beneficial – Nutri Advanced Magnesium Glycinate is a good option.

Farzanah emphasises the importance of eating smart on holiday to help maintain your energy. She suggests taking advantage of breakfast buffets to nourish the body and stabilise blood sugar levels at the start of the day. Opt for protein-rich sources like eggs, smoked salmon or Greek yogurt paired with antioxidant-rich foods like blueberries, papaya, watermelon and blackberries.  

 Additionally, holidays are a great opportunity to enjoy local produce that you might not usually have access to. When selecting from a menu or shopping at a market, choose locally sourced options to expand the variety of fresh foods you consume and ensure you get plenty of new nutrients. Instead of fried foods, consider local grilled fish, exotic fruits and more unusual vegetables.

Holidays often come with an increase in alcohol consumption. Farzanah thinks it’s important to be aware that alcohol depletes antioxidants, including our key antioxidant glutathione, and can contribute to leaky gut. To counteract this, she recommends supplements like NAC (a precursor to glutathione) and Butyrate from BodyBio, as well as incorporating plenty of fibre-rich plants in your diet.  

 To support your liver, include antioxidant-rich foods such as berries, olives, artichokes and asparagus – and try to drink a glass of water in between every drink. 

While it’s tempting to forgo exercise on holiday, consider reframing a break as an opportunity to try something new and enjoyable. Chloe Hodgson of Chloe’s Pilates suggests simple activities like swimming, whether at the beach, in a lake or a swimming pool, as it offers a great full-body workout. Walking is another excellent way to stay active while exploring a new place. Try a water sport with the kids or a family game of padel – it’s fun, social and easy for anyone to play.  

Fitness coach Caroline Idiens of Caroline’s Circuits knows that exercising on holiday isn’t aways easy, but urges you to plan ahead and focus on short, intense workouts. Anything that involves just bodyweight like lunges, planks and squats is her focus as it can be done anywhere. Caroline suggests packing a resistance band as they are brilliant for isokinetic exercises and core workouts. 

Sheerluxe readers can enjoy a 25% discount code off their first month of membership to Caroline’s strength and fitness platform, Caroline’s Circuits. Just use the code SL25 when you sign up during the month of August.  

Travelling can increase the risk of digestive and gut issues. Ensure you consume only safe drinking water and, if in doubt, opt for bottled water. In some locations, you may need to use mineral water when brushing your teeth. Bear in mind that ‘jet lag’ can mean ‘gut lag’, often leading to constipation for the first day or two. To help combat this, consider taking the likes of TerraNova Digestive Enzymes to aid the natural breakdown of your food. Farzanah recommends the Optibac probiotic Saccharomyces Boulardii for protecting against travellers’ diarrhoea and supporting your gut health. She also suggests taking Bimuno fibre sachets, which have been shown to support levels of beneficial microbes like Bifidobacteria in the gut.  

Adjust to the local time zone as quickly as possible to mitigate jet lag and establish a good sleep pattern. Set the air conditioning to a comfortable temperature, and use earplugs if you anticipate late-night or early morning noise in your hotel. Avoid drinking alcohol at least three hours before bedtime to help stabilise blood sugar and reduce the likelihood of waking in the night. Be cautious of daytime napping, as it might disrupt your night-time sleep pattern.  

Adjusting to a slower pace on holiday can take time, so find ways to truly relax. Consider taking a yoga class or meditation, reading a book or trying journaling – anything to help unwind and enjoy your break so you feel truly refreshed when you get home.

DISCLAIMER: Features published by SheerLuxe are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. Always seek the advice of your GP or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health-related programme.