7 Ways to Stay Balanced While Traveling

Taking Your Routine with You While Traveling

Have you ever felt like you're on a roll with taking care of your health—eating well, sleeping well, and exercising—but then you travel and your entire routine crumbles? Me too. 

Creating routines that best serve us isn't always easy, but sustaining them while we're working out of town or trekking the globe presents its own set of challenges. How do we navigate new time zones, different foods, varied climates, and unfamiliar mattresses (or sleeping bags) in a way that promotes balance so we can enjoy our travels and return home feeling replenished, not drained?

As always, Ayurveda is here to guide you. Here are a few basics to help you stay grounded while traveling.

1. Bring Golden Milk with You

Golden milk, or haldi doodh, is an herbal drink with turmeric as the star ingredient. Turmeric is well known to be packed with benefits, from supporting a healthy inflammatory response to supporting healthy digestion, a strong immune system, and a good night's rest (all valuable perks while traveling!). When combined with other herbs and added to steamed milk, it becomes a very enjoyable way to support your health while traveling. 

I recommend bringing a small bag of Banyan's version of golden milk, Turmeric Milk Mix, wherever you go (or pack whatever your favorite powdered golden milk is). Most hotels have soy or almond milk in addition to dairy milk. Just order it and add the golden milk powder to your hot milk in the cozy comfort of your hotel room. 

2. Soothe Your Senses with Lavender Essential Oil

Not only is the fragrance of lavender soothing to the senses, the botanical qualities also calm the nervous system. Anytime we travel our vata goes up, so the calming power of lavender is especially supportive. Essential oils also make for easy travel companions because they're small and durable. 

Place your tiny jar in a sealed bag (to prevent leaking) and keep it within easy reach. Once you get to your destination, add 6–8 drops of the lavender oil to a hot bath and soak to decompress. Additionally, you can add 2–4 drops of lavender oil to coconut oil or sesame oil to give yourself a grounding self-massage with oil (abhyanga). To support vata, remember to apply the oil in a slow and firm manner to elicit a grounding feeling for your body and mind.

3. Prepare for Time Zone Changes

Adjust your sleep schedule to match the new time zone. For example, if you fly East to India and land at 11 a.m. after flying all night, you may be exhausted, but don't go to sleep. Encourage yourself to stay up until at least 8 or 9 p.m. This way you'll feel more in sync with the local time when you wake up in the morning. This also applies if you're flying West over a number of time zones. If, for example, you fly from the continental U.S. and land in Hawaii, which is at least a few hours earlier than your time zone, do your best to adjust to the local time. 

To help adjust to a new timezone, get outside. Fresh air and sunlight do wonders for resetting your internal clock.  

Herbs are also incredibly helpful, especially adaptogens like ashwagandha, which can help you adapt to new time zones. And as an adaptogen, ashwagandha has the capacity to help you relax when you're hyper and alternatively boost your energy when you're drowsy. Plants are intelligent! They are attuned to the active energies that come from the sun and the passive energies that accompany the moon. By taking ashwagandha you ingest the universal intelligence that knows when to sleep and when to rise.

Ashwagandha is a primary ingredient in I Travel Well liquid extract, which is loaded with additional adaptogens to keep you grounded and healthy. It's also designed to support healthy sleep patterns and sustainable energy while traveling.

4. New Culture, New Food—Bring Probiotics and Digestive Teas

Experiencing new cuisine is an exciting part of exploring new places and an excellent way to immerse yourself in new cultures. But while your taste buds may agree, your stomach may not be ready. By taking a probiotic and drinking your digestive teas, you'll boost your gut flora and safeguard your digestive capacity.

An Ayurvedic favorite is CCF tea, a digestive tea made of cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds. You can also opt for a tea that includes turmeric and ginger, like CCF Detox Digest Tea. 

You want to enjoy exciting new flavors and aromas without worrying about how your tummy will react. Be proactive by starting your probiotic and digestive tea at least one week before departure, and continue throughout your trip.

5. Schedule Down Time

It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and exhilarating pace of a new place. But this can quickly deplete you and further exacerbate a vata imbalance (which, as you remember, is already elevated while traveling). Remember to intentionally plan down time so that excessive amounts of adventure don't wind up draining you. 

Block off down time so you don't return from your vacation feeling like you need a vacation.

When planning a trip, consider the sweet balance of exploration and ease. Making time to do nothing can also help you reflect and integrate your experiences more fully while also helping you stay present and engaged. How you spend your down time is up to you—journaling, resting, meditating, drinking a cup of tea (or a glass of wine) on the terrace—it's your choice! 

6. Make Sure You Sleep Well

It goes without saying that sleep is a cornerstone of health, whether you're at home or traveling. But sometimes it's not that easy getting the rest you need when you're in an unfamiliar bed (or couch, air mattress, or sleeping bag).

To help, try a supportive bedtime routine: start winding down a good hour before bed, and aim to be in bed by 10 if possible. Before bed is also a perfect time to practice abhyanga and sip that golden milk! You can practice a full abhyanga, or simply massage the soles of your feet with an herbal oil like Sleep Easy Oil, then slip into some old socks and crawl into bed.

In addition, bring a little extra support to your root chakra. Place a heavy pillow or stack of several pillows over the pelvis. The weight of the pillow(s) on your pelvis will ground your root chakra so you'll feel safe and supported.

7. Support Proper Elimination

Constipation is a common side effect of traveling (and a sign of imbalanced vata). That's why I always bring Triphala tablets with me.

Triphala is a traditional Ayurvedic herbal formula that promotes proper digestion and regular elimination. While taking just Triphala tablets may work for you, I find that taking 2–4 tablets before bed paired with a big mug of warm water and a heaping tablespoon of coconut oil or ghee helps reestablish regular bowel movements. The warm water smooths the muscle lining, the warm oil helps to lubricate your elimination system, and the triphala helps move everything through. You may need to repeat this nightly bowel elixir for several nights in a row. 

If you're traveling, have a great trip! These tips are also great for non-traveling times too. Remember, whether you're home or away, always take good care of yourself. Bon voyage!