As backpackers, we're always chasing the fullest travel experiences, often pushing our bodies to the edge. Staying healthy while exploring the world can be tough, but with a few smart strategies, you can keep your well-being in check and enjoy every adventure. This guide covers everything you need to know about staying healthy while hopping around the world, including must-pack health essentials without weighing down your backpack.
Prioritize Sleep and Rest
Travel backpacking can be exhilarating, but don’t sacrifice sleep in pursuit of adventure. Think about it, what is the point of arriving at a new destination if you are just going to be exhausted and can't enjoy it. Lack of rest can also weaken your immune system, increase stress levels, and make you more prone to accidents.
There is actually an awesome study published by the Journal of Experimental Medicine where scientists say you should enhance your T Cells to boost your immune system. This is done by prioritizing sleeping and resting! Easy ways to boost these T Cells are by avoiding red-eye flights, waking up too early or arriving too late, and trying to sleep on planes.
Tips for Better Sleep While You Travel:
- Use earplugs or headphones to block out disturbances (these headphones are great as they won't fall out or get lost while sleeping or in transit).
- Pack a lightweight eye mask to create a dark environment.
- Stick to a routine by sleeping and waking up at consistent times when possible.
- Consider hostels or accommodations with enforced quiet hours or even quieter sleeping options like private pods.
- If you are staying in a dormitory with strangers, consider locking up your valuables. Just think about it, your brain isn't going to get a deep sleep knowing your phone, wallet, or any other valuable can be easily stolen. A cable combination lock will help with this.
Stay Hydrated
Dehydration is a common issue for backpackers. Carry a collapsible water bottle to save space and ensure you always have access to clean drinking water. If you're traveling to areas with unsafe tap water, you can try bringing a portable water purifier or water purification tablets if you are in a really remote area. However, buying bottled water is going to be your safest bet.
Tips For Staying Hydrated While You Travel:
- Drink water before you feel thirsty.
- Reduce the amount of sugary or caffeinated drinks as they can dehydrate you.
- Monitor the color of your urine—clear or light yellow indicates proper hydration.
- If you are at a destination where it is unsafe to drink the water, remember that this includes ice cubes in drinks and water for brushing your teeth.
I never have a problem staying hydrated as I drink so much water. However, when I once went to Central America with some friends, we were given free shots and ended up getting really sick from it. We found out from a waiter at the bar that those shots were watered down. So always be careful when you're at a destination where you can't drink the water. Usually tourist spots know to use filtered water but backpackers always love the local places.
Exercise When Possible
Backpacking itself involves a lot of physical activity, but it’s important to maintain flexibility and strength. Your legs are already going to get a workout in just from traveling and carrying around a backpack. So the key is to focus on the muscle groups that get ignored while you travel such as your arms and chest.
How To Exercise While You Travel:
- You can try doing bodyweight exercises at a local park.
- Your backpack is already going to be heavy, try carrying it in your hand like a mafia-style suitcase to keep these muscles active.
- Stretch or try a local yoga class to alleviate stiffness from long bus rides or flights and recharge your body.
- Another secret that I have done is I went to local gyms at my destination and said I moved to the area. They'll usually give our a few free days for you to try the gym.
Practice Good Hygiene
Maintaining personal hygiene can prevent illnesses. Of course this means brushing your teeth and showering, but also a lot more.
Tips For Good Hygiene While You Travel:
- Pack a microfiber towel that dries quickly. If you are staying at any accommodation with others, make sure your towel is a unique color (avoid white, gray, or beige towels) so that you and other can easily identify your towel. If you are staying somewhere warm you'll be swimming a lot like in Thailand or the Philippines, bring a second microfiber towel (one for indoor bathing and one for outdoor bathing).
- Carry a small bag for soiled clothing to keep your backpack fresh. I like to allocate one of my compression packing cubes to used clothes so they can be separated from clean clothes easily. Another trick here is to get your compression packing cubes in two different colors so you can separate and color coordinate clean vs dirty clothes.
- Change your socks and underwear. You'd be surprised how common athlete's foot and jock itch is among travel backpackers. Also, take a look at what athlete's foot and jock itch look like so if you ever have it while you travel, you can identify and treat it before it spreads.
- Use travel sandals in public showers. Also, try waking up early so that you can be one of the first people using these showers.
- Bring soap! If you are staying in accommodations like hostels, camps, guesthouses, or any kind of dormitory, there is a good chance that bathing soap will not be provided. If you want to be minimalistic, try bringing an all-in-one soap in a reusable flat toiletry pouch.
When I was backpacking Japan, I actually got athlete's foot. The public showers at the hostels I stayed at were super clean and I always planned to shower after the showers were cleaned. Japan has a lot of bathhouses and geothermal pools (called onsens) where you're not allowed to bring any sandals or clothes. With so much foot traffic, it was sometimes my only way of bathing, I believe that is where I got athlete's foot. However, the second I noticed symptoms, I was able to treat it before it spread.
Manage Stress
Traveling can be stressful, especially when dealing with delays, foreign public transportation, unreliable wifi or data, passport control etc. Managing stress is crucial for your mental health. I also find a lot of long term backpackers could be between jobs or looking for a job and that alone can be stressful.
How To Manage Stress While You Travel:
- Take breaks and spend time in nature to recharge.
- Keep a journal to process your thoughts. You'd be surprised by how helpful journaling is.
- You don't always have to meet people or party. Understand that FOMO (fear of missing out) is a thing, but remember there are always going to be new people to meet and new experiences to try every day. Make sure to take some time to yourself.
Essential Medications and Vitamins to Bring on your Travels
Packing a well-thought-out travel health kit ensures you’re prepared for minor ailments without overloading your bag. A basic fold pill box in your toiletry bag will help you with overpacking medications. You don't need to bring much, just the essentials. Here’s a balanced list:
The Basic Medications For Your Travels:
- Pain Relievers: Ibuprofen or acetaminophen for headaches, muscle aches, or fever.
- Antidiarrheal: Loperamide for unexpected stomach issues.
- Antihistamines: For allergies or mild allergic reactions.
The Basic Vitamins For Your Travels:
- Multivitamin: To fill any nutritional gaps in your backpacking diet.
OR
- Vitamin C: To boost immunity, especially when traveling through crowded areas.
Essential Medications Tips For Travel:
- Label each item to avoid issues at international customs. You may want to save screenshots on your phone of any medications you are bringing. Make sure the screenshots also have an image of what the medication looks like. This will be useful if foreign customs asks and even if need a foreign doctor's services.
- Be careful with medications with side effects. You don't want to solve one issue that provokes another issue. Consider all natural remedies that don't have side effects.
- Consult your doctor before you travel and make sure you have all the proper medications and vaccinations needed.
Eat Nutritious and Balanced Meals
Eating nutritiously while you travel backpack doesn't have to be hard. The key is balance. Include fresh fruits, vegetables, and most importantly protein in your diet to fuel your adventures.
Tips For Eating Well While You Travel:
- Shop at local markets for fresh produce.
- Avoid eating at stalls or restaurants with poor hygiene. Look for places with high local foot traffic.
- It can be easy to run into a convenience store and find a cheap pastry to fill you up. But if you aren't including protein, you'll only get hungry very soon.
- Be careful with raw food. As much as I personally love sushi, oysters, and beef tartare, when you're traveling it can be a little risky. It isn't going to be worth any sickness or parasite. There are tons of cooked and nutritious meal options.
Listen to Your Body
Your body is your best guide. If you feel tired, take a rest day. If something feels wrong, don’t ignore it and seek medical attention when needed.
Emergency Plan For When You Travel:
- Always research your destination before you go. The best travel tips are from people who traveled to your destination before.
- Research the location of nearby clinics or hospitals in advance.
- Have travel insurance that covers health emergencies. The more you travel, the more you'll find the importance of having travel insurance.
- Carry a card in your travel wallet with your blood type and any medical conditions or allergies listed.
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