Travel Healthy: How to Keep Your Gut, Energy & Immunity Strong on Holiday
Travelling is incredible — it opens your eyes, feeds your soul, and even brings some health benefits. But let’s be real: between time zones, plane food, jet lag, germs, and digestive upsets, holidays can take a toll on your body if you’re not prepared.
The good news? With a little forward planning, you can sidestep the worst and keep yourself in tip-top shape so you can actually enjoy your trip.
Here are my top tips for staying healthy while travelling.
Biome protection…
Travelling anywhere means exposing your gut to new food, water, environments, climates, and even pathogens (especially on the plane!) which disrupt your microbiome and can trigger health issues.
💡 Probiotics are your BEST travel insurance…
Get ones that are blister packed, shelf stable and clinically trialled. I am big fan of Activated Probiotics Daily Probiotic. Do not go ‘cheap’ on this part of your holiday… you’ve invested heaps of $$$ so far — don’t cut corners on gut support!
Prepare for the Plane…
Air travel isn’t exactly kind to your body. Low pressure, low humidity, long periods of sitting, and questionable meal options can all leave you depleted. Here’s how to prepare…
Order special meals → Plant-based options are often fresher, but the best option is to pack your own healthy snacks.
Eat light → Think veggie sticks, dips, fruit salad, raw nuts, crispbread, or homemade bliss balls.
Avoid the “junk stash” → Chips, lollies, and crackers may be easy, but they’ll dehydrate you further and don’t do much for your health!
Take herbal tea & an infuser → Ginger root is great for digestion, immune support and travel lag.
Skip coffee and black tea → Caffeine lingers in your system for hours and messes with your sleep/wake rhythm.
Hydrate often → Aim for a glass of water every 30 minutes. Yes, it means toilet breaks — but movement is good for circulation.
Comfort matters → Loose clothes, eye mask, neck pillow, socks = happy traveller.
Moisturise & plump → I take Voi’s Organic Hydrating Mist to keep my skin plump and hydrated.
Nuke and Protect… I take Voi’s One Cleaner Travel Spray to spray on plane toilet seats, on hands, or any surfaces when travelling. Scientifically tested to kill 99.9% of germs with essential oils that have anti-viral, antibacterial, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-infectious, anti-parasitic, antiseptic and insecticide properties… it’s a ‘travel’ all-rounder!
Treat in-flight time like “real time” → If it’s 10pm, skip the meal and go straight to sleep. If it’s 9am, stay awake as though it’s a normal day.
Fast-Aid in your pocket → I don’t go anywhere without my Voi Organic Healing Crème - whether I get a scratch or insect bite this all-rounder helps with its anti-inflammatory, antipruritic (anti-itch), analgesic (pain relieving), astringent, antiviral, antimicrobial, antibacterial and antiseptic properties.
Beat Jet Lag & Travel Fatigue…
Crossing time zones (or even just long flights) can throw your body clock into chaos. Sleep, digestion, hormones, mood, and energy all take a hit. Here’s how to bounce back quicker…
✅ Sync to local time → If it’s 7am at your destination, act like it’s 7am. Get outside, move, eat breakfast.
✅ Soak up the light → Natural light is your strongest ally for resetting circadian rhythm. Avoid sunglasses during the day.
✅ Embrace the dark → At night, avoid bright screens, wear an eye mask to avoid bright lights peeking through curtains!
✅ Eat melatonin-friendly foods → Bananas, cherries, grapes, walnuts, pistachios, and sunflower seeds can help your body settle into sleep mode.
✅ Ground yourself → This one sounds quirky, but works… stand barefoot on grass, or sand, for the first three mornings and nights and face the morning sun (early morning) and in the evening get out in the dark and face the moon. This “resets” your internal rhythm.
✅ Avoid naps → Push through the day, no matter how tired. If desperate, keep naps under 10 minutes.
✅ Shower & change clothes → Signal to your body whether it’s day or night at your destination.
✅ Get moving → Light activity helps shake off the sluggishness from sitting in a pressurised cabin.
✅ Eat light at first → Start with small, easy-to-digest meals until your digestion settles.
The Bottom Line…
Travelling should be exciting, not exhausting. With a little preparation, you can protect your gut, boost your resilience, and sidestep common travel health issues — so you can focus on making memories✈️
Knowledge empowers, but action is what rewrites your health story. If you’re ready to transform your health, I’ve got the solution you’ve been searching for…
💪 Get GutStrong… The Gut Strong Method is an evidence-based 90-day program that helps women in their 50s and 60s transform their health, restore their energy, and feel vibrant, confident, and full of vitality
P.S. My main focus is supporting women in their 50s and 60s, but I do take on women outside of this age group where it’s a good fit.
💬 P.S. If this blog helped, I’d love to hear from you! Drop a comment below. With (gut) love, Nat 💚