I recently took a trip back to the east coast to visit with friends and family. Even though the trip was a long time coming and completely necessary, I avoided it for quite some time. What were my excuses? Well, of course, the pandemic, the masks, the extra testing, the unknowns about what I might do in the off chance I got a positive test result even despite having no symptoms, and so on. Most likely some of the same things you’ve been telling yourself in regards to travel in 2021. And while ultimately, travel has to be a decision you make for yourself, I would like to impart my newly acquired travel wisdom, along with some of the simple strategies I used to keep myself healthy and upbeat during my recent adventure. 

 Before I dive into the tips I have for you, I want to just add the side note that air travel felt incredibly safe (in terms of the pandemic). I flew Delta and had an entire row to myself, they changed the air every 20 seconds, everyone was masked (most doubled up), and everything was delivered to fliers in a plastic bag. To enter most states a negative test is required to even get on the plane, so the chances of crossing paths with someone with COVID were slim. Air travel felt *less risky* than going to the grocery store. 

 Okay, so with the flying question out of the way, what made me most comfortable to travel, and what has really helped me stay rather calm this entire year, is the knowledge I’ve acquired from Traditional Chinese Medicine. While I understand and honor any fears or concerns you may have, my ultimate, core belief is that we have a tremendous ability to heal ourselves, and stay well just by gently assisting our body’s innate and incredibly intelligent immune system. 

 Whichever camp you fall into, these travel tips will not take away from any of the other guidelines or suggestions we are encouraged to follow. They will only help in adding to your sense of confidence when you step onto the aircraft (at least they did for me!) 

 1. Make sure you are well rested 

In the height of my travel days, I always booked the cheapest flight, no matter if it was at the crack of dawn or late into the witching hours of the night. I would occasionally have 3-4 change overs with long wait times, airport overnights, and so on. Ahh, I look back and admire the resiliency of that young girl! But (and this is a big old “but”) that is no longer the case for me. We all know that sleep greatly impacts the immune system and so does time change and jet lag. If at all possible, schedule your flights so that you can get a full night’s rest before and after landing on each end.

2. Drink warm liquids 

Okay, so I probably sound like a broken record by now with the warm liquid chatter, but I say it because IT’S TRUE. I like to bring with me a couple of packets of my favorite immune boosting teas like ginger, rooibos, or green and ask for some hot water at the airport Starbucks so that I don’t have to miss out on my favorites! Even this time, the day I flew out was a balmy 70 degrees in Colorado so I treated myself to an iced coffee… followed directly by a double round of ginger tea! This is intricately connected to the digestive system, if you want more information on the why, check out this popular post.

3. Bathe in Thieves Oil 

Okay, maybe not bathe, but I pretty much do. The slightest tickle in the throat and I am slathering this magical oil on! Thieves is an oil blend that I use specifically for the Immune system. I’ve never seen such a dramatic effect with any other oil, truthfully! I have not left my house without this beauty for the past year (at least.) Click here to access my favorite Thieves oil.

4. Take Chinese Herbs 

We have so many formulas for colds, flus, viruses, early signs and symptoms, lingering coughs… you name it, we have a formula for it! In particular, this time I brought with me two formulas: one for early onset of a virus, which I took every day preventatively; and the other was one for when symptoms go deeper internally causing fever, sore throats, and so on (just in case!). Herbs can be taken in capsule form, powder form (mixed with warm water), or raw… there is a lot of variety to accommodate for client preference and treatment principle/goal. Disclaimer: Although herbs are fantastic and I could not more highly recommend them, they are not something to just be bought on Amazon (sorry, not sorry,) Chinese herbs are something you definitely need to talk to an herbalist about, for a consult click here. 

 5. Nourish your Root Chakra  

Eastbound, I had the strangest sense of feeling ungrounded, scattered, and fearful. I’ve never had this on an airplane before, even though it makes perfect sense since we are literally off the ground! For whatever reason this arose in me this time, I took it to mean that I needed to get in touch with my root chakra, and while I couldn’t put my feet in the earth (one of my go-to’s) I put both feet on the ground, released any holding in my stomach and started to breathe deep breaths into my belly. I held in my palm my trusty carnelian crystal that I bring everywhere and I allowed the phrase, “I am safe” to be on repeat in my mind. This changed everything for me, I was quickly able to relax. Why is this important for the Immune system? Well, we know all too well the impact stress has on our Immune system, so any way to calm the mind, breath, and body allows our systems to function without any hiccups!

In conclusion, I strongly believe in both Eastern and Western medicine, I believe in preventative medicine and emergent medicine and thus, this blog post was born! Taking the time to nourish your body with these simple methods will assist you in safe travels in your body, mind, and spirit. Any questions about anything you read today?! Hit me up, I’d love to chat with you. 

 Safe travels,