How to Stay Healthy and Hydrated while Traveling

Table of Contents

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Updated: 6/14/2023 | How to Stay Hydrated While Traveling

Disclaimer: This post was made in partnership with Nomader travel water bottles. All opinions and thoughts expressed are my own and 100% honest.

Traveling is exciting but it can also exhaust us. We typically fall behind on our normal routines and often let spontaneity lead our adventures and decision-making.

Traveling takes us out of our element and even exposes us to elements that our bodies and minds may not be accustomed to.

A common problem to have while traveling is not getting enough fluids and becoming dehydrated while traveling.

A few things can happen when you are dehydrated:

Fatigue
Muscle cramps
Constipation
Headaches
Diarrhea
Overeating

Fatigue is a very common problem to encounter when you’re traveling. This is because you will likely have very little time to rest and will be jet-lagged for days at a time if you’re traveling long distances.

Dehydration can affect everything from blood pressure to critical thinking skills. Your overall energy will be affected. While it’s one thing to stay hydrated at home, keeping track of water intake while on the road may be more challenging.

How Much Water Do I Need?

According to the Mayo Clinic, the average woman should consume around 11.5 cups (or 2.7 liters) of fluid, including water, other beverages and food, per day, while the average man should consume 15.5 (3.7 liters).

A majority of people consume around 20 percent of their daily fluids from food, with the remainder coming from beverages.

Attaining your daily water intake goal helps your cells, tissues and organs work the way they’re supposed to. Being hydrated also gives you enough energy to go about your day.

The Mayo Clinic recommends people consume 6.3 cups of liquids per day, however, the average person consumes only 2.5 cups.

How to Stay Healthy and Hydrated While Traveling

By following a few of our top travel tips, you can stay healthy and hydrated while traveling.

#1 Drink Lots of Water Prior to Your Trip

While on the plane, it’s recommended that you drink 1 cup of water per hour. Being on a plane can seriously dehydrate you due to low-humidity levels.

Before you go on and after your vacation, make sure you drink lots of water to keep your body hydrated. Listen to your body while you’re traveling and rehydrate proactively instead of waiting until you feel “parched.”

#2 Always Have a Water Bottle

When you have a water bottle in hand, it makes drinking liquids a whole lot easier!

There are many water bottles on the market, but our favorite bottle is the collapsible travel water bottle by Nomader. The bottle rolls into itself and packs into our backpack carry-on, leaving plenty of room for our other travel essentials.

It also comes in various colors, is BPA free, and has a LIFETIME GUARANTEE. What’s not to love?

#3 Choose Healthy Foods

Fruits and veggies are a great way to stay hydrated. Choose water-dense fruits such as melons, cucumbers, berries or pineapples.

Eat foods with lots of greens and raw veggies. We also love soups as a way to consume liquids. It keeps our tummies full and hydrates us throughout the day.

When ordering foods, try to avoid too much salt. The perfect amount of salt will help you retain water, but very salty foods will quickly dehydrate you.

#4 An App to Help You Find a Tap

It’s best to research your water sources prior to arriving to your destination. In some countries, you’ll have to drink bottled water.

Luckily, many destinations also have reliable water sources if you know how to find them.

Download and use the Find Tap App. It’s an app that helps you find water wherever you are. It’s currently in 30 countries but looking to expand to more by 2020.

#5 Don’t Exert Yourself

Exertion requires energy and can dehydrate you.

If you know you’re going on a hike, make sure you bring your filled water bottle and know where to refill it when it runs out. Also bring a hydrating snack like fruits, veggies, and even protein bars to give you energy.

#6 Drink Water with Electrolytes

If you’re like me and don’t like the bland taste of water, you can use electrolyte products to flavor your water and give yourself an energy boost.

Electrolytes are needed to function normally. We get our electrolytes from the food we eat and even from beverages.

Below are electrolyte products that we recommend. Use these to infuse your beverages with flavor and electrolytes.

1Above – Effervescent tablets that deposit flavor and electrolytes into your beverages.
Nuun – Another brand of effervescent tables with electrolytes.
Pedialyte – Made for kids but great for adults! Can also be purchased at convenience stores.
Swigg – Swigg makes a vitamin-packed beverage powder that tastes amazing and has 0 calories. Their reusable water bottle is also amazing and super easy to clean.
Ultima Replenisher – Electrolytes in powder form are offered in convenient stick packs that fit in your purse or backpack.
VITAVATE – Makes green tea energy powders that are tasty and refreshing. They’re a great substitute for coffee beverages.

#7 Get an IV Treatment

I recently tried the IV treatment in Las Vegas and it revived me!

If IV treatments are available to you, I highly recommend them. You can get an IV treatment which takes 30-45 minutes. Some IV programs also come to your home to conduct the treatment (known as mobile IV).

The IV will deposit liquids and vitamins into your body and flush out all the bad chemicals. This is great if you fall sick or end up having an all-night bender, which can happen when you meet awesome people on your travels.

Final Thoughts

Hydration is important to our health and wellness. While in our modern-day and age it’s accessible and easy to do, we often forget to hydrate because we get busy or distracted.

Always be proactive with your hydration and your body should operate as it normally should and maybe even better!

If you enjoyed our how to stay healthy and hydrated while traveling post, please share it to Pinterest!