It’s December 13th and I’m preparing to leave for a long couple of back-to-back trips with my boyfriend. It feels like a little bit of a crazy journey we have planned, especially to lead right into Christmas. I’ve gotten most of my Christmas shopping done, but our first stop on our trip will be in New York City so I’m hoping to pick up a few more things there. We’re likely not going to be back home until Christmas Eve, so I’m glad I have most things done and out of the way. The New York trip was kind of spontaneous. We were in Denver for a wedding in the fall and I had flight credits expiring that weekend. We had gone to Arizona and California in September, and then we were loving our time in Colorado so much, I think we were determined to use the credits as an excuse to go somewhere else before the end of the year. So naturally, we picked New York. I used to live in New York City. It was actually where I was living when I started this website/blog. I used to write so much because of all the free time I had riding the subway everywhere. New York was my dream city to live in, and I truly felt like I was living my dream while I was there. I was the brokest I’ve ever been, but the city itself was all I needed!
The reason I love New York so much is that there’s perpetual energy over the city from all the people, places, and things happening at once. It feels energizing and inspiring to be around. I always get excited to go back and can imagine the energy feeling when I think about it. Even though I lived there for a couple of years, and have visited tons of times, there is always something new to see and experience. This will be my first time visiting the city during the holidays since I lived there five years ago. It will also be my first time going with my boyfriend!
We’re planning to explore New York’s many festive holiday offerings, eat lots of food, and do some shopping. We’re staying with one of my former roommates and her husband who just bought an apartment in Brooklyn near the neighborhood where I used to live. I can’t wait to walk around and see what’s old and new!
After New York, we’re back home for one day and then fly out again to Iowa. My boyfriend bought a new truck and it is being delivered for pick-up in Granger. We’re going to grab the truck, then drive to St. Louis, and then to Chicago – checking out a couple of National Parks along the way. We are also planning to visit another one of my former roommates in Chicago! I am not totally sure what to expect with Granger and St. Louis, but getting to see both New York City and Chicago around Christmastime is going to be so magical, I can’t wait!
Despite my excitement, and despite having traveled a lot in my adulthood, I often get anxious about a lot of the aspects of travel. When it comes to packing, preparing, and how the trip might impact my mental and physical health – just the logistics leading up to the airport can be enough to really rattle me, even before the trip itself actually begins. I overthink the weather, what clothes to pack, and how many. I usually way overpack and it’s always most obvious by my shoes! I mean, who needs more than an average of one pair of shoes a day? I guess if ever it’s me, at least I’ll be prepared. I’ve definitely gotten better over the years at being more kind to myself about my packing habits (and other habits lol). But I’ve also been able to incorporate some strategies or personal best practices to help alleviate some of my stress when it comes to travel.
Here are a few of my top tips to prepare for a healthy vacation, no matter where or how long you’re traveling.
- Prepare as much as you can in advance. This is the number one tip because it’s to be applied for everything else I’ll mention. A lot of these things will be most successful and impactful if you try to prepare them ahead of time. That means being tactically cognizant of your travel in advance as often as possible. If a spur of the moment trip pops up, it is understandably going to be more difficult to get ahead of, but as soon as you know you may be traveling soon, determine how much time you might need to plan things (i.e. should you start a month in advance, or a week in advance, depending on the complexity of the trip), and start to think about how you can incorporate the following strategies in advance of, and throughout your trip.
- Packing. If you get packing anxiety like I do, start to think about what you need for your trip as early as possible. I usually find this somewhat fun, as it’s an opportunity to get creative with my clothes that I don’t get to wear every day and create a few new or old go-to outfits that I’ll be excited to wear. Brainstorming it in advance also allows me to make sure I have all the pieces I need to feel good and confident about my outfits for the trip – I can always go shopping for something I might need to complete an outfit if I am thinking about it earlier than the night before I leave!
- Consider your movement. For me, movement and exercise are critical to my mental health. They’re also obviously good for your physical health, so it’s worth considering how to incorporate them despite any travel plans. For example, even though I would typically do a specific 30-60 minute workout routine, I am not too worried about exercising when I travel to New York because I assume I will be doing a lot of walking. If I’m in the mood to try new things, I might hit up a workout class or studio, or I might sneak in some light stretches before bed or first thing in the morning. I try to imagine where I’ll be staying and if that’s something realistic to imagine I’ll be able to do. I also consider getting a few consistent days of exercise in at home before I leave for a trip – that way, worst case scenario if I am unable to workout, and even if I don’t walk as much as I anticipated, I know I got a few days in at home that should help to carry me over until I’m back.
- Consider your hydration. Hydrating is also super important to keep you feeling your best. I can easily forget to hydrate when I travel, so similarly to my exercising strategy, I really try to make sure I am hydrating up as much as possible a few days before leaving for my trip. If you really want to splurge on yourself, I highly recommend IV treatments for hydration. I have done this several times before and after travel and always feel very energized and rejuvenated. But typically I’ll just stick to water. I always travel with a refillable water bottle, and I always chug the water before going through security at the airport (rather than dumping it out). If you’re drinking alcohol, always drink equal amounts or more of regular water. Even if you’re walking a lot, making sure to stay hydrated can keep you from burning through energy too quickly. It will help keep you fuller longer, and support your overall functioning.
- Set an intention. This one might seem a little out there compared to the other tips, but I have recently found that setting an intention for my trips can be really helpful when I start to feel anxious or out of it at all. After all, if you’re traveling, chances are regardless of the circumstance, your preference is to enjoy yourself – not to be stressed or feel bad in any way. So consider setting an intention for what exactly you do hope to get out of your trip, how you intend the trip to feel, etc. Then, let everything else go! If you try too hard to be in control of things, it can lead to frustration when inevitably something doesn’t go accordingly to plan (which if you’re me, happens often). So setting an intention can help give you a soft landing place when shit hits the fan. When my boyfriend and I traveled to California in September, as we were getting off of the plan in San Diego, I realized someone must have mistakenly grabbed my carry-on bag instead of theirs. Luckily, I grabbed his bag and noticed it was tagged with his phone number and I was able to catch him before he left the airport when the wrong luggage. But the flight had already been delayed twice and tracking down accidental bag thief took some time, and we were late to dinner with friends. I had to change in the parking garage after waking up in the desert that morning and traveling all day. It sounds like it would have been stressful, but even at the time we were laughing it off. Our intention for that trip was to be present and have fun. Determinedly, we were in “go with the flow” mode the whole trip in pursuit of feeling those emotions.
All in all, you should have at least one intention – to make the most of your time away from home! Getting to travel is such a blessing, and really a luxury I try not to take for granted. Managing anxiety and stress and protecting your health while away from home can be tricky, but it is possible. I hope you find these tips helpful. Let me know in the comments if you have any go-to tips for having a healthy and happy vacation. Happy holidays!
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