The must supplements to take when travelling

Staying safe while travelling is more important than you might think. Travelling is fun, exciting and relaxing, but can often also be exhausting and overwhelming with flights, transfers and different time zones. Our sleep patterns get affected, we often are eating and drinking different foods and are confronted with totally new environments and surroundings. 

Travel is often a time when our immune system get compromised and so it is easy for viruses, bacteria, pathogens, parasites and insects to invade our systems (often without us even knowing). 

While I am not a doctor or medical professional, I am a sensitive human with lots of travelling experience and dealing with viruses, insects and parasites myself, when travelling aboard these are my top 10 must take with me when ever i’m jet setting around the globe.

1. Drink & Use Bottled Water Only

No matter where you are in the world, always drink bottled water, including at restaurants. This also included for brushing your teeth. You have no idea of the standards of filtering systems for each place you visit. Water is an easy place to pick up viruses, bacteria and especially parasites!

2. Traveller Friend & Pathogen Support

Pathogenic support while travelling will reduce your chances of picking up bugs, bacteria and parasites from your food, drinks and the environment.  

  1. Traveller’s Friend 30ml by Nutribiotic – antimicrobial treatment, I don’t leave Australia without this product. If you didn’t have access to bottled water you can put this in the water to stop you from picking up something. This is a last resort for camping, fishing and remote travelling.
  2.  Paracea Forte (Bioceuticals) – especially if you won’t have access to good quality food sources.
  3. Any other anti-parasitic supplement. 

3. Shelf Sustainable Probiotic

One of the quickest ways to de-rail a vacation is by getting an upset stomach and reinforce feeding your healthy gut bacteria.

While probiotics can’t prevent you from coming into contact with food-borne illness, bacteria or parasites they can strengthen your stomach when you’re enjoying food you might not eat at home. Just make sure you purchase a product that is shelf sustainable and has a high count of 5-10 billion beneficial bacteria.

Here are some probiotic suggestions:

  1. Triflora (Biomedica)
  2. Probiotica High Potency (Nutralife)
  3. ProBiotica Extra Care (Nutralife)

4. Up Your Vitamin B Intake

Vitamin B gives your immune system a boost and amps up your energy, making it an ideal addition to your supplement regimen if your vacation. High amounts of Vitamin B may also reduce your risk or mosquito / insect bites…..and we all want that!

5. Immunity Supplements

Our immune systems can easily be compromised when we travel. I always have something with me so that when ever I feel a sore throat, swollen glands or niggle coming my way I can stop it in its tracks quickly. Nobody wants to get sick when travelling, so prevention and being prepared is always key.

Here are some recommendations / different brands:

  1. Armaforce (Bioceuticals)
  2. Vitamin C (This always comes with me)
  3. Super Mushroom Complex Pine Lime flavour (Metagenics)
  4. Immune Pro Plus (Bio Practica)
  5. Immune Pre Plus (Natures Origins)
  6. Olive Leaf Extract (Comvita) – liquid
  7. Herbal Immune-Plex (PPC Herbs) – liquid

6. Sleep Remedy

Getting quality sleep can be hard if we are travelling in different time zones and countries, but we all need at least 6-7 hours of good quality sleep each night to repair, heal and function. 

I always take a natural sleep remedy with me and as I do not function well without sleep.

Here are some travelling sleep remedies:

  1. Melatonin 3-5mg per night as needed
  2. Rescue Remedy Sleep (Bach)
  3. Sleep Complex (Bioceuticals), this is a herbal sleep complex or equivalent. 
  4. Yoga Nidra Meditations (These are my go to for sleep and energy top ups)

7. Insect Protection

Even though I really dislike putting even natural lotions on my skin, when travelling it is always best in mosquito prone areas to apply insect repellant every few hours.

Here are some of my suggestions:

  1.  Outdoor Body Spray (Perfect Potion)
  2. Bug Another (Biologika)
  3. Bug Balm (The Physic Garden)
  4. Organic Personal Outdoor Spray (Eco Tan)

 If you do get bitten use these natural remedies:

  1. Tea tree oil
  2. Skin Repair Lotion (Nexessity Fixaderm)
  3.  Outdoor Rescue Gel (Perfect potion) – great for sunburn and bites
  4. Old fashion calamine lotion (great for bug bites especially at night)

8. Gastro Support

  1. Travel Bug (Ethical Nutrients)
  2. Enterosgel (check out enterosoz.com.au)
  3. Gastro Stop (Lopermide) available at most chemists
  4. Gastrolyte – hydration tablets
  5. Activate charcoal

9. Digestive Problems

Digestive issues often result with travelling, as we are off our normal routine and eating different foods.

While travelling I mostly only eat vegan and very occasionally seafood, but only if it is really fresh as this will reduce the risk of getting food poisoning. Also do not eat from local street vendors (you have been warned).

If you are having digestive or tummy issues, drinks plenty of water, take two probiotics for a few days, increase your fibre from from fruits and vegetables, drink coconut water (if fresh and in Asia) and eat really simple. 

You can also look at taking any of the products suggested points 2, 3 and 8 to assist.

10. Essential Oils & Flower Remedies

Essential oils are one amazing gift from nature that calm calm and reduce stress with just one sniff. Flower essences have a similar effect but they are ingested.

Here are some essential oils to take with you when travelling:

  1. Lavender – great all rounder oil for sleep, sunburn, insect bites, stress, kids calmer
  2. Frankincense – another great all rounder for skin, fatigue, headaches, stress, immune support
  3. Tea Tree – powerhouse for insect bites, immune support, sunburn, antiseptic, anti-microbial
  4.  Peppermint – great for digestive support, focus, clarity, energy, stress, congestion.
  5.  Any citrus oils like wild orange, grapefruit, lemongrass or lemon is an excellent room deodoriser or ‘smelly’ room saviour for smoky-smelling or musty rooms. Great for pick me up and energy.

 Flower Essences I suggest these blends: 

  1. Travel Essence (Australian Bush Flower Essences)
  2. Travel Spray  (Australian Bush Flower Essences)
  3.  Emergency Essence  (Australian Bush Flower Essences)
  4. Rescue Remedy (Bach)

I often make an essential oil roller for my trip so that I only need to take one or two with me and often add in the flower essences. 

If you would like a I custom travel rollers, simply email me [email protected] and let me know where you are going and what you would like it for.

While you may not need to take all of these with you depending on your destination, however if you are headed to Asia, the middle east or a third world country these products will definitely reduce your risk of getting sick or picking up a bug while travelling or on holidays. 

If the brands above are also not available to you try a google search or head to your local health foods store. They usually have health care practitioners who can give trusted recommendations.

You can also book in for a Kinesiology / mentoring session specific to your travelling if the above feels a little overwhelming, you have a fear of flying or tend to pick up bugs easily.

Happy safe travelling!

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Ilana K