As you guys know, we travel a TON. And as much as we love it once we’ve reached our final destination, the journey there can have some negatives: stress, inflammation, limited self-care, sickness, etc.!
After spending far too many hours on planes, we decided it might be useful to put together some Sweats approved tips to make your airport and flight experience more efficient + bearable. We can’t be the only ones who want to avoid the back and fourth debate between Cibo Express and Hudson News just looking for something remotely edible … are we right?
The Travel Bag
First things first: you’ll never spot us in an airport without a backpack filled with our essentials (we much prefer this over a tote bag). We find backpacks help keep our carry-on items (passports, snacks, airpods, laptop, books, etc) much more organized, and we feel less as though we’re digging through a big, black, endless hole. We love our Dagne Dover bags: they’re so chic, have tons of compartments (a separate zipper for almost EVERYTHING), and can carry a TON without hurting our shoulders.
Chargers
Second: we will NEVER forget our portable chargers. Ever get on a plane only to realize you were blessed with an aircraft from 1957 without outlets (or, possibly worse yet, one with outlets that charge 1% per hour)? By the time we’ve gone through all the fun of dealing with baggage, security and check in, our batteries are basically donezo – so we never travel without our MyCharge devices! These babies hold a ton of charge, are super reliable, and come in really sleek, non-bulky versions that fit multiple USB cords. The only thing you’ll have to worry about is the person next to you asking to borrow!
Snacks + Food
We are big, big, big on BYOS (bring your own snacks … and food). And when we’re on-the-go is when bars seriously come into play. You know we love a good bar, because nothing is worse than being hangry in an airport. One that we recently discovered through our nutritionist and are currently LOVING is Kalumi (especially the “Sweetie Pie” flavor … OMG.) These bars are delicious + like nothing we’ve ever tasted, and contain collagen + a bunch of amazing ‘in-flight’ nutrients. They help hydrate the skin from within, have anti-aging properties, and are great for digestion + an immune boost. The perfect plane snack? We think so. We also have a 15% off discount: SWEATS15 at checkout!
Speaking of collagen, we also always travel with our on-the-go packets from our fav collagen company: Further Food. It’s nice to have a little bit of our at-home routine with us even when traveling, and we love that these can easily be added to a coffee, smoothie, tea or water for an extra boost of protein + collagen. We find collagen to help massively with inflammation while traveling, and it doesn’t hurt that the added protein also helps us feel full longer. Win, win, win.
If you have a long travel day ahead and require more than just snacks, we also advise you pack your own full meals. Places like Hu Kitchen (in NYC), or Kreation (in LA) have the best packaged, healthy foods that are perfect for travel. We much prefer this over anything we can find in the airport! If you’re taking a super long flight, we also recommend selecting the “health meal” option at check in. We’ve been pleasantly surprised by what they’ve come up with!
Health + Immunity
Two words: Juice shots! These are truly the best medicine, and way more powerful than anything that comes in a pill form. It’s way too easy to catch a cold while in flight (all that recirculated air … ew!) and there is nothing worse than starting a vacation sick. We make an effort to take a shot of ginger, turmeric, and/or oregano before and after flying. So many places sell these now that you’ll have no problem finding them: Joe + The Juice, Juice Press, Juice Generation, Kreation, and even coffee shops are popping up with these. And if you aren’t able to get your hands on a ginger shot, pack Propolis drops with you — they’re antibacterial, anti-fungal + anti-viral and make all the difference.
Sanitization Station
On the topic of sanitization, another must-pack item is Ducalm “walk out clean” shower wipes. THESE ARE LIFE CHANGING. We started using them initially for a quick post-gym wipe down, but quickly realized they were also our new best travel buddy. It’s so nice to be able to wipe yourself down before, during and/or after a flight (and these require no water … we really don’t trust that airplane water!) They’re also safe for your face + body… game changer.
Also, we highly recommend packing a mini mouthwash. Although not quite as good as the real brushing deal, we see so much value in a quick rinse for breath freshness.
Skincare
Planes dry the heck out of your skin, and can leave you feeling so dry + dull if you don’t take the proper precautions. Wander Beauty recently came out with a “Take Flight Kit” and it’s THE perfect travel skincare pouch. It includes: Baggage Claim Gold Eye Mask, Extended Stay Hydrating Mask, Lift Off Purifying and Brightening Peel Off Mask, + the Glow Ahead Face Oil. Those long hours waiting in lines and sitting on a flight can make your skin scream for a pick me up. We love using this kit pre-flight, in-flight (why not turn your seat into a mini spa?) and post-flight. Want to feel like you have more glow after traveling than you did before? These are the products we have found that do the trick.
Comfort
We’re pretty sure we’re not the only ones who spend 99% of a flight complaining about the temperature … So, a good travel blanket is key, particularly one that can act as a shall so you can wear it and not take up precious backpack real estate. Wearable blankets are the best kind! Some of our favorites have come from Zara, so check there first before splurging on cashmere.
Hydration
Last: we know you hear this all the time, but hydrating has a heightened level of importance when traveling. Not fueling your body with enough water can make you feel fatigued, achey, nauseous + just not yourself. If you’re not getting up to pee several times while flying, you’re not hydrating enough. It’s also important to encourage you to get up and move and prevent blood clots from forming. We always travel with glass water bottles that we can refill before getting on the plane in order to avoid $7 Smartwater scams.
We hope you feel ready to fly like a champion!
