Paris in November was cold but still dreamy.
It was my first time visiting and I really felt my type A personality shine through. Despite coming down with an awful cold and being freezing in not enough layers, I persevered through entire days and nights of sightseeing with many of those hours spent outdoors.
I absolutely love city vacations because I loooooove big cities (New York, Tokyo, Buenos Aires are all favourites) but these types of vacations are not very restful and Paris proved it for me.
If you’ve got city travel coming up around the holidays then think about implementing some of these healthy travel strategies:
1. Take melatonin to prevent jet lag. 0.5-5 mg taken near target bedtime at new destination can help decrease jet lag from flights crossing 5+ timezones. Doses closer to the 5 mg target appear to be more effective.
2. Travel with snacks. I pack my favourite protein bars (currently Rx bars) raw nuts and dried fruit when I travel. This prevents me from grabbing something considerably less healthy from the airport or in-flight. Plus I’ve been super happy to have snacks on trips where we’ve been delayed 2+ hrs.
3. Pack your favourite supplements! I always bring shelf-stable probiotics with me when I travel, in addition to a b complex (because that’s one supplement I can’t live without)… and a broad spectrum anti-microbial like oil of oregano is a good idea (I definitely felt that missing from my suitcase this time)! Ok full disclosure I travel with a lot more supplements than this…I’ll save the rest for another post.
4. Hydrate. Maybe you’re drinking more wine on vacation… that doesn’t count towards hydration! In fact it’s dehydrating so even more reason to up your water intake. Our bodies need to be hydrated to ensure optimal immune function. And there is no excuse to not stock your hotel room with extra water. Plus I’ve noticed lots of airports now have complimentary filling stations if you travel with a re-useable bottle.