How to Stay Healthy While Traveling as a Digital Nomad
It was 3pm on a Wednesday, and I was lying on the cold floor of our Budapest hotel. The shower turned all the way up to steam the bathroom, a box of tissues and a nasal spray bottle by my side as I tried (in vain) to clear my sinuses. I had a cold and was enjoying Budapest not at a walking tour — but from the inside of our hotel room, taking breaks to eat lunch on the balcony outside of our room while my partner brought me noodles and fresh-squeezed orange juice from the Budapest Market Hall next to our hotel. Not the worst place to have a cold, but definitely not ideal.
Getting sick while traveling can be the worst — and especially in the world of COVID, where international travelers have to think about the global plague and all that while traveling.
The ever-changing COVID travel requirements aside, here are my top 4 tips to stay healthy while traveling as a digital nomad.
Tip #1: Make Sure Your Health Insurance Covers You for International Travel
Most insurance plans have emergency health coverage if you’re traveling and need to go to the ER. Luckily, I’ve only had a cold so far, but if you have health issues or are traveling for a long period of time, it’s key that you at least have emergency coverage. You can also request additional insurance coverage for things like going to an urgent care center.
Some insurance plans also may not cover you for certain out-of-state costs, so if you’re roadtripping or living in multiple states for long periods of time, be sure to either set money aside for travel health costs or find a plan that covers you for these!
Be sure to plan ahead with any prescriptions or supplements you need on your trip as well!
Tip #2: Get a Foldable Yoga Mat + Yoga/Workout Subscription
When we’re traveling to other cities, I’ll occasionally take SoulCycle classes or get a temporary gym membership for the week or two we’re there. But in Europe, it’s a bit harder to find yoga classes taught in English or gyms that make sense for what I’m looking for that aren’t too crowded.
I much prefer taking my travel yoga mat, unfurling it outside in some park, and turning on a yoga class on Alo Moves, which is my favorite yoga streaming app at the moment. They have a great selection of HIIT classes, yoga, pilates, sound bath meditations, and other fantastic classes taught by awesome instructors.
Most of the classes I love don’t require any equipment, just a yoga mat and your iPhone or computer! You can also download the classes offline so you don’t have to use data while you’re out in the world. You can also get a yoga towel with grip instead of a yoga mat if you want something even lighter to travel with, but still get the grip of a yoga mat.
Even though I find that I’m walking 4-6 miles per day as we sightsee and go on walking tours, yoga is key for retaining muscle strength and flexibility and easing any pain or stiffness from running around all day or long flights.
Tip #3: Go Vegan and Get Targeted Supplements
I recently transitioned to being 99% vegan — the 1% accounts for technically non-vegan things like honey, or small slip-ups or rare cheats (i.e. a Michelin star restaurant only having a vegetarian menu) but I’m basically fully vegan now.
I’ve been eating more and more vegan this entire year, and just took the plunge and now basically only eat vegan and also reduced the amount of bread I eat. This change is in part because I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in January and had to adapt an anti-inflammatory diet, but it’s also what I’ve been wanting to do for a long time because of the endless health benefits a plant-based, whole foods diet has.
A new study also shares the link between how a plant-based diet can reduce your chances of getting moderate to severe COVID by 73%. That’s a pretty big deal: if you could avoid getting severely sick from COVID while traveling the world by just eating more vegetables, why wouldn’t you?
Eating a plant-based diet is also really easy. In my post about Prague and the rest of the posts on my remote work travel series, I share some of my favorite vegan spots in the cities we’ve visited so far. My partner and I feel so much better when we eat vegan, and we have more energy and health for our travels and kick colds faster. That’s why I’m including it in this list for all you go-go-go globetrotters out there!
Talking to a certified holistic nutritionist and getting targeted supplements based on your blood tests is also helpful. I take Vitamin D3 supplements which also helps me stay healthy and reduces my risk of getting severe COVID. I also take a few other herbal supplements and whatnot to manage my RA and reduce inflammation. While supplements can’t replace a good diet, they’re a great way to add an extra layer of protection. Just be sure to talk to your doctor first before starting anything!
Tip #4: Stay Hydrated, Drink Water, Herbal Teas, and Juice
There’s a pretty good chance you’re bad at staying hydrated. That’s okay! I was, too. My partner Kyle got me the Hidrate Water bottle as a gift which yells at you if you’re not drinking water, and tracks your water intake on the app. Highly recommend for all of you travelers, as it’s easy to forget to drink water when you’re running around all day.
Another water bottle we’re thinking of switching to is the Larq water bottle, which is a self-cleaning water bottle that uses UV rays to sanitize your water. This is great because, as travelers, the last thing on your to-do list is to remember to clean your water bottle (which, might be how we got this cold!) The only drawback is that it doesn’t track your intake, so get the Hidrate if you need that extra reminder.
If you’re doing a lot of 4+ hour walking tours like we do, I’d also recommend getting a bottle of coconut water to have the added electrolytes keep you from getting dehydrated (which also helps offset the dehydration from caffeine if you’re a heavy coffee drinker!)
If you do get a cold, try black tea with honey and some black pepper if your hostel has a kitchen with some spices. Herbal teas like chamomile with honey can also help!
Take Care of Yourself
I’ve been “on the road” since we visited Winter Park, CO last year and hit the road as digital nomads. It can be easy to overextend yourself and want to take advantage of every hike, every tour — every part of your travel experience. But if travel is also your lifestyle, you need to know that it’s okay to take a day off, rest, and take care of yourself. The world will still be there when you’re done resting. (Global warming realities aside!)
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