Whether you’re away for weeks or a couple of nights, it can be hard to recover from the demands of travel. Driving or flying can take a lot of your energy and cause you to feel sluggish, groggy, and sometimes ill. When you’re on your way home and begin to feel the inevitable crash, follow this guide to help you recoup.
During Travel
You’re nearing the end of your trip and you can already feel the effects of traveling coming over you. It might be jet lag or a stiff neck from driving, depending on what kind of travel you’ve been doing. Whatever the case, your energy levels are probably depleted, and you could start to feel a bit under the weather. Before you arrive back home, there are some steps you can take during travel to help you recover.
- Take a nap if you haven’t been getting the recommended 8 hours of sleep.
- Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits. They give you energy and help boost your immune system.
- Exercise and get your heart rate pumping. Sometimes that’s all you need to get that extra boost of energy.
- Avoid packing in too many activities at the end of your trip. Save the last couple of days/hours for relaxation.
Following these steps during your trip should aid in maintaining your energy levels. Now that your energy is up, it’s time to tackle jet lag!
Don’t Lose to Jet Lag
Everyone is susceptible to jet lag, and it’s harder for some to overcome than others. With a little attention to your habits and a proactive plan for shifting them, you can battle jet lag and stand a fighting chance:
- Change any of your manually set clocks to your destination’s time zone before you depart.
- Adhere your schedule to the new time zone. If you eat dinner at 5 p.m., wait until 5 p.m. at your destination’s time.
- Drink water, water, and water.
- Expose yourself to natural sunlight as much as you can during travel and while at your destination.
Try using these tips for even more practical advice. Once you’ve returned home, it’s a good idea to get ahead of travel exhaustion.
Post-Trip Recovery Tips
You’re back home after a long weekend of business travel. Your stomach is growling, your back hurts, and your eyelids are getting harder to hold open. You can feel a crash coming on but that’s when you remember… the post-trip recovery tips! These suggestions are sure to help you punch travel exhaustion in the face and restore your energy.
- Give yourself time to rest and try not to have any plans for after work.
- Be lazy but not too lazy. Get some exercise in the following day of travel.
- Grab a cup of coffee.
- We can’t stress this enough … stay hydrated.
- Schedule a massage for the day before you go back to work. If you don’t have time (or the budget) for that, take a nice soothing shower or bath.
- Wait until you’ve fully recovered to start on housework again.
- Use your time to plan a new trip or participate in a fun local activity.
These tips and tricks will help you get back into the swing of home and work life. If you’ve tried all of these suggestions and are still feeling drained, it’s possible that you’re actually ill. The expended energy from changing your body’s routine can cause your immune system to dip and leave you more vulnerable to sicknesses. Although a few of these tips (like rest and hydration) might help you get over the illness, we still recommend visiting your doctor and getting their opinion.
We hope you begin to feel better soon and aren’t discouraged from traveling. Even the most seasoned travelers experience these feelings. No matter how often you travel, switching time zones, especially multiple hours apart, can really throw you off balance. Stay positive, eat healthy, exercise regularly—you’ll make it through this!
Returning from a trip can leave us feeling particularly lazy. Try reading this blog about meal planning, to show you one area in your life where you can save energy.
