Going on vacation is so much fun – sunshine, the ocean, shopping, local specialties, and time off from the real world are amazing. But staying healthy and happy during your trip can be difficult at times. Your stomach gets messed up from eating out too much, you get bloated, you feel gross in your bathing suit, and you’ve drank too much alcohol and spent too much time in the sun. Sound familiar?
With a few simple tips, you can go from needing a vacation from your vacation to treating your vacation as a much-needed time-out from the real world while still maintaining your healthy habits and feeling good.
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1.) Determine Your Ideal Vacation
When planning your trip, make sure to explore your options to get the best experience. Decide where you’ll go and what you’ll do when you get there. Ask yourself these questions:
- What kind of climate are you looking for? Rainforest? Desert Island? Cool and breezy?
- What’s your budget? What currency is used there?
- Who are you traveling with? Are there kids? Older adults? Just Friends?
- What activities will you want to do? Amusement parks, snorkeling, shopping, hiking?
- What’s most important to you? Location, modern rooms? Quiet area or lively nightlife?
- Do you want to drive or fly? Or go on a cruise?
- What are your must-haves? Beachfront hotel? Adult-only pool? All-inclusive?
- Will you be using a travel agent?
- How long do you plan to travel?
Hotels offer plenty of options in terms of amenities, prices, experience, and size. From boutique hotels to all-inclusive resort hotels, there’s a whole lot to choose from!
Some resorts have kids’ clubs, while others are adult-only. Some offer games, activities, spa treatments, multiple pools, beachfront rooms, waterparks, and more. What sparks your excitement the most? Mine is always a beach vacation ~ time for some beach therapy!
2.) Plan Ahead - Get to Know the Area
If you’re traveling to a destination that you are unfamiliar with, make sure to get to know the area ahead of time. Planning ahead will help you know what to expect and enable you to enjoy your trip thoroughly. Just don’t get too caught up in an itinerary – make sure there’s lots of time to explore!
- Make sure there are plenty of restaurants and stores within walking distance so you can get some steps in.
- Plan out some excursions to explore this beautiful place. Take a sunset cruise, a horseback ride on the sand, or a bus tour to discover the whole island!
- Check out some local menus and immerse yourself in the local foods. Don’t do the all-inclusive option if you can’t trust yourself not to overindulge…or if there are a ton of great restaurants to try nearby.
- Set a couple of dinner reservations to make sure you try some popular spots.
- Have a flexible itinerary as a guide to get the most out of your trip and fit in everything you want to do.
- Check the Calendar of Events for the area you’re staying in – don’t miss a free beach concert, flea market, or food festival nearby!
- Join the Facebook page of your hotel or the city you’re traveling to! Fellow travelers ask questions on there that you wouldn’t even think to ask, like how to rent out Palapas, the hours for the pool, where the best happy hour is, and tips on traveling to and from the airport. Travelers leaving before you may also leave free books, floats, or unopened alcohol by an ice machine at your hotel for the next lucky traveler – first come, first serve.
- Check out the tap water situation – grab a case of water before you get there if the water is known to make people sick or not taste good. If the water is good, bring a reusable water bottle to cut down on plastic use and space!
3.) Have Healthy Travel Snacks On-Hand
Before you arrive at your hotel, stop at a local grocery store or plan to get out first thing in the morning. Make sure your hotel has a fridge and pick up staples for the room, and snacks to throw into your beach bag like:
- Granola bars
- Fruits (easy to eat like bananas, oranges, and apples)
- Protein bars
- Yogurt (make sure you have spoons!)
- Nuts (individually portioned packages work great!)
- Crackers
- Cereal bars
- Pre-made protein shakes
- Sports drinks & water for hydration
- Almond milk for your coffee
- Juice for after your morning run
If you have room in your checked luggage, pack your favorite snacks from home! Different areas may not have what you’re used to, so this would be good for people who are very picky eaters, have food allergies, or have stomach sensitivity with new products. Purchasing snacks in a resort area can also be much more expensive.
Camping or driving to your destination? Make snacks ahead and bring easy ingredients like:
- protein balls
- trail mixes
- muffins
- a blender and fruits for smoothies
- ingredients for overnight oats
- lunch meat and mayo for quick wraps
4.) Keep Active During Your Vacation
I know, vacation is all about lounging by the pool and drinking fancy cocktails, right? Well, try to keep up with some of your good habits while on vacation. If you’ve been walking 2 miles a day, keep doing it. A morning walk is a great way to start the day on vacation! Soak up every minute.
If you’ve been lifting weights, head to the hotel gym first thing in the morning. Keeping active while you’re away will make it easier to transition back to your daily activities at home and help you feel somewhat productive on your trip. Plus, you’ll feel better in your bathing suit if you know you already got a workout in that day!
There are a lot of activities to do while on vacation that include staying active while still soaking up some sun and enjoying yourself. Work up a sweat, meet some new people, and have some laughs doing these fun beach activities:
- Beach Volleyball
- Beach Yoga
- Morning Sunrise Walk
- Sunset Walk
- Bike Ride (Many hotels offer complimentary bikes)
- Rent a kayak or paddleboard
- Morning jog to get a Smoothie on the pier
- Hiking Tours
- Swimming – some water aerobics counts and laps around the pool counts!
- Weights in the gym
- Throw the ball around with your kids
5.) Limit Big Meals on Vacation
By limiting and planning out your meals for the week, you can save hundreds (or thousands!) of calories and a lot of money at the same time. Using a flexible itinerary, plan out meals according to what you’ll be doing and where you’ll be; plus, this is where you take advantage of those healthy snacks in your hotel room.
Here are a few examples:
Day 1 – Enjoy a big breakfast at a nice restaurant, then plan to spend the day at the beach. Keep granola bars and nuts on hand for a quick snack, and hit up a smoothie shop for lunch. Then, at night, eat a light dinner and save room for a scoop of ice cream while shopping!
Day 2 – Start with yogurt and fruit on your balcony for breakfast. Then for lunch, enjoy a meal of your choice at a fun restaurant on the beach. For dinner, keep it easy with a salad as your main course.
Day 3 – Take a stroll to a smoothie shop for breakfast. Pack snacks in your beach bag for on-the-go. Have a protein bar, a piece of fruit, and nuts at the beach for lunch. Then, make dinner your biggest meal of the day.
You get the picture – you don’t need to eat out for every meal if you have the right foods on hand in your hotel room, and you don’t need to waste a ton of calories on 3 huge meals.
Plan for one larger meal a day and 2 smaller ones. Fill in with healthy snacks and save some calories for treats and drinks! This way, you won’t completely obliterate your healthy eating efforts but still get to enjoy eating out and feeling good. Besides, lunch specials may be cheaper and smaller, fitting better into your eating habits and budget.
Also – opt for grilled instead of fried foods to keep your stomach safe. And stay away from foods that you know bother you – just because it’s vacation doesn’t mean cheese will affect you any differently! Bloating while traveling is no fun!
6.) Wear Sunscreen - Reef Safe Sunscreen When Necessary
Do not forget the sunscreen! Not only to save yourself from skin cancer, but to save yourself from a miserable few days of being a burnt, painful mess. You’ll then peel and be uncomfortable for several more days while searching for the best aloe on the island.
I have gotten sun poisoning, and it was absolutely awful. My skin puffed up around my eyes, everything peeled, my arms blistered, my face was so tight I could barely eat, and I was red as a lobster. I still have sun damage on my chest and shoulders a year later – that is likely here to stay. I still made the most of my trip, but it would’ve been a hell of a lot more enjoyable had I not overindulged in the sunshine!
Every sunburn also increases your chances of getting skin cancer at some point in your life. It’s estimated that 1 in 5 Americans will get skin cancer, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Don’t let it be you! Take good care of your skin. And check any medications you’re on – they may have side effects with prolonged sun exposure.
- Don’t forget to sunscreen the tops of your feet; they burn easily!
- Don’t forget to REAPPLY after 80 minutes or going in the water and towel drying.
- Don’t forget to sunscreen the part in your hair or wear a wide-brimmed hat or even a baseball cap at least (peeling scalp is no fun!).
- Don’t forget to bring some UV clothing with you! A rash guard for a day at the beach or on a boat ride is super helpful to avoid burning.
- Don’t forget the lotion sunscreen – spray sunscreen will not even get on you if there’s an ocean breeze! If using, make sure to spray it on in the hotel room.
- Don’t forget that the sun is stronger the closer you get to the equator. Use at least a 50 SPF.
- Don’t forget to use reef-safe sunscreen when traveling somewhere with coral reefs. Many popular vacation spots like Hawaii, Aruba, Key West, the Maldives, the US Virgin Islands, and more require reef-safe sunscreen and have banned the sale of all other sunscreens. Reef-safe sunscreen is imperative to saving the coral reef. A mineral-based Zinc Oxide sunscreen is best, with non-nano particles and no harsh chemicals.
7.) Control Your Alcohol Intake
Indulging in alcohol is usually an obvious part of a vacation. You hit up the duty-free shop, you order fruity drinks by the pool. Ok, cool. As long as you are being responsible, enjoy. However, drinks on vacation can easily get out of hand. An “I don’t have to work tomorrow!” mentality and morning mimosas turning into drinks all day on the beach, then happy hour, etc., can really ruin a good trip. Too much alcohol can lead to:
- Severe dehydration when paired with the sun – you need to be drinking water if you are sweating.
- Sunburn – You may not remember to reapply or may fall asleep under the beating sun and burn up.
- Fights with friends – no one wants to fight with friends (or family) on vacation because you drank too much!
- Losing or dropping your phone. It’s too easy to leave your phone behind at a bar or in an Uber while intoxicated and have to retrace your steps the next day! Or drop and break it – making it impossible to take pictures, text friends, or look up anything.
- Wasting a day hungover – I’m sorry, but I’ll be out snorkeling and enjoying every minute, NOT wasting my day with a wicked headache and trying to sleep it off!
- Spending too much money – drinks are always more expensive on vacation! And before you know it, you’ve blown through your shopping budget.
- Getting hurt, lost, or worse. Too many people have drowned or trusted the wrong person while drinking too much on vacation. Don’t let one “fun” night be your last.
8.) Make the Most of Your Mornings
Vacation is your time to relax and unwind from everyday life, all stressors and burdens. Enjoy it! Start each day fresh, appreciating where you are. Move your body, be mindful, and enjoy everything your vacation has to offer.
- Start each morning watching the sunrise from your balcony or a blanket on the beach
- Find out if your hotel offers morning beach yoga and make sure you grab a spot
- Get up early and walk the beach – find the best seashells that washed up overnight before they’re picked by someone else!
- Enjoy a mindful morning. Use your senses to experience this new day. What do you see? What do you hear? Do you feel the salty breeze and the early humidity? Do you see tropical birds and iguanas, palm trees waving? Do you hear children laughing, seagulls cawing, the ocean waves?
- Take a bike ride from the hotel to check out the area, and make note of where you’d like to visit today
- Have a healthy breakfast
- Walk around some shops before they get too busy
- Walk out on a pier and take pictures of the pelicans – see if you can spot some fish and enjoy the cool morning breeze
The End Goal
Your end goal is to have a healthy and happy traveling experience. Remember your goals and new habits during your time away- you’ll be so much happier if you stick to the healthy habits that you’ve already started.
Don’t waste all the effort you’ve put in up to this point. You’ve made positive changes. It makes it so much harder to get back into the swing of things when you get back home if you go completely off track.
Enjoy your time, and make sure to relax without sabotaging your new habits too much. Eating healthy will limit stomach upsets and feeling bloated in a bathing suit so you can have fun on the beach and feel good about yourself.
Wearing sunscreen will help you stay safe and happy with no peeling skin, and getting active in the morning will help you appreciate where you are and start a productive and fun day!
