Healthy Travel Supplements: What To Pack For Immunity, Sleep + More

Takeaways

• Prepare Before You Go: Start boosting your immune system a week before your trip with key supplements like Vitamin C, Zinc, and Elderberry.
• Master the Basics: Staying hydrated, prioritizing sleep, and moving your body frequently are the most effective ways to feel your best while traveling.
• Pack a Smart Supplement Kit: Bring specific aids for common travel issues, such as melatonin for jet lag, probiotics for digestive support, and ginger for motion sickness.
• Address Travel-Specific Discomforts: Consider natural options like L-theanine for flight anxiety or pine bark extract to support circulation and vein health on long flights.

Health Challenges While Traveling 

Travel offers a fantastic opportunity to explore new cultures, create lasting memories, and break from the daily routine. But it can also disrupt our health, exposing us to new germs and throwing our sleep and digestion off track.

The good news is that a little preparation can make all the difference. By following these healthy travel tips, you can feel vibrant, energized, and ready to enjoy every moment of your adventure.

1. Before You Go: Prepare For A Healthy Trip

A great trip starts with smart preparation. A few weeks before you depart, check if any specific health advisories or vaccinations are recommended for your destination. It's also a good time to assemble a small travel first-aid kit with essentials like bandages, sunscreen, pain relievers, and any personal medications.

If you suffer from any anxiousness about flying, there are great supplements for situational stress. The top two are natural forms of GABA and L-theanine. These natural stress busters have been shown to be effective without promoting sedation (sleep) like a lot of anxiety drugs.¹ Simply either one of these options 30 to 45 minutes before takeoff to offset any nervousness. So, make sure you have one of these stress aids on hand before the flight.

Prior to flying  is also the perfect time to start proactively supporting your immune system. Consider beginning a week before your trip:

• Vitamin C: An essential antioxidant that supports immune defense and helps offer support against respiratory tract irriation.²
• Zinc: The “gatekeeper of immune function,” zinc exerts important support against upper respiratory tract infection, particularly if chewable tablet forms are used.^3,4
• Elderberry: This traditional herb has been studied for its ability to support a healthy immune response, especially against common respiratory challenges. In a 2016 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, elderberry extract was shown to exert positive effects in protecting against upper respiratory symptoms as well as reducing duration and severity.⁵

2. Stay Hydrated: Your Most Important Travel Tip

Hydration is crucial every day, but it’s especially important when you travel. The air inside airplane cabins is notoriously dry, which can quickly lead to dehydration, fatigue, and headaches.

Make it a habit to carry a reusable water bottle with you at all times. Aim to sip water consistently throughout the day, not just when you feel thirsty. For an extra boost, especially on long travel days or in hot climates, consider adding an electrolyte powder to your water to help replenish key minerals lost through sweat.

3. Prioritize Sleep + Beat Jet Lag

Nothing drains the joy from a trip faster than exhaustion and jet lag. To help your body adjust to a new time zone, try to get as much natural sunlight as possible upon arrival.

Making yourself comfortable during travel is also key. A quality neck pillow can make a world of difference on a long flight. To further support a healthy sleep cycle, you might consider:

• Melatonin: A hormone that signals to your body that it's time to sleep. Taking a low dose an hour before bedtime can help reset your internal clock.⁶
• Magnesium: This mineral helps relax muscles and calm the nervous system, promoting a deeper, more restful sleep.⁷

4. Eat Smart On The Go

While trying local cuisine is a highlight of travel, unfamiliar foods and irregular meal times can challenge your digestive system. Avoid relying on unhealthy airport or gas station food by packing your own healthy snacks, like almonds, protein bars, or dried fruit.

When dining out, look for fresh, whole foods. To give your gut extra support:

• Ginger: Taking a ginger supplement or having it as a tea can help with any motion sickness you may experience as well as an aid to feelings of nausea.^8,9
• Probiotics: Taking a daily probiotic can help maintain a healthy balance of gut bacteria, which is key for both digestive comfort and immune function.¹⁰
• Digestive Enzymes: If you plan on indulging in a heavier meal than usual, taking a digestive enzyme beforehand or with the meal can help your body break down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates more efficiently.

5. Move Your Body

Long periods of sitting in a car, train, or plane can lead to stiffness and discomfort. Make a point to move whenever you can. Get up to stretch your legs every hour on a flight, do simple ankle circles and neck rolls in your seat, and opt for a walk around the terminal instead of waiting at the gate.

And if you have varicose veins or are prone to blood clots, consider wearing compression stockings. If the flight is particularly long, both pine bark extract and nattokinase have been shown to help prevent deep vein thrombosis, a serious blood clot disorder usually in the lower leg.^11,12

6. Practice Good Hygiene

One of the simplest yet most effective healthy travel tips is to practice good hygiene. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, especially before eating. When soap isn't available, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer is a great backup. It's also a smart idea to carry disinfectant wipes to clean high-touch surfaces like your airplane tray table and armrests.

7. Your Healthy Travel Supplement Toolkit

To make packing easy, here is a summary of the supplements that can help you stay healthy on your next adventure:

• For Anxiety: GABA and L-theanine.
• For Immunity: Vitamin C, Zinc, and Elderberry
• For Sleep & Jet Lag: Melatonin and Magnesium
• For Vein Health: Pine Bark Extract and Nattokinase
• For Digestion & Gut Health: Probiotics, Digestive Enzymes, and Ginger
• For Hydration: Electrolyte Powders

Conclusion

Staying healthy while traveling doesn't require a complicated plan. By focusing on these foundational tips, preparing ahead of time, staying hydrated, prioritizing sleep, and making smart food choices, you can support your body's natural defenses. Packing a few key supplements can provide that extra layer of support, ensuring you return home with nothing but great memories.

References:

1. Deshpande SS, Kurdi M, Baiju A, et al. Comparison of the effects of two amino acids, Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and L-theanine, on sedation, anxiety, and cognition in preoperative surgical patients - A randomized controlled study. J Anaesthesiol Clin Pharmacol. 2025 Jan-Mar;41(1):112-118. doi: 10.4103/joacp.joacp_417_23. Epub 2024 May 8. PMID: 40026748; PMCID: PMC11867345.
2. Hemilä H, Chalker E. Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Jan 31;2013(1):CD000980. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD000980.pub4. PMID: 23440782; PMCID: PMC8078152.
3. Wessels I, Maywald M, Rink L. Zinc as a Gatekeeper of Immune Function. Nutrients. 2017 Nov 25;9(12). pii: E1286.
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5. Tiralongo E, Wee SS, Lea RA. Elderberry Supplementation Reduces Cold Duration and Symptoms in Air-Travellers: A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Nutrients. 2016 Mar 24;8(4):182. doi: 10.3390/nu8040182. PMID: 27023596; PMCID: PMC4848651.
6. Herxheimer A, Petrie KJ. Melatonin for the prevention and treatment of jet lag. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2002, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD001520. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001520.
7. Abbasi B, Kimiagar M, Sadeghniiat K, Shirazi MM, Hedayati M, Rashidkhani B. The effect of magnesium supplementation on primary insomnia in elderly: A double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Res Med Sci. 2012 Dec;17(12):1161-9. PMID: 23853635; PMCID: PMC3703169.
8. McFarland LV. Meta-analysis of probiotics for the prevention of traveler's diarrhea. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2007 Mar;5(2):97-105. doi: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2005.10.003. Epub 2005 Dec 5. PMID: 17298915.
9. Nunes CP, Rodrigues CC, Cardoso CAF, Cytrynbaum N, Kaufman R, Rzetelna H, Goldwasser G, Santos A, Oliveira L, Geller M. Clinical Evaluation of the Use of Ginger Extract in the Preventive Management of Motion Sickness. Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 2020 Jun 15;92:100591.
10. Li Z, Wu J, Song J, Wen Y. Ginger for treating nausea and vomiting: an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2024 Mar;75(2):122-133. doi: 10.1080/09637486.2023.2284647. Epub 2023 Dec 10. PMID: 38072785.
11. Belcaro G, Cesarone MR, Rohdewald P, et al. Prevention of venous thrombosis and thrombophlebitis in long-haul flights with pycnogenol. Clin Appl Thromb Hemost. 2004 Oct;10(4):373-7.
12. Cesarone MR, Belcaro G, Nicolaides AN, et al. Prevention of venous thrombosis in long-haul flights with Flite Tabs: the LONFLIT-FLITE randomized, controlled trial. Angiology. 2003 Sep-Oct;54(5):531-9