Holiday Travel Tips: Holidays are an exciting time of the year however, it can be a time that some of us dread. Not only are you stuck in a car or aeroplane for hours, but the stress of organising, packing and getting out the door can be huge and have an impact on our bodies too.
So, here are our tips for surviving holiday travel:
- Lists – Create a list of everything you need to do before you go and tick it off as you complete each item. Not only does this make sure you don’t forget anything, but there is also a great sense of achievement from ticking off items on a list!
- Travel Light – try to keep your luggage to a minimum to avoid putting extra strain on your body while lifting bags. The general guidelines are to keep hand luggage to less than 10% of your body weight. Bags with wheels can help to lighten the load on your body but remember to change your pulling arm often to avoid repeatedly twisting in one direction. See our backpack tips here.
- Snacks or ‘Padkos’ – pack lots of tasty, healthy holiday travel snacks to keep you occupied. Biltong, fruit and nuts can keep you going through long journeys. If you have children, keeping it to things that won’t crumble or fall apart all over your car helps for both post-snack cleanup and your child’s comfort.
- Regular breaks – Take regular rest breaks to get out, walk around the car (barefoot if you can), stretch a little and go to the loo. If you are travelling with infants it is recommended that you stop more frequently for breaks (the recommendation is every 30 mins) to feed and change nappies. If flying, take a walk around the plane as often as you can and vary your seating position occasionally to avoid leg cramps and improve circulation.
- Set up your seat – using a seat wedge in your car seat can help reduce the strain that sitting places on your body. If you don’t have a seat wedge, a rolled towel will also work. If travelling on long haul flight, ask for an extra pillow or blanket to pop under your bum. For shorter flights, you can use a rolled-up jersey or scarf. See the videos on setting up your sitting & sleeping here.
- Children’s Safety – as always, make sure all children are in age and weight appropriate car seats and that they are secured correctly. See our car seat safety tips here.
- Get adjusted – book an appointment for as close to your departure as possible and again upon return. If you are going away for an extended holiday, ask us for a recommendation for an ABC™ Chiropractor in the area to continue your recommended care schedule at your destination.
Whether it’s festive holidays, winter getaways, long weekends, romantic weekends away, family camping trips or short breaks, these tips aim to help ease your holiday travel stress and discomfort.
Relax and enjoy your holiday!
Peak Chiropractic Centre located in Claremont are family-friendly chiropractors focused on relieving aches, pains and posture correction. We offer in-house X-Ray facilities.
