Let’s face it: any kind of travel involves some basic level of stress. Traffic, parking, security checks, delays, and rushing can all take its toll. Around the holidays, though, travel becomes its own special brand of torture, as the amount of people travelling goes up right along with the tension and stress. While there’s almost no way to escape some amount of stress, you can certainly keep it at bay with our helpful tips below on how to defend your zen! Read on to learn how to keep your cool through the planes, trains, and automobiles of this holiday season!

1. Be an early bird

Yes, obvious, we know, but when was the last time you actually left early enough? Everyone plans to wake up/leave early, but how many times have you blown past your goal time to leave, only to find yourself racing down the highway? Running late = instant stress, so channel your inner overly cautious Dad and leave PLENTY of time. Delays, cancellations, traffic, and long lines can all wreak havoc on your plans.

2. Make time for a quick stretch/yoga session

Again, I know: if you’re waking up at 3:00 AM, your level of functioning is basically one step above a zombie’s. But, trust us: taking even ten minutes to stretch or do an express yoga flow will not only wake up your mind, but your body will thank you. With hours of cramped, stagnant travel ahead of you, stretching is one of the best things you can do, especially if you suffer from neck, back, or leg pain.

3. Don’t forget a portable charger

Make sure you have at least one fully charged portable charger with you. Travel has a way of inexplicably draining batteries, and not only is it stressful and inconvenient to travel with a dead (or almost dead) battery, it’s not entirely safe. If you a smaller portable chargers, you might even want to bring two just in case. Better to be safe than sorry!

4. Keep essentials together and easy to find

You know all those little bags from all the subscription services you belong to? Now’s the time to put them to good use. Use them to organize your handbag or carry-on so everything is easy to find: phone charger, portable charger, and headphones in one, IDs, tickets, and credit/debit cards in another, hand sanitizer and hand cream in another, and so on. You could also use Ziploc bags, which makes it easy to quickly identify what you need.

 

5. Make sure you’re prepared for the security check beforehand

Don’t be that person frantically shoving toiletries into a baggie, untying your calf-high boots, or searching through an overstuffed carry-on for a laptop and camera. Not only is it inconvenient for everyone behind you, it is extremely stressful. Keep your electronics in a separate, easy-to-reach compartment, have your liquids separated in the proper bag, and make sure you wear comfortable slip off shoes. You’ll save yourself the wrath of hundreds of people in line behind you!

6. Keep your cool

Tempers run high among travelers, especially during the holidays. Confrontations happen easily on the road, on the plane, and in terminals, so be sure to stay calm and disengage. Unless someone is being threatening or making you/others feel uncomfortable and unsafe (in which case, definitely seek help from security), try to pick and choose your battles. Manners tend to go out the window during holiday travel, so stay zen and don’t let the little offenses get to you.

 

7. Meditate

When you get a chance to sit, try a quick meditation session for ten minutes. There are so many fantastic and free mediation apps available for your phone, so it’s never been easier to Namaste in the middle of it all. Meditation has been proven to increase your concentration, and lower your stress levels; even with a short session.

8. Reach for stress reducing foods

Use the power of food to keep your stress at bay. Pack a baggie of appetite sustaining and stress reducing nuts to snack on throughout your travels (and add a bit of dark chocolate for extra stress reduction!). Try and sip on an herbal tea instead of coffee before a flight, as caffeine can increase stress levels. Be sure to drink enough water, especially when flying, and if you need a little sugar kick, have a banana –they’re high in potassium which keeps stress levels low.

9. Use aromatherapy to calm the nerves

Pack a small roll-on vial of a lavender/stress reducing oil blend with you. Whenever you feel frazzled, roll a small amount on your wrists and breathe in. Aromatherapy is incredibly powerful in controlling stress hormones, and always feels luxurious to have something incredible smelling close at hand. Peppermint oil is a particular favorite oil of ours. Also, if you aren’t a fan on using oil directly on the skin, use a beauty or hair product that use one of these oils as a main ingredient. Try adding Briogreo’s charcoal + peppermint oil cooling jelly conditioner to your travel luggage. It will give you the aromatherapy benefits from the powerful scent and will calm your scalp with an invigorating cooling sensation that will reduce dry scalp itchiness.

10. If all else fails, have a glass of wine

Seriously, though, if you’ve exhausted all options to defend your zen, have a glass of wine before/on your flight. In addition to stress-combating antioxidants like reversatrol, it will increase circulation; which is always good if you’re crammed in an uncomfortable seat. So if you feel that travel has driven you to the brink, don’t feel bad about having that glass of Cab!

 

Taking 5 minutes to look within instantly destressed the mind and body.

A little red wine helps with Circulation, and in moderations relaxes the body.

Defend your zen: Sages smoke clears any negative space, and brings forward healing energies

Share a matcha with friends. Matcha is 10x stronger can green tea, and gives you highten energy the natural way.

Photos by : Jennifers Camera The Travel Women

Want an experience that will totally defend your zen? Join our NYC Beauty and Wellness Walking Journeys, you can go from stressed to blessed with all the fun activities we have in stored for the beauty lover in you.

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