Living a normal life while travel is HARD. There’s only so much time while traveling, so I’m always on the go.

Wake up, dress up, light breakfast, run to the first destination. I’d try to fit at least three different activities–if not more. Of course, that wasn’t always possible.

After several seven + -days trips, I realized I need to live a normal (or at least semi-normal) life while traveling. I realized that I shouldn’t be afraid of time passing by too quickly for me to see everything.

Here are some things to remember while traveling:

1 Prioritize Sleep

Sleep is so important while traveling. I noticed that my diet changed and my physical activity level increased. It was so easy to stress out my body. I’d get acne or look tired in my natural photos. With around eight hours of sleep, I’d have better skin which means better travel photos and less worry about looking like a homeless wanderer. I’d be more alert and ready to do more.

2 Eating Healthy

I never thought how drastically your body changes when you don’t get enough healthy food for a week while traveling. I thought that your body can handle a different diet or less healthy diet for a week–after all, it’s only a week, right? Nope. Fruits and vegetables are the most important food groups to eat while traveling. The second would be food with protein and substance (meat and dairy, grain), and last would be snacks and processed food (including trail mix). I always bring fruits for my day trips and buy a few salads on longer trips. I try to eat at least one fruit per day and some vegetables to make sure my skin and body are healthy. I can have a few unhealthy foods, but I know that having a few days of unhealthy food can cause a breakout or a bit of weight gain.

3 Drink Enough Water

There were days when I spent it all outside, and I didn’t even realize I was getting dehydrated. I drank some water, but it was not enough. My body overheated, and I started getting a fever. Or sometimes, it was hard to find a restroom, so I drank less water, but that was never the best choice. If you’re out for the day, drink at least one gallon of water and try to avoid drinking too much coffee, tea, or soda, which may cause dehydration.

4 Avoid the Sun (as much as possible)

Avoiding the sun is hard when all your activities for all seven days involve going outside and spending eight or more hours outside. For many people, eight hours in the sun is too much. Studies have shown that light skin only needs about 20 minutes a day, with skin that can tan easily only 30 minutes, and most people will get burned after 1 hour in the sun. I invested in a hat that I can carry around and can go for most occasions, and I carry an umbrella even though it looks silly at times–in addition to wearing sunblock.

5 Go Shopping

“What?” someone will probably gasp. At least one person who will chide someone for shopping and ask “Why would you shop in person when you can shop online?”

Shopping in while traveling may be necessary! Some people think that they can save time without shopping, but the truth is that if you’re traveling for more than a week, you might experience some need for a change. Perhaps your shirt started ripping, your shoes fell apart, you lost something, you forgot something, or you want to relax and look for some new deals, and upgrades for a better life.

Some guys (or girls) might not enjoy shopping but taking the time to shop is perfectly fine. Sometimes in my layovers, I’d go out to shop (or window shop) if I’ve already been to that layover too many times. I’ve bought a new pair of shoes twice while traveling, new clothing, accessories, and electronics. A lot of these things were reasonably priced and some were cheaper than expected. I also got to chance to grow in my style and figure out what I liked and didn’t. Even chain stores don’t always sell the same thing, so it’s interesting to see the audience they cater to. Shopping in different states and different countries while traveling is part of the life and travel experience!

6 Account for Allergies, Mosquito Bites, etc. Have a first aid kit.

If you know you have allergies, are prone to mosquito bites or acne, etc. -no matter how big or small you think it is, always bring what you need. That way, you can deal with it. I started looking into acne solutions and bug repellents because I needed to be prepared and to treat symptoms quickly. It’s a lot to deal with, but some of us have to. We can’t always carry a big first aid kit while traveling, but remember to the basics that you’ll need.

7 Take Care of Hygiene

It’s been debated whether or not we can go a week, showering once. I’d recommend showering every day if possible. Hiking, walking around can make your body sweat. If you’re in a travel situation where you don’t know when you’d have the chance to shower again, make sure you shower. Poor hygiene can lead to infections, rash, and other skin conditions. Don’t touch everything and not wash your hands. Especially when rubbing your eyes. It’s a real concern.

8 Talk to People

I believe making conversations is the way to go. It is one of the best ways to find new friends or travel buddies. It is the best way to get local advice and up-to-date advice. Unfortunately, online travel bloggers can only cover so much. At the end of the day, it’s about getting to the destination and having the locals tell you how it is. While traveling solo, I don’t always get the chance to talk to the people I know back home, so I talk to the people at my destination.

9 Make Time to Do Important Things

As silly as it sounds, when I first made my schedules, I didn’t factor in bathroom breaks and fill-up-gas breaks or any other time besides what I want to do. Then, I realized I’m running out of time and would have to adjust my schedule and take care of these important things. Traveling requires me to focus on doing important life things so that I can address things before they become an issue. It also means remembering to call back home and send a few photos to friends.

10 Focus on the Big Picture

From running to one destination to another, it’s easy to lose sight of the trip! Is it to spend time with friends and family? To explore? To create live updates? For photo content? Or a little bit of everything?

These are all personal decisions. We need to do what seems to work well for us and what aligns with our purpose and our personality, and we choose what to share.

I once had an acquaintance who criticized me for updating my travel stories daily and posting about my trip after my travel! Simply because they didn’t want to see it, they wanted me to limit my content! Why not just focus on what’s important?

Well, I have to know my “big picture.”  My big picture while traveling is my trip. While traveling, I know for sure that I will be focused on the trip, especially with so little time. I’d focus on my experience there because traveling is where I am growing and learning. Focusing on the trip means living the life of a traveler, making sure you explore and do all the “big picture” things you want to do on your trip and knowing what your time allows for.

There are a few scenarios when the bigger picture is bigger than the trip itself… such as finding yourself in an emergency or a natural disaster. Then that becomes the priority.

When people asked me why I’m traveling to another state, I have one reply: my big picture. To see all fifty states.

 

There you have it, ten rules I follow to keep my travel going! Feel free to add your travel tips in the comments.