Here's How To Come Back From Vacation Rested, not Stressed!

Not to worry.
This guide to healthy travel will tell you how to eat well, avoid stress, stay safe, and travel comfortably, no matter where you're headed or how you plan to get there.

In Case of Emergency
Whether you're exploring the Grand Canyon, lounging by Lake Michigan, or parasailing in Florida, don't leave home without a well-stocked medicine kit, advises Mary D. Nettleman, MD, an infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. Here's her list of must-haves:

Prescription medications.
Keep them in your carry-on luggage, and always bring more than you need. Leave all medicine, both prescription and over-the-counter (OTC), in the original container. This is especially important if you'll be passing through a customs checkpoint.

Cold remedies.
Don't forget cough drops and tissues.

Insect repellents.
If you're prone to mosquito or other insect attacks, you will want to have this handy.

Sunscreen and lip balm.
Choose SPF 15 or higher. You may also want to include topical cortisone cream for rashes and bites and body lotion containing aloe to soothe burns.

Foot care products.
Include Band-Aids and pads to protect blistered feet from further damage.

For women only, sanitary napkins/tampons.
If you're traveling abroad, include medication for vaginal yeast infections.

Diarrhea remedies.
If you're traveling to a developing country, take along loperamide or Lomotil. Ask your doctor about a prescription antibiotic to be taken at the first sign of diarrhea. Pepto Bismol will work just as well.

Miscellaneous items.
These include aspirin, acetaminophen, or other over the counter pain relievers, bandages, gauze, adhesive tape, tweezers, scissors, laxative, and a thermometer.

"Plane" Sense

Flying is fast and convenient, but as any frequent flier knows, air travel comes with its own set of aggravations. To make your flight more enjoyable, try these:

Distribute your luggage among two smaller suitcases instead of one large one, says Edward N. Hanley Jr., MD, chairman of the department of orthopedic surgery at Carolina's Medical Center in Charlotte, NC.

This will help you balance the weight while carrying your bags through the airport. Better yet, wheel your luggage. Check all bags that are heavier than 5 to 10 percent of your body weight.

When stowing your carry-on luggage, stand straight and away from the overhead compartment, suggests the American Chiropractic Association. Whenever possible, place heavier bags under the seat in front of you to avoid having to lift them over your head.

Before you buckle up, place a small airplane pillow or an inflatable lumbar support in the gap between your lower back and the seat. This will counteract the tendency to slump and decrease the risk of in-flight back pain.

Don't cross your legs. It shortens the leg muscles, reduces circulation, and creates an uneven weight on the hips and pelvis, which can cause lower-back pain. Rest your feet on a briefcase or carry-on bag on the floor. This will bring your knees above your hips to take the pressure off your lower back.

Get up, and move around. Studies show that sitting motionless for several hours--whether in a plane or a car--increases your risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a condition in which blood clots form in your legs. In rare instances, the clots can be fatal.

To minimize the risk of developing DVT, walk (or at least stand) once every 2 hours. At your seat, point your toes down (heels up), then raise your toes up toward your knees so that you're flexing your calf muscles, suggests Rebecca W. Acosta, MPH, executive director of Traveler's Medical Service in New York City. Bonus: Standing upright will also reduce strain on your lower back.

Say no to the greasy muffin or mystery meat enchilada. Instead, pack fruit, a whole wheat bagel, or other healthy treats. Or buy some fruit and yogurt or a smoothie at the airport before you board the plane. That way, you're covered if you don't like what they're serving.

Wear loose-fitting clothing, and pack a pair of slippers or thick socks in your carry-on bag for your feet, says Acosta. For longer flights, bring along an inflatable pillow for your neck in case you plan to nap. It folds flat and packs easily in your carry-on bag.

Car Talk

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who think driving across five states is a great way to see the world, and those who would rather have a tooth extracted without Novocain than endure long hours of bad radio, cramped space, and the world's worst food options. We can't help you with the radio (pack some good CDs), but we can tell you how to eat better and feel more comfortable on long car rides.

Whether you're traveling by turnpike or freeway, unhealthy food awaits you at every exit and rest stop. "Yet if you eat healthfully on the road, then a lot of other things that go along with travel, such as stress, fatigue, and poor sleep, can be prevented."By fueling your body with healthy foods, you'll have more energy and be more alert. You may even sleep better if you're not drinking coffee and soda along the way.

And if you're careful about how long you drive and your driving posture, you'll arrive at your destination without feeling like you've been packed into your own luggage.

Here's what to do:

• Pack an ice chest with small, nutritious snacks such as baby carrots, fruit, peanut butter on whole wheat bread, and yogurt. Throw in some bottled water, orange juice, or 1 percent milk.
• If fast food is your only option, stay away from fried items and fatty accompaniments such as mayo and oily dressings. Grilled chicken sandwiches are okay if you tell them to hold the mayo. Ordering a salad? Go easy on the dressing, or order a light dressing.
• If you're leaving in the morning, pack your car the night before. Fluids pool in your spinal disks while you sleep, making your lower back taut and sensitive to irritation when you first wake up.
• Before getting into the car, take a short walk to loosen your leg muscles, and be sure to stretch, advises the American Chiropractic Association. Long trips should be treated like an athletic event. Use a back support. The widest part of the lumbar support pillow should be between the bottom of your rib cage and your waist. You can find a wide variety of back supports designed for car use in stores and online.
• To minimize driver fatigue, stop every 2 to 3 hours (make it every 2 hours if you're traveling with children) to stretch and walk around.
• Tilt your rearview mirror up a little bit. This will help your posture by making you sit up straighter to see out the back window. You should still be able to see clearly out the back.

Room Service

By the time you reach your hotel or motel, you might be feeling a little stressed or run-down. That's not good for your health: Stress suppresses the immune system, making you more vulnerable to the germs you encounter along the way.

Vacation is about relaxing, and you don't want to start it with the sniffles and sneezes or worse, a full-blown cold. Yet that's what often happens to travel-weary vacationers, says Douglas Schar, DipPhyt, MCPP, MNIMH, a clinical herbalist based in Washington, DC.

Here's how to protect yourself from illness, get a good night's sleep, and get out of the hotel without spending more on the fat-filled goodies in the honor snack bar than you do for the room:

Take echinacea, says Schar. Echinacea is an herb that boosts the immune system by stimulating the production of infection-fighting white blood cells. Start taking it 5 days before you leave for vacation, and continue for 5 days after your return. Dosage: 1 teaspoon of 1:5 tincture three times daily, or one 500-mg tablet three times daily.

Pack chamomile tea bags.
Chamomile can help take the edge off a stressful journey by relaxing a tense mind and sore muscles, according to Schar. It also has a sedative effect, so you'll be able to get a good night's sleep.

Bring your own pillow or blanket
if you have trouble sleeping in "foreign" beds. That little touch of home can help.

Be safe:
Upon arrival, inquire about fire exits, alarms, and sprinkler systems, says Acosta. Always lock your door, and avoid first-floor rooms, which are too easily accessible from outdoors.

It's tempting, but don't open that refrigerator in your room, advises Somer. It's filled with fatty, overpriced snacks. Instead, cover it with a towel, and take a walk to a nearby grocery store to stock up on fruit, baked tortilla chips and salsa, and other healthy treats.

Be picky with the room service menu. "Don't assume that what's on the menu is all that you can have," says frequent traveler Somer. Hold the fluffy white roll, and ask for a big plate of steamed vegetables to accompany grilled chicken or fish. Order just enough to be comfortably full, not stuffed.

Stay fit. Most hotels and many motels now have fitness facilities, including swimming pools. If you don't want to spend precious vacation time in your hotel gym, get out and try something new. Depending on where you're staying, you might want to try inline skating or kayaking, or you can just rent a bike or go hiking.

Cruise Control

Sunshine, good food, nightly entertainment, and stops in colorful ports along the way: It's not hard to figure out why cruises are so popular. But before you set sail, here are some ways you can stay well on the high seas.

Cruise ships are basically floating buffets. If you must sample every calorie-rich food on the table, try filling your plate first with steamed vegetables and a salad. Then take one or two bite-size portions of the creamy/buttery/fried stuff.

Take ginger for motion sickness.
Research has shown that ginger beats dimenhydrinate, the main ingredient in many motion sickness drugs such as Dramamine. Dosage: two 500-mg tablets three times daily, or 1 teaspoon of 1:5 tincture three times daily.

Protect winter-white skin with sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher), and try to avoid direct sunlight between 10 am and 4 pm, when the sun's rays are strongest. "Too often, vacationers will get on a cruise ship headed for the Caribbean, sunbathe for 8 hours on the first day with little or no sunscreen, and end up with a severe burn," says Grant Tarling, MD, senior ship's doctor for the Los Angeles-based Princess Cruises.

Look into your medical insurance plan before you leave home. If your plan covers you outside the US (many, including Medicare, don't), carry a copy of your policy and your insurer's phone number. Otherwise, consider purchasing some additional travel medical insurance, Dr. Tarling says. This applies to any form of travel outside the US and, sometimes, even out of state.

Relieve Jet Lag: Move
Avoid jet lag on your next trip--schedule daily workouts while you're away and when you return home.

Traveling across time zones confuses your brain's master clock, which relies on daylight and darkness to maintain or reset hundreds of metabolic processes in your body. A team of American gene biologists says mini "clocks" in your muscles help your body's master clock reset.

Exercise--walking, aerobics, or lifting weights--tells these tiny clocks to shift, signaling your brain to shift the master clock, too. You need two or three workouts to get a benefit, says researcher Alexander Zambon, PhD, of the University of California, San Francisco.

10-Minute Hotel Room Workout
No gym at the hotel? Turn your room into an exercise suite! Here are 9 exercises you can do almost anywhere. For all exercises, allow about 9 seconds for each repetition (4 seconds to lift or contract, hold for 1 second, then 4 seconds to lower or extend). Do 10 repetitions of each exercise. To do the last 3 moves, be sure to pack exercise bands in your bag.

One-Leg Lunges
Stand with your back to the bed, and place your right foot on it. Hold on to something sturdy for support. Slowly lower yourself by bending your left knee. Make sure you can always see your left toes. If you can't, move forward so that your knee stays behind your toes when you bend. Hold, then slowly come back up. Repeat with the right leg.

Push-Ups
Lie on your stomach on top of a towel or blanket with your knees bent, ankles crossed, and hands by your shoulders. As you press into the floor and straighten your arms, slowly lift your chest, hips and thighs. Hold, then slowly lower. Before you touch the floor, push up again.

Back Extensions
Lying on your stomach, place your hands under your chin. Keeping your feet on the floor, slowly lift your head and chest about 3 to 5 inches. Hold, then slowly lower.

Crunches
Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and hands behind your head. Pressing your lower back to the floor, slowly lift your head, shoulders and upper back. Hold, then slowly lower.

Chair Dips
Sitting on the edge of a chair, place your hands on the edge by your butt. (Make sure the chair is stable and won't slide out from under you.) Move your feet a few steps forward so your butt is off the chair and your knees are bent at 90-degree angles. Bending your elbows so they point behind you, lower yourself as far as comfortable. Hold, then slowly press back up.

Triceps Extensions
With a towel around your neck, drape the band over the back of your neck, and bend your arms to hold the band near your chest. Keeping your elbows at your sides, straighten your arms. Hold, then slowly release.

Lateral Raises
Sitting on a chair, place the end of the band under or around your right foot, and hold the other end in your right hand with your arm down at your side. Keeping a slight bend in your elbow, slowly lift your right arm out to your side until it's about shoulder height. Hold, then slowly lower. Repeat with the left arm.

Biceps Curls
Sit on a chair with the band under both feet. With your elbows at your sides, bring your hands toward your shoulders. Hold, then slowly lower.

Seated Rows
Sit on the floor with your back straight and legs out in front, knees slightly bent. Loop the band over your feet at the arches. Squeezing your shoulder blades, pull your arms back toward your chest so that your elbows are pointing behind you. Hold, then slowly release.

Protect Your Ears From In-Flight Pain

For a comfortable air trip, follow this four-step plan

Up to one in three airline passengers suffers ear discomfort, pain, or even temporary hearing loss on takeoff or landing. In fact, the condition is so common that doctors have dubbed it aerotitus, says Jennifer Derebery, MD, an associate at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles and assistant clinical professor of otolaryngology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Rapid changes in air pressure cause the air pocket inside the middle ear to expand during takeoff and contract during descent, stretching the eardrum. To equalize pressure, air must enter or escape through the eustachian tube--the needle-thin opening that connects the middle ear and nose. "When the tube can't adjust, the pain can be excruciating," says Dr. Derebery.

Infection, congestion, allergies, irritation from pollution, and physiological problems such as scarring from childhood ear infections can block the Eustachian tube. Stricter noise regulations at airports, which require planes to make sharper, more rapid descents, have also made the problem more common.

The first rule

Avoid flying if you have a respiratory infection or allergies that cause congestion. But if you can't, take these steps:

1. The Day Before Your Flight
Take a decongestant, such as Sudafed, every 6 hours and continue for 24 hours after you land to shrink membranes in the sinus and ear. Follow the precautions on the label.

2. Right Before You Board
Use a pediatric-strength nasal spray once as directed. This helps open the eustachian tube, without giving you more medication than you need.

3. During the Flight
Chew gum, yawn, or swallow to help keep the tube open. Or try earplugs specially designed to minimize ear pain while flying.

4. Before You Land
About 45 minutes prior to arrival, Dr. Derebery recommends using the pediatric nasal spray every 5 minutes for 15 minutes. Sit upright to make it easier for pressure to equalize.