Don’t Let Travel Derail Your Health

Welcome back, SeniorGee Listeners. We are so excited that you're here with us today, and Lori and I are just giddy about what we get to talk about today. We get to talk about travel, and I'm going to start this conversation by saying that we have traveled the world, a lot of it together, but we are in no way, shape, or form travel experts. We are the kind of travel partners that when we're on a trip, we're typically planning our next trip. That's true. I think we have the wanderlust gene. I haven't really verified that by testing, but I can't help but try scheduling the next one when I'm on a current trip. So we love that together. That's something that we share. And because we travel a lot and we talk about our travel a lot, we get a lot of questions. So I've started taking note of all the questions that I've gotten from you guys over the years on travel. Where do we just— how do we decide where to go? How do we pack? What do we do?

So we're going to dig through those questions today, and we're going to have fun doing it.

Yes. Are you ready, Lori? Are you ready to dig in?

Let's do it. Let's do it. Yeah, you know, I do— I think everyone has to have that travel buddy that they just love traveling with, that can adapt because I definitely need the adaptable person when I travel. Honk, honk.

Yes. And in life in general, right? We just need to be adaptable. We never know when that curveball is going to come and we want to have someone with us that's fun, that can adapt and roll with the punches.

Yeah. So everybody's got to hang on to the end. We have some special surprises at the end, but definitely want to cover some things that you may already know. As you have been adapting your traveling and your packing and your preparing as you've transitioned maybe your lifestyle into one of better health. But there might be some things today that you pick up on that you're like, ah, that's a really good one. So, um, definitely, um, tune in for the whole thing and give some feedback. Don't forget to do that.

That's right. So I get this question, I've had this question a lot. It's always an interesting question to me, but they've asked about like, what are I think people think we have it all together. Like, you know, nothing ever goes wrong. It's always perfect. You know, what you see on social media is real, right? But I get asked, you know, what are the, have you ever had a trip where you thought you had everything figured out and then you were humbled by what didn't go right? Right? And so I thought about this question and it took me back to our trip to Peru. And I'll start by saying that our trip to Peru, we did not plan, I did not plan. Normally I'm in charge of planning. That's my specialty. I love to plan trips, but I was not in charge of this trip planning. So when Lori, my dear best friend, called me to say, "Do you want to go on a girls trip?" Of course I'm gonna say yes. She said, "Do you want to go to Peru?" I said, "Of course." She said, "Do you want to go in June?" Sign me up. I mean, I didn't look at anything. I had no idea that Peru in June was wintertime. So I would never sign up to go spend winter somewhere when I'm having a summer at home. But anyway, I find myself there, right? Get ready to pack. I realize it's going to be winter. I'm packing all my winter things, ski gear, all the things. And, um, and then we get there and realize that we're at high altitude. So my best friend had gone from below sea level to way above sea level, and altitude was really high, and she developed some altitude sickness. So we found out later, after the fact, that we should have gone to Sacred Ground and had a few days there to settle before we started our hike at Machu Picchu. So all that— my point in saying all this was, ask questions when you're going to travel. Take a pause before you say yes. Think about where you're going, what you're going to be doing, what time of year it is. Because we were humbled by that trip. We could tell a lot of stories about that trip. Thankfully, the ending was beautiful, but there were some sketchy parts about that trip because of the altitude. So that was one that just really humbled me and made me realize that, yeah, you need to slow your roll, you need to ask more questions, and know that you may have to figure things out on the way.

We thought we had all of the things, but the one most important thing that we didn't have is that we hadn't spent the time thinking through, um, what the flights would be, where we were landing. What the altitude was, and just some of the stuff that you would think that two very smart people would do. And the reality is there's some of this today that is very transparent and very like, I can't believe we did that. But at the other side of this, everyone learns. This is how you learn. So definitely humbling, definitely humbling. And I'm so glad that I made it home. But I also learned in that situation how having someone in those areas who have previously lived there. And thanks by the grace of God that I had a local physician here that had family there that was able to help us navigate that and get the medical care that was needed to get home. So definitely learned. Well, I have a humbling one as well, thinking I had it all together. I mean, what goes wrong in the Caribbean, right? Right, Kelly? What goes wrong in the Caribbean? And just this past year, uh, both of us experienced, but I'm going to speak to mine, ended up in a lovely called St. Vincent, and it's, you know, this beautiful Caribbean island, not realizing that there was one flight in and one flight out a day. And there at the time of year that it's warm there and it's cooler at home here in Florida— not necessarily cold, although this year it's been quite cold— but, um, definitely there to enjoy for a week, um, the luxuries and the beauty of the Caribbean. And unfortunately, on the day that we were intended to leave to come home, uh, the entire, uh, you know the flight airspace was shut down and we were unable to get home, and not realizing that it would be a week before we could get home. And it was very humbling because when you have celiac and you have food sensitivities, among other things, being on certain medications, if you didn't plan and you didn't prepare and you didn't pack for those things, it can be an extreme challenge. Humbled in that I was I was blessed to have a husband who could definitely— he was adaptable in those circumstances, and he kept me very calm in all of that. And I got an opportunity to see the challenges that others were faced. I had done a good job at planning. I always plan and take extra. In the way of supplementation and medication. I've learned that planning for much longer than my time there. In fact, I'm a serial overpacker, right?

This we know. Full transparency. She is full transparency. She is a packer for sure. I could not pack and show up somewhere with her and have plenty to wear. So I've not tried that yet, but I know that to be true. So you did a good job packing.

Yes, so I had, I had extra of the things that I needed, but around me were many people who didn't have that, and I found them looking for pharmacies for very important things such as insulin. They were diabetics who did not have extra, and they were stuck. And so I think one of the things through that experience that I'd like to share with everyone listening to this is be prepared for extra time, be prepared for losing luggage, you know, have your medications with you. Don't have them in your luggage, um, just in case your luggage gets lost. You can have the extras in your luggage, but definitely have enough for a period of time in your, your carry-on. And go one step further, if you are on very important medications, even if you have overpacked, look around to what are the laws governing Pharmaceutical medications. Where are the pharmacies? Because going back to the Peru story, I was very, very thankful to know that we had access to things in Peru that we would not necessarily have at home without a prescription. We didn't understand the language, so we had to phone a friend, but we knew that we could get stuff. And just know where you're going, know your local pharmacies, know what their laws are that are governing, know what you have access to, I do believe taking the extra steps to do that ahead, it's, this doesn't happen often and the goal is for it not to happen, but you should always prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

So I always get about, get questions about taking medications on the plane. And yes, you can take your medications onto the aircraft. And so just make sure they're labeled properly, they have your name on them. You should not have any problems with your medications and supplementation getting them through. So feel free to take that on your, as she mentioned, on your carry-on so that it doesn't get lost in your luggage if your luggage happens to be misplaced. So I think that's very, very important. And to your point about pharmacies, just knowing, could you get access to a pharmacy if you needed a pharmacy, especially if you have something that you have to have that's life and death. Yeah.

And I think I'm gonna go one step further and say, really check with your airline regulations as well because there are specific regulations that are changing. I do hear that they're changing. You may have to have a list, a— you might have to have an original prescription. In regards to supplementation, you may need to have— I know what I've been doing for my clients most recently is taking their supplement list and putting a logo on it. And so it's the name of it, it's how they take it, and it has my signature on it, um, just to once again just qualify. Careful, you know. Yeah, that, that this is what your— has been prescribed to you as well. But, but check those regulations with the, um, with the, the airlines as as well, because I do think that, that it is a forever changing thing. And, um, specifically, we don't know all of those regulations. We're just speaking to some best practices in your travels today.

Yeah, so Lori, with you having celiac, so for you gluten exclusion is really, really important. You know, it's not just a preference, but it is a health issue for you. How are you navigating airports And are there things that you take on, on the plane with you snack-wise to help prevent having to buy something? Like, how do you typically navigate that?

Yeah, so the best way to have the best outcomes is to prepare. And for sure, the things that I think about in respect to packing and planning is you should always have with you what you need for your travels. And so easy grab-and-go things are extremely important. I love, you know, nuts and seeds and, um, little grab-and-go things that I can seal down that they don't take up a lot of room. Um, there are— I'm not, I'm not a fan of protein bars because a lot of the protein bars are carb bars and processed food bars and nasties. Um, but there are some things out there that, um, you can make some on your own, or, um, you can, um, You can make your own little nut medleys, which I love to do. You know, buy some pistachios, buy some macadamia nuts, buy some almonds, walnuts, mix them up, maybe put some dried coconut in there. I love our Chomps. You know, that's, that's either beef or turkey sticks. Again, grab and go. They preserve really well. I also am a fan of taking protein powder with, and so I will typically have enough protein powder packed I use little Ziploc baggies, but you can also— there's so many things available on Amazon these days. But I have enough to drink should I have the inability to get to food. So that's things that I do ahead. They also allow for meals to be taken on the plane. So I have, for long travels, actually taken food with in, um, in little mini containers with my meat and my vegetable and things. You can also take frozen water. So if you are a person that is very particular about your water, you can take things that are frozen through, um, TSA. So that's very helpful as well. But find the things that are easy to grab and go, have enough of them for you, and take extra. Because when we could not— we did not have the ability to stay at the location that we were at, we had to move a few times for hotels that were struggling with— there were more than just us that couldn't get out of Saint Vincent, so the hotels were full. So there were times that during the day— and we didn't plan for that economically, like, let's be honest, that was expensive to find a place to stay and then all of your food for that extra week. So there were times that I was able to have my, my extra protein powder for my lunches or for my snacks, and I didn't have to buy 3 meals a day out. So that was very helpful too. Can you think of some other things, Kelly, that you use, or maybe you know that you've seen me pack?

Yes, sometimes I'll do an avocado, cut it in half with some lime, and put it in a Ziploc bag and just eat it with a spoon on the plane. I've done that before. Boiled eggs are very transportable too. So if you're gonna be able to eat those in a timely manner, sometimes doing some boiled eggs can be helpful to get extra protein and fill you up. Um, I keep my protein powder in a— it was made for baby formula. It's 3 different compartments. You could put a little powder in each compartment. So sometimes I'll carry that in my carry-on to be able to have on travel days. Um, so those things are kind of what I lean on if I'm going to take my food. I have in times past when I've really been working on maybe a gut protocol or something that really required more attention to my diet, I've taken my food. If I'm going to be gone 3 days, I've taken 3 days of food in my Yeti before. And just, you know, gone to a meeting or whatever. And so I have done that. That is not impossible to do. And so if you need to do that, do that. That's okay. You can bring that on. If for shorter trips, that's been fine for me.

Yeah. And then when you're going, there's a whole difference between flying versus driving.

Yes. I wanted to talk about that. Yeah.

Yeah. So I do, you know, when you're flying, there are things that you have to do differently and you may not have room for, for a serial packer person that doesn't pack that well, you can't really take as many things with you. You probably could, but you may not have room for that. But when you're driving, you have the ability to take with you so much more. I wanna say the shaker cups are my best friend. They're super inexpensive. They are very good to have a lot of them, to have them stuffed in backpacks and in your luggage, whether you're driving or you're flying. But for driving, I love the ability to take my air purifier. I love the ability to take my mini blender. I love the ability to take my, um, my French press, um, you know, my coffee.

I—

my recent trip for a conference, I was so proud of myself because I did not buy coffee one time the entire time I was gone. I had everything I needed right in my room.

And that's because I just want to be clear that she's not saying she didn't drink coffee. She's saying she didn't buy coffee.

That's right, and that saves a lot of money right there. Um, I had my one cup per day because I am a one cup per day person, so I did have my one cup per day, but I made it and it was clean. It was my brand. It was the way that I like it. Um, I had my electric kettle with me and I had, you know, all of the things that I needed for it. So, you know, packing for— and, and a case of water, you taught me trick is, you know, buy your water at home. It's typically less expensive than a lot of the bigger cities that you're traveling to, so have it in your car with you. Plan ahead for that. Um, anything that you can bring with is definitely going to cut down on the expense because anything that you have to buy last minute at some form of, you know, convenience store is going to be a lot more expensive and you don't have options.

Yeah, so I want to go back to flying versus driving. Okay, so I don't know about you, but my rule is if I can get there in 7 or less hours, preferably 6 or less hours, I prefer to drive. Because typically if I'm going to fly, it's going to take me at least 6 hours to get somewhere. By the time you go to the airport early, you wait, you get on your plane, you make a connection, right? You're at the end of the day, it's 6 hours, right? I don't care how you slice it unless you're going somewhere direct. And so if I can get there in my car for that amount of time, then I would prefer to drive. And I'm like you, I love the— I love my comfort things. I love to take my air purifier, I like to take my own water, and I like to take some food too. And so it just helps me navigate that a little bit better. It helps me not see the changes that I don't like to see on my blood sugar regulation, on my sleep, if I have the things that make me comfortable with me. And so I tend to overpack when we car travel. I look in the back of my car and I think, how did I used to do this with 4 kids? Like, where did I put them? Because I have all of this stuff that I typically take with me when I travel. But what is your rule? How— what is the timeline that you like to think about when you decide whether you drive somewhere or fly?

Yeah, so I love where you live. You live really close to the airport. You know, I live about an hour and a half from the airport and just Orlando traffic is terrible. So I have, I have actually established that rule. We're at like 7 to 8 hours. If we can drive it in 7 to 8 hours, we're typically going to drive it rather than fly. Now, in my younger years, I was all about the flying and I learned real quick that those layovers, the, the risk that you take with layovers, you know, not getting the flight, it was just too risky. Driving was better.

Yeah, awesome, awesome. So, um, I believe I just mentioned that, you know, having those things that make you comfortable. And I think one of the things, especially for those of us that travel to conferences— there's all different types of travel, right? There's conference travel, there's— and that has this whole set of challenges and exciting opportunities. There's vacation travel, right? And There's work travel. Work travel.

There's work travel when you are— yep, busy. A lot of people travel.

Yeah, a lot of people travel every single week for work. And so I like to think about, you know, how can I set my routine at home up in a way that the travel that I do want to do doesn't take a toll on me? So I come back and I bounce back really easily. And that hasn't always been the case, right? So there's things I do at home to make sure that, you know, before the trip I'm eating in a certain way. I'm making sure I'm staying hydrated. You know, I have this little thing that I kind of make sure that I do before I travel most of the time so that when I come home, I'm not feeling depleted. I'm not feeling like I need to do extra things to get myself back on track. Are there things that you do to kind of build yourself up for a trip or things that you do when you get home?

Yeah. So I think the prep and the return are probably a little bit different, but— and this did not come natural. Um, this came with you and I traveling together and us talking about, um, how we were feeling after certain trips to certain locations that, you know, that— and the toll that it was taking on us. And so I think this is so important of a conversation at any age. You know, the younger you are, you might be listening to this and go, travel is nothing. I want to tell you right now, the older you get, you're going to realize that even if you're traveling for fun, there is a toll that travel takes. So to be a savvy traveler there are things that you need to do before, and there are definitely things that you need to do after. So what are the— some of the things that I make sure of before I am leaving out of town? I like to start packing ahead of time. I like to plan. I'm a planner. I like to just make sure that I have what I need because I don't like super stressing in the 7th hour of packing. And anytime you wait till the last minute, anytime I wait to the last minute, it is no good for anybody. So I do like to spend some time thinking about what I'm going to be packing and looking at travel way ahead, putting things aside, ordering and buying what I need, that kind of thing, that planning and that, and that preparation. The other thing, like you said, is hydration. Flying is definitely very dehydrating, and really staying and being conscientious and being mindful about getting good hydration in the days leading up to travel definitely makes travel better and how I feel when I get there. Food and sleep. You know, a lot of times I feel like I'm going— I teasingly say I'm like going sliding in, like running through the gate. I'm here, right, for the flight or for vacation. And the reality is that doesn't feel good. You know, if you're staying up late because you're trying to get packing done, you own a business, or you are just last minute to making sure you get all things off the list, if you're, you know, leaving the kids behind and when you're heading on a trip and, um, me, the layout, you know, what time to put them to bed, what kind of clothes they need, what are their activities. Do that way ahead because that will cause a lack of sleep going into travel and it will make you behind when you get there. And so the first 24 to 48 hours you're on vacation, you're just sleeping because you're exhausted and you're not really enjoying your vacation. So looking at all of that ahead is extremely important. You know, it's— I say planning and preparation is key to a great vacation.

Yes, absolutely. So hydration, protecting your sleep before you leave, eating well before you leave, and then packing ahead of time, not rushing to pack. Um, those are all key things that I think can make a big difference on the launch.

And looking at your passport, this is something I have learned.

Share, share that wisdom with us.

Yes, you know, again, vulnerability here, right? But I, I am that, that, that person that plans ahead, and you would think that this would never happen, but I didn't realize that the Caribbean island we were going to, which is only one of two at the time that we're recording this that I know of, that requires 6 months and a day on your passport, um, and mine was just shy of that. And so look at your passports way ahead, know what your date is on it, and know what the immigration laws are for the place that you're actually traveling to, should a passport be necessary. So look at your travel documents, don't wait till the last minute because that always ultra stressful.

And then on the return home, what are the things that you like to prepare for yourself so that when you get home things are comfortable?

Yeah, so I love coming home to a house that is clean. The refrigerator has been cleaned out, and I arrived back home like my laundry was done ahead. So that's one thing I forgot to list of things that I do prior to vacation, because I like knowing that I'm returning back to those things all done. So just to mention that. So on return, um, well, first of all, I supplement pretty heavy on pre-travel days, whether I'm leaving or coming back. So I take extra vitamin D, I take extra vitamin C. Typically I'm using some colloidal nasal spray. I just do everything to really support my immune system. Um, I— upon return, you can expect that you're going to be tired. I don't care if you're traveling a single hour. Um, but I will tell you that travel across, um, zones, um, specifically if you're going from Central to Eastern, which you wouldn't think would be a big deal, but it's a big deal, or you're going Pacific to Eastern, you have to actually prepare more for that than you would for just maybe a, you know, a 1-hour time difference. So I do plan for that. I usually take Sammy Sami in preparation for that, for time zone changes. That just kind of helps me with, uh, just how I feel, um, jet lag. So Sami's really good for jet lag. What are some other things? Water, preparation, planning, making sure that I have paced my snacks and didn't eat them all while I was away so that I have some of those snacks. Because I'm going to tell you that if you don't have those snacks, you're probably not going to get them at the airport. So you have to plan ahead, you know, 24 to 48 hours in advance of return home, particularly in situations like mine that they don't have food available for me on a plane because I am both celiac and I have a chicken egg allergy. So that is a tough combination because normally they say we have eggs and I'm like, can't have those either. So making sure that I have not eaten through all of my snack foods and I have what I need to travel. So if I have to go to a local Whole Foods foods in a location that has that, or a grocery store that has the things that I need so that I can restock up before I leave. Those are some of the things that I think about. And when I return home, um, unfortunately I tend to like to unpack really, really quick, and I am learning how that may not be the best. So even if I return home at 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning, I would get a load of laundry started. So I'm working on rewiring myself to know that it is not an urgent situation to unpack pack all of my stuff. It is just a situation in which I need to get my necessary things. What about you, Kelly?

So I'm like you, I really like a clean house when I get home, a bed that's made. Um, I like to at least have what I need in the way of clean clothes for a few days. Like if I'm going back to work pretty quickly, I like to make sure that's done ahead. Um, and then this last trip I was able to get one of my children to go to the grocery store for me. Me, and I provided a list. And it was so nice to come home and there was fresh food in the fridge, um, so that there wasn't that lag. Because there's typically like a day or two lag when we get back home. There's not really anything to eat. We're tired, as you mentioned. And so oftentimes bad decisions happen because we didn't have fresh, clean food in the fridge. And so that was really a nice little hack. So for those of you that like to do meal delivery or food delivery, um, that may be— or even grocery store pickup the next day— maybe a really good thing to think about ordering ahead of time so that when you get home that there's, there's food there. So those are the things that I just really prioritize. I'm like you, I like to, to pack my supplements. I do go heavy on travel days and take some extra things on travel days to support my immune system. I think that's really important. And hydration on the flight, I think, is really important for immune system function too. So making sure you're staying hydrated, getting up and moving around during the flight can be helpful too.

Yeah, and desperate people do desperate things. So to your point, having it there and figuring out a way to have it, whether that be your kids picking it up or you picking it up, or, you know, when you get back and arranging for that pickup or the delivery when you get home. Like, there are so many food delivery services now that you— that it can be available the next day delivered to you. So there's not a reason to not have food. Don't make it a reason. Um, really prioritize that. For sure.

So we think about travel for conferences, you know, you and I attend a lot of conferences together and that is always so much fun and it is very overstimulating, right? There's a lot of people, there's a lot of things on our agenda to get done, of course we're eating out. What are some of the things that you have found that helps buffer you so that you enjoy the time there and then come home strong? Cool.

So buffering thing for conferences. Um, I think every conference is different, right? And it really depends on the location. We were just talking a few minutes ago about, um, you know, traveling East Coast to West Coast. A lot of our anti-aging regenerative medicine conferences are in Vegas, and not only is that a very long travel, travel day, but in addition to that, it can be very overstimulating. Um, lights and sounds and smoke and just every— all, all things, right, very disruptive to, to our overall health and well-being. So this is where I go back to the foundation. The foundation of what you do on a daily basis sets the tone for how you're going to adapt and survive 5, no matter how you travel, what you eat, what you drink, how you sleep, how you move, and how you think. If your foundation— what you're— what you've been eating, um, lately, not getting enough food, or getting the wrong food, getting more processed foods, getting sugars, or if you've been eating really good food but you haven't been moving your body really well, or you've been moving your body really well, eating really good, but you haven't been sleeping very well— those things that you have not been doing really well that are critical foundational things cause cracks in the foundation And when you think about a house with cracks in the foundation, what happens? It can be the start of just a real mess. And so I, you know, whether it's conference or it's any form of travel, I think it is so, so important to understand that what you do on a daily basis in those foundational principles sets the stage for how you're going to travel anywhere. I do think in regards to conferences, it's important to understand where you're going. And you have to actually, using that example of going to the West Coast in Las Vegas, I have to prepare differently for them. Like I have to do everything super good before I go there and super good when I get back because my recovery, the older I get, it's harder. So I have to take more supplementation. I have to drink more water. I just, there's so much I have to do differently. And then when I can pack, if that conference is local, packing is definitely better. Um, I also like to look at local restaurants. You know, you and I have been in situations before that the food at these conferences did not align with what we felt like we needed to eat. And so we found local restaurants that would actually deliver quality food for us that aligned with our dietary intake and principles. And we ate really, really good. Yeah. And we felt good about it. And they delivered it right to us at the time of lunch. And we could eat that.

Yeah, I forgot that we've done that. That's been great. And I would say that keeping a schedule too— and one of the things that I love, love, love about traveling with Lori Esarey MS, especially to conference, is we typically get up and move. We'll go for some kind of walk or do something to move our body, do yoga in the room, go for a walk. We typically are willing to do the extra things like ordering food to have it delivered to us to get the food that we need. And then we're not ones to stay up extra late. Like, we may on occasion, but it's not the routine. It's not something that we, you know, strive to do. And so getting sleep, you know, protecting that sleep even when we travel, I think pays us back. We're able to have good energy, enjoy the conference, and come back strong.

And it's not an excuse for us, whether it be vacation or whatever, it's not an excuse for us to just, to just do whatever. Um, it's being very mindful and intentional about those things. Like, keep the foundation the foundation even when you travel. Move your body, eat the right stuff, drink plenty of water, you know, get the sleep that you need. And if you're gonna give yourself a few of those leniencies, you know, that's not wrong. If you're gonna drink a glass of wine or some alcohol, understand the price you will pay for that and what you need to do to prep and plan and recover from that as well.

I'll say those kind of things you can learn to buffer for. So maybe you need extra hydration or electrolytes if you're going to have some alcohol. There are things you can do to offset some of what you're doing and that you're going to do during travel. So how is your mindset different when you go to a conference versus when you go on a true vacay?

Yeah, so, you know, I think it's changed. It's evolved over the years because with these devices now that we can measure, like those darn devices, those darn devices. Us how those devices, right? CGMs, continuous glucose monitor, Oura Rings, whatever it is, the devices. So there's been this evolution of getting better and better based on these— this feedback that I'm getting about what really impacts me. It may not impact you, Kelly, as much as me. We've learned there are some nuances between us, and I think everyone listening here You have to understand that there are certain things that you're going to have to do more stringently maybe than your spouse does or your friend does. And so learning those about yourself is first and foremost. So this feedback has really taught me that there are certain things that have to be, you know, non-negotiables. So on vacation, we're going to tend to give ourselves some more leniency than we may at a conference, right?

Typically.

But here's what I want you to hear is that every trip's not a vacation. That's a mindset. And I think a lot of people do think that every trip's a vacation. So they give themselves the extra desserts and they have their alcohol and they don't do the exercise and they stay up late and you will eventually pay a price for that. So I go ahead and I plan ahead. Again, I'm the planner of what, what are the things that are non-negotiables for me? What, what am I going to do? What are the choices I'm going to make? Am I going to do dessert? If I'm gonna do dessert, um, am I going to do that all the time, every night at dinner, or am I going to do that just a couple times during that particular week? Am I going to choose to drink alcohol? Should I choose to drink alcohol? What kind would I, um, how much? Is that going to be something that I do earlier in the day or later? Because believe it or not, as you know, Kelly would say this too, is there's a difference. It affects you differently. And so it's really planning out the things that you're going to give yourself leniencies. At the end of the day, vacation is a where we tend to be, um, a little bit more free, right? And that's okay. But rather than waiting until you get there to make those decisions, I really encourage you to kind of think about it ahead. Talk to your spouse because they can be a great supporter of you, or unknowingly they can be your sabotager. And they may think, you know, it's kind of— I'm— they're, they're your feeder, or they're, they're, you know, if you don't have a drink, I'm— I mean, that kind of thing. Like, pull them into your plan. Talk ahead with them. I think that's really important too. So I do think there is a difference between vacation and conference mindset, but either way, plan. Think about it ahead.

I love that, and I love what you said about just going in with a different mindset. You know, thinking about the mindset ahead of time so you're not just in it. So many times in life we just get in a situation, we haven't planned, we may have thought about, oh, I don't wanna do that anymore, and then we get there and we're doing it, right? And so the way that we go into a situation, the thought that we put into it oftentimes can dictate kind of how we choose. In that moment, and we're happy with our choice. You know, I don't ever want to go into a vacation feeling deprived. And for me, I don't feel deprived when I make a choice to have sparkling water instead of wine. I'm not feeling deprived. That's what I want, right? And so I think thinking through that lens too, you know, are you really depriving yourself? Are you giving yourself an opportunity to feel better?

Yeah, it's so true. Um, I think that there's a lot of— in fact, I don't think, I know there's a lot of social pressure to, um, to do things like when Rome do as Rome, right? And I, I do believe that having a conscious decision ahead of this is what I want because these are the results that I want. And I love what you just said about sparkling water. Like, I love sparkling water with a lime in it, and it's very interesting that I love it even more when it's in a wine glass. So I'm Italian, I grew up on wine, it was just part of what we did. There's something about that long stem wine glass. That's just, to me, it means connection and conversation. And I think that's what I love more about it. And so when I have my sparkling water with a lime, it kind of looks like Tito's. But to me and my body, it feels so much better. And so be brave, think outside the box, look at different options. You don't have to do as everyone else does. Do as you need to do and be confident in making those decisions because you're the one that has to live in your body when you get back. And it doesn't feel very good to be sick.

Yeah, I love that you said this, that, you know, just the glass made a difference. And for you, for me, I love sparkling water too, for very different reasons. I love champagne. I love the sparkle. Like, I want to see the bubbles. So when I see sparkling water in a glass, especially a glass glass or a wine glass, it makes me think about champagne. Pain. And so I think that's really cool that we have very different associations to the sparkling water, but it does make me happy.

All right, so Kelly, when you go on vacation, have you ever decided that you were going to try a new supplement or try a new thing while you were gone? And how did that work out for you?

Yeah, so I would say that I don't think I consciously thought, hey, I'm going to start a new supplement while I go on vacation. I'm like, you have a planner. So I had pre-planned all of my supplements for a couple of weeks out, and I had started a new supplement not really thinking, hey, next week I'm leaving, right, to go on vacation. And so about 2 days into vacation, I started feeling really anxious, and there was absolutely nothing to be anxious about. It was a beautiful vacation, we're having a great time, and it felt very metabolic. You know, it wasn't my brain being busy, it was my body being anxious. And so, um, then I was in a conundrum because I had put all of my supplements in little containers and I didn't know what the supplement looked like, right? And I was familiar with some of my other supplements, like my fish oil and things like that, that I could easily identify, but there are many that I couldn't. I couldn't tell my magnesium from my new supplement. And so I had to like pick through my supplements for the rest of the week and just take what I knew I was taking. And within 24 hours, I felt fine. So it definitely was a supplement. When I got back home, I retried it. It was the supplement. And so I would say, you know, just resist the urge to start something new. Even supplements can have adverse effects. They are nutrients that are driving biochemical pathways. So even a supplement, I definitely wouldn't start a new medication prior to a trip. Because again, medications, you can have side effects too. So if it is something you can delay taking, I would wait until you get back to start that. But that was a lesson I just had to learn recently.

Yeah, no, I agree. You know, my rule on starting something new when I am recommending it even to one of my clients is we won't start anything new within a week to week and a half prior to you leaving. Because they are— yes, they're supplements, but they do create biochemical change. And, you know, the last thing you want is to get on vacation or get away and have a reaction. And it could just be a nuisance reaction, but at the end of the day, it's something disruptive, and we don't want that. So that is definitely my rule in making recommendations for clients, but it's also my personal rule. I would not knowingly do it. Like you said, you know, if you plan ahead for a period of time like you do and you put them all together, you may not have known that. So that also speaks to knowing your body, right?

Knowing your body, questioning when something doesn't feel right. What is the difference in what doesn't feel right? Yeah.

So keeping track of your supplements by date of when you started them so that you can go back and track it. Because, you know, sometimes you think about what did I eat the day before, and it's hard remember what you even ate, let alone changing your supplements. So when you're tracking your supplements, making sure that you're tracking the dates to which you made changes and really pay attention to your body.

So I know we're running out of time, and I really hate this because I think we could talk about travel for an endless amount of time. But are there some things that you would say in ending the podcast that are non-negotiables? Can we come up with a list of like 3 to 5 things that are just should be non-negotiables when it comes to travel. Um, yeah, I would say hydration, you know, whether you're traveling in a car— and, and oftentimes in a car we try to restrict hydration because we don't want to stop to go to the bathroom— but even in, even car travel, we need to be hydrated. And so I'd say making sure that you're getting adequate hydration a few days before you travel and definitely on travel days. So keeping yourself hydrated, you're going to have better energy, You're just going to feel better, move better when you're hydrated well.

So I would say pack early, plan ahead, you know, have what you need. You never know what— you never know what you're going to encounter. You may not have celiac, you may not have food intolerances, but you may not have access to things that you need. So plan, prepare ahead, create your packing list, get organized, and do it early. Planning and preparation Preparation is key to a really good vacation.

And I would say planning for the trip and planning for the return, right? Planning both ways, planning to what you're going to take and then what do you need to have in place for when you get back home.

And then if you're traveling internationally, I would say that my one non-negotiable would be, and this is, you know, learned from Kelly's story, which was our story, is, you know, know where you're going. Um, look at, you know, the surrounding area, look at what's available in the way of food, uh, look at the altitude, uh, look at what the temperature is, uh, for that time of year. Look at the local pharmacies and healthcare in that area, and look at immigration rules. Like, those are things that should be absolutely non-negotiables. And maybe if you're traveling with someone else, that's— that's— they're better at that. But I'm going to tell you right now, do not assume that they did it all, because life does life, and what they would normally do and be able to do, they may not have been able to do. So it is your responsibility, even if you're traveling with a travel partner.

And would you say there's anything that travel has allowed you to, to learn about yourself?

Oh, so much.

Any life lesson that you think, um, or just funny thing that travel— like, you are very aware of your uniqueness in travel?

Yeah, well, I'm, I'm a sensitive person, and I'm just a very— an emotional being. So I— what What travel has taught me is that I live in a bubble and what I live in, there's so much more that the world has to offer. And you got to go, you got to experience, meet the people. Like, there's so much richness in travel, but the big but is, is it can easily end bad. Bad if you don't have good planning. So you want to enjoy travel, do the things that we talked about today, and then learn from your mistakes. Like, you know, they say, what, one time, you know, shame on, shame on them, second time shame on me, right? So it really is something that we learn. I learn every single time I travel, but it's such a humbling experience to get outside of your bubble and meet people, go to other countries, learn about them, learn about the people. Connection. We need more connection in our life.

We do. We so need the connection in our lives. So I would say for me, this— mine is not as ambitious as yours, but for me, I just realized on this last trip that I'm typically the one planning. I'm typically the one scheduling everything. And so my husband has taken over some of that in more of our recent trips. And I learned that my expectation was that if you book the flight, you're responsible for the snacks, right? I never verbalized that expectation to him. But you know when the— how long we have for a connection. You know, you shouldn't— you should know, in my mind, you should know how long we have for a connection, what food is going to be available if you're planning the travel day. And so I learned that, you know, You know, again, I need to slow down, ask more questions, be more involved, even if I'm not planning the flight, be more involved on in what's going on there so that I'm well, well fed during the trip and comfortable.

Yes.

Yeah.

And that goes back to that person normally does it, right? So it's not making any of those assumptions that it really is our responsibility to make sure we're communicating about it. But, um, travel can be so enriching, um, and we really encourage everyone to travel.

Travel.

So, um, it's, it's fun to have learned all of these things. We continue to do, do all kinds of travel. I'm so thankful that we can, that we have access to the ability, to the ability to travel. Um, and then I would just go back and say what I said earlier about the foundation, keeping the foundation the foundation. You know, some of you listening to this today, when we say foundation, you're like, what do you guys mean about the foundation? You know, when we say the foundation, it truly is the core principles that are necessary to live well, not necessarily live longer, but for the life that you have on this earth, live better, live healthier, right? It's her— your healthspan. And those things are your quality nutrition, what you're eating. It's your ability to detoxify and deload while at the same time reducing the incoming burden from those toxins. You know, clean air, clean water, clean food. We talk about it all the time. We gotta move our bodies, and it doesn't have to be the word exercise. We have to have hormone balance, and that's not just sex hormones. That's glucose, insulin, thyroid, adrenals. It's the whole cascade of hormones. And it's mindset— mood and mindset. Those are the foundational principles. And if you're gonna travel better, you need to understand those foundations. And not only understand them, because we can know them without applying them. It's the application of them consistent basis. If you're interested in learning more about the foundations of living well, we really encourage you to check out our R2R Reset to Resilience. Our R2R app, it out there, it is easy to get to. It is— you just on your Android or on your Apple phone, you go to your app store and you download it. We have a foundations program that is designed just for This, and it walks you through the key steps to not only understand what those foundations are but how to apply them intentionally and mindfully day in and day out for any age. For any age.

So we did something really special for you guys because you did have so many great questions on travel, and we created a 7-day free content on travel tip trips. So everything from how to pick your snacks to planning and prep for trips and how to return back home. So you guys take advantage of that. Again, Lori Esarey MS, download that R2R from the App Store, sign in, and access that free travel guide. I think you'll really enjoy it, and we can't wait to hear what you think about it.

The Synergy Podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional healthcare services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor-patient relationship is formed. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions.