Essential Oils are essential for travel – to keep you healthy so you can enjoy your vacation! My husband and I were lucky enough to travel to Ireland last month to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, and I wanted to make sure we stayed well to get the most out of our trip. Before we left we each took an OnGuard Soft-gel daily for two weeks to help boost our immune system.
Kilkenny Castle Ireland
I packed my necessary oils in my travel key-chain, which is super handy because it is small and can fit in my purse and holds eight sample-size bottles of my favorite essential oils. The oils I included in my key-chain for Ireland:
- Balance Essential Oil: Balance essential oil helps us relax, so we can fully enjoy our vacation. It is also known to lessen stress and ease sleep. We apply to our feet in the morning for a stress-free day and in the evening to ensure a good night’s sleep. Sleep can be elusive on vacation due to jet lag and a strange bed.
- Breathe Essential Oil: Breathe essential oil is great for anything respiratory – and can help ease breathing when stuffy or exerting yourself – like climbing up the steep cliffs and steps at Mizen Head in Ireland. It was beautiful, but quite a strenuous hike. Applying Breathe to our chests before climbing kept our breathing feeling easy. Also – you never know what seasonal, outdoor threats will be like in a different country. Breathe oil can help minimize the effects of seasonal threats.
- DigestZen Essential Oil: DigestZen is great to have on hand for when you eat something that doesn’t agree with you, which is easy to do on vacation in a foreign country. I like to apply a drop of DigestZen to my palms and rub over my abdomen to ease discomfort. It is especially helpful if you overindulge in a heavy meal – which again, is easy to do on vacation. Have you ever heard of “Vacation Constipation?” I think it happens to many of us because our eating habits change, but also because we drink less water, or at least I did. We were traveling by car and didn’t want to make frequent stops, so I was limiting the amount of water I was drinking compared to my average daily water intake. I would apply DigestZen to my lower abdomen or the bottoms of my feet to reduce indigestion, bloating and promote regularity.
- Lavender Essential Oil: I bring Lavender for lots of reasons. It is helpful for relaxing and to ease yourself into sleep. It is also great for any kind of skin irritation. I have used it on bee stings and mosquito bites, and I find if I use it right away, it really helps prevent the sting or itching that usually accompanies them.
- Lemon Essential Oil: I bring this along simply to add to my water a few times/day. I typically bring a glass or stainless steel water bottle, and I like to add a couple of drops of lemon for the flavor and also to help cleanse my body and aid in digestion. I typically eat less healthy on vacation, and this helps me feel better about that decision. I have also found lemon oil helpful at getting rid of stains, so I like to have it along for that reason, also!
- OnGuard Essential Oil: OnGuard is a must-have for travel, because I feel that airplanes are germ-boxes in the sky. People travel when they are unwell, and the air on planes circulates. I used to often feel unwell when traveling after flying. Now, I simply apply some OnGuard essential oil on the bottoms of my feet and under my tongue a couple of weeks before traveling and during the trip for immune support.
- Peppermint Essential Oil: Peppermint is one of my favorite oils for many reasons. It helps me feel energized, alert and ready for my day. I typically add a drop to my hands each morning, rub together and then inhale. If you have sensitive skin, you should dilute with FCO before trying this! Peppermint is also good for cooling off hot skin, and for easing pain from head tension.
- Tea Tree/Melaleuca Essential Oil: Tea Tree is a must-have in our family, because it is one we use everyday – especially for our Danny. For Matt and I, we brought it along to combine with lavender in the event of a bug bite, cut, etc. It is really soothing to the skin, and also moisturizing for your scalp. I like to add a drop to my shampoo. Tea Tree also helps support the immune system.
Key Chain Filled With Essential Oils
In addition to my travel key-chain, there were a few others we found simply couldn’t do without.
- Past Tense Rollerball: Great to apply to shoulders, back of neck and over my forehead to ease tension and provide a soothing sensation. I use this anytime I have a little head or neck tension.
- OnGuard Hand Sanitizing Mist: I spray the plane tray tables, arm rests, grocery carts and my hands with this often. It is great for cleaning my hands (and other surfaces), while leaving my hands feeling moisturized.
- OnGuard Toothpaste: I LOVE this toothpaste, and simply can’t do without it!
- Salon Essentials Shampoo and Conditioner: I order the 10-pack samples of the shampoo/conditioner which are perfect for travel. I have dry, curly hair, and if I use different shampoo/conditioners they leave my hair dry. doTERRA’s shampoo/conditioner help moisturize my hair and then it styles better – and you want to look good on vacation for all the photos, right?!
I hope you find these travel tips helpful, and would love for you to share any of your travel tips in the comments!
Hugs & Health – Michelle