A few of my friends and family have been asking me for this information after getting sick (or wanting to stay healthy) on a trip they were planning and looking forward to, so I thought I would write it all down and share. I have travelled a lot with my family and two young kids and if you are only going to pack a few health and wellness items for travel, these are my ultimate top 5!
Vitamin C - helps to fight infections, boosts your immune system, take once a day to help prevent illness and infection. If you do get sick, double or triple your dose and it helps you heal faster. My favourite is the Liposomal Nano Vitamins one because it absorbs faster and better giving you increased bio-availability. It comes as a liquid in individual packs in a box of 30 which makes them convenient for travel too.
Activated Charcoal- The absolute best for any digestive issues, (vomiting, nausea, bloating, diarrhea, stomach pain and cramps) whether it is food poisoning, a viral infection, or from drinking or swimming/surfing in dirty water etc. Activated Charcoal binds to and absorbs toxins in the digestive tract and flushes them out. It even works to reduce hangovers by assisting your body to eliminate toxins faster and reduces the burden on your liver and kidneys. It is used in hospitals and vet clinics if the patient has ingested poison, because it is the best for naturally, quickly, and effectively cleansing the digestive system. If I am travelling somewhere where food or waterborne illnesses are common I will take one capsule a day as a preventative, and if I get sick I take two every few hours until symptoms resolve. You can open the capsules and mix with them with water if you need to give this to a child that can’t swallow pills. It doesn’t really taste like anything so most kids will drink it totally fine. Make sure to drink lots of extra water when taking activated charcoal, so your body can effectively eliminate and flush out all the toxins it is collecting.
Probiotics - I take one a day when travelling. Keeps your digestive and immune system at it’s best, and if you get sick you can take more to help your body fight off the infection. It is an excellent preventative for infections, colds and flus, digestive problems, UTI’s, fungal or yeast infections, and more. If you have kids I get the kids chewable ones for them.
Colloidal Silver - This can be used topically or taken internally for any kind of infection. It is one of the most effective and clinically proven natural antibiotics/antivirals. I have shared this with multiple friends travelling who have had amazing results using it for open infected wounds and staph infections. Safe for all ages and can be dosed multiple times per day.
Oil of Oregano - You can take this as a liquid or in capsules. It is a very powerful natural antibiotic and antiviral. If I am only going away for a week to an all-inclusive or something where you are around a lot of people I will take one capsule a day from the day before I leave and throughout the trip until the day after I get back. You are exposed to so much from so many people all over the world when you are travelling, that it is easy to catch something and ruin your trip. I have always had success with the preventative method, taking most of these things on a daily basis for a short trip, or use them as needed when travelling for longer periods of time.
Okay well that is 5 but I have three more bonus items to add! ….
Slippery Elm Tincture - This one is great, especially with kids, if their belly hurts or if they get diarrhea, usually one dose and they are fine again. Slippery Elm is amazing for the digestive system, it coats the mucosal lining and has anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-parasitic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-spasmodic properties. One of my favourite herbs, and so gentle and safe for all ages.
Topical Pain Relief Gel - My favourites are Arnica and EpsomGel. Works great for pain, swelling, trauma, bruising, random child complaints.
Apis Gel - topical anti-itch homeopathic gel for mosquito bites, works for any bug bites and also works really well for minor jellyfish stings. It’s great for kids and adults.
I always pack an assortment of essential oils too, but will save the details of that for another article in the future! Haha safe to say I love Essential Oils so there will definitely be more than enough info to make a separate post for that.
One last tip, high quality bandaids that don’t immediately come off if they get wet or sandy, like Elastoplast or Nexcare Waterproof are hard to find in a lot of tropical places I have been. If you do get any cuts you need to keep clean at the beach or in the water, having a box of these, some waterproof medical tape to put over top, and a tube of polysporin is super helpful.
All the natural products mentioned in this article are available at most health food stores, if you are local to us in Pemberton, BC check out Stay Wild Natural Health.
Happy Travels!
Disclaimer- None of the information and opinions shared are meant to be taken as or substituted for medical advice or treatment. When travelling it is possible to find yourself in remote areas with no medical access or with conditions that have no medical treatment (ex: food poisoning). I use most of the above natural remedies to stay healthy so I hopefully don't get sick. If you do get sick you can choose to treat certain conditions naturally, but that is a personal choice and depends on many variables, if in doubt you should always seek qualified medical care. Many natural treatments also offer benefits when integrated with medical treatments (ex: taking probiotics to balance the side effects of antibiotics). If you have questions, check with your doctor. Any statements or claims about the possible health benefits offered by any foods or supplements have not been evaluated by Health Canada and are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.

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