Traveling is exciting and rewarding. We relax our mind, body, and soul, but at the same time, we can stress our skin due to many changes in our lifestyle, routine, and change of air and climate. Thatβs why itβs important to consider all the factors that affect your skin and prepare the treatment in advance. Either way, even though you usually maintain an elaborate 10-step skincare routine, you can minimize it to the basics β itβll be just enough to keep your skin breakouts-free.
Beauty Travel Tips
Follow these easy tips for healthy, happy skin while traveling and your skin will thank you!
1.Β Stay hydrated
One of theΒ first travel skincare tips weβll share with you isnβt a top-secret. It simply involves staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water. This is especially important for the beauty and tone of your skin. Make sure you drink plenty of water throughout the day and keep a reusable water bottle with you at all times, as it will remind you to drink water.
Remember to fill it out as soon as you empty it. This is also highly important when traveling on a plane as well since the cabin air is pretty dry. Another thing to consider is the type of water you drink while away. Only drink bottled water when traveling. Or from a water source that you are sure wonβt harm your stomach. Too many changes in our lifestyle habits and the products we use can cause all kinds of skin conditions.
2.Β Donβt skimp on your beauty sleep
Another issue that has a great effect on our skin is our beauty sleep. When weβre on the go, we usually have many interesting things to do and see instead of sleeping. We should try to keep up with the norm of beauty sleep that varies from 7 to 9 hours of night sleep. If we lack sleep for a few days, our skin will start to show that by displaying different skin issues. Since we all want to look good in our vacation photos, we must take care of our skin properly.
3.Β Maintain a balanced diet
When we travel, we usually change or modify our diet habits. This can be disruptive to our bodies and correspondingly, our skin, i.e. our face in particular. Even though youβre on holiday, you need to refrain from eating unhealthy foods filled with saturated fat and refined sugar.Β The effects of such a diet will be almost instantly visible. So make sure you eat a healthy and balanced diet, involving all the required daily allowance of vitamins, minerals, and proteins.
You can keep up with a healthy diet and still enjoy the local food specialties. Adding olive oil and vinegar to your salad will make your skin glow. Also, eating food rich in glutamine, such as beef, chicken, eggs, goatβs milk and cheese, corn, rice, and spinach will allow your skin to heal. Overall, wholesome and natural meals will do wonders for your energy levels (which are important when traveling) and for your skin.
Being away usually means a lot of physical activities such as walking, hiking, and swimming. If you combine all of that with a healthy diet, plenty of water, and sleep, you are sure to maintain healthy and radiating skin. However, in order to assure the ultimate glowing skin, besides these lifestyle habits, we also need to take care of our skin by following a skincare routine.
4.Β Keep up with your usual skincare routine while traveling
One of the reasons fluctuations such as irritated skin, eczema, or acne breakouts on our skin happen during traveling is because we deviate from our usual skincare routine. In order to avoid those skin problems, itβs best that you stick to your regular routine whenever you go. This would be ideal for you and your skin. Your usual skin routine usually includes a few steps;
(i) Wash your face regularly
Weβll start from the basics β washing your face regularly. This seems like something we donβt even need to mention. However, when we travel, thereβs usually so much going on, that we sometimes tend to forget things that we always do. Falling out of your regular skincare routine is a normal occurrence. Thatβs why itβs essential to remember some basic steps to take, such as washing your face twice a day to make sure itβs clean, dust and dirt-free.
(ii) Avoid hot water
LAAAD/Shutterstock
Hot water can do more harm than good to your sensitive facial skin. Depending on where you travel, the water content might differ from the one at home your skin is used to. It often happens that water is harsher when you travel to a foreign country. That means it can dry out your skin more easily.
In order to ensure proper care of your skin, make sure to wash it with warm or cool water. Youβll avoid harming your skin in that way.
(iii)Use make-up wipes
Even though many people choose not to use makeup when traveling and instead choose to allow their skin to breathe, some women still want or need to use their makeup products.Β Thereβs nothing wrong with that. However, if we wear make-up, we need to make sure that we can properly remove it from our face. Thatβs why these makeup-removing wipes are a perfect solution. They do their job and clean our skin and they come in compact packing.
Choose a reputable brand with organic or skin-friendly ingredients. The other option is to travel with a small bar of pure cleansing soap. There are many available, even a pure bar of olive oil soap is light to carry and will last you a long time. It’s also great for your skin!
(iv)Protect your skin from the sun
Sunscreen is a necessity when traveling to most places in the world.Β Even if it is winter and you are snow skiing!Β Obviously, it is most critical when traveling to hot, sunny countries, beaches as well as deserts. Itβs important to apply sunscreen with a proper SPF factor every 30 minutes to ensure your skin is protected from harmful UV rays.
If you donβt watch out for this, your skin might get wrinkles and fine lines way before you should.Β Aside from the damage to your skin, repeated exposure to the sun over time places you at risk of skin cancer.Β Skin cancer can be life-threatening.
(v)Cleanse and moisturize your skin
Two of the must-have products at home as well as on the go include a cleanser and a moisturizer. A facial cleanser is even more important than serums and creams as it allows you to clean your skin of all the polluted particles from the air.
Impurities and dirt your skin is faced with every day. It is a base for clean skin. As for the moisturizer, it helps you to seal the hydration in your skin and keep your skin healthy and moist. This is essential as it helps prevent any skin breakouts caused by excessive dryness. Remember to moisturize heavily before you board a plane, as already mentioned, the cabin air in airplanes tends to be overly dry.
(vi) Carry facial mist spray
Facial mist spray really comes in handy when traveling. It hydrates and refreshes your skin when on the go. As soon as you spritz it on your skin, you add instant moisture to it. This is particularly essential if you have dry or combined skin type. It also does wonders when traveling to a colder climate where the air is drier than usual.
(vii) Pack some sheet masks
Even though weβre on a trip and away from home, it doesnβt mean we canβt and shouldnβt pamper our skin. Sheet masks are convenient to pack and take anywhere you go as they donβt occupy much space and they can help your skin a lot. These masks can be an excellent alternative to serums and face creams while on the go.
(viii) Donβt forget your eye cream
You probably have a jar or two of your favorite day and night eye cream at home. And when traveling, you might not be able to take either of them or even a full-sized package of one of them. But you can find another way and pack your cream in a smaller container. This is something you canβt function without
if youβre battling eye puffiness. If you use these creams regularly, you can notice how your skin is soft and glowy every day.
(ix) Pamper your hands with hand cream
This is something that we tend to overlook β the importance of good hand cream. Never leave your home without a tube of hydrating hand cream in your bag. And donβt be afraid to use it during your trip. It will help your hands avoid being dry and it will help counter the effects of harsh commercial-grade soaps found in public bathrooms. So, a win-win.
5.Β Focus on the basics
Even though we would like to be able to carry all our beauty products on our trip, it is highly unlikely that youβre able to do so. Thatβs why you need to prioritize and choose only the products that are truly essential for your skincare routine. Essentials include sunscreen with at least SPF 30, make-up wipes, facial cleanser, and nighttime moisturizer, for most people.
You can survive without toners and serums while away. On the other hand, if you are using skin medications or ointments, make sure to pack those as they are a necessity as they prevent flares while on the go.
6.Β Pack in travel sizes and get creative if your products donβt come in travel size
You can buy beauty products as well as skincare products nowadays in travel size. This is very convenient as it allows you to take quite a few products that occupy very little space in your travel bag. But even if your skincare products donβt come in travel size, itβs not the end of the world.
You just need to get creative and think of some ways to pack these products more conveniently. You can buy mini travel containers thatβll be able to store all your products. Another popular way of storing creams is in contact lens cases, which are convenient because of their petite size.Β Take a good-quality mini-size make-up remover pack with you. They come in handy.
7.Β Donβt touch your face too much
Our hands pick up all the dirt and dust from the air and different surfaces we touch. And when we touch our face, we are at risk of transferring those impure particles to our face which can cause skin breakouts. Try to stick to this rule, especially when traveling to polluted areas.Β Keep your hands clean by keeping your own anti-bacterial handwash on you. You will find public spaces in some countries that do not provide soap.
8.Β Ditch makeup while traveling
It would be a good idea to ditch your makeup during your trip, if possible. Itβs better to let your skin breathe. By not using makeup you donβt have to worry about it being smudged. Instead, use your daily cream as a combination of your makeup and weather conditions that can cause your skin to break out. And thatβs the last thing you need on your trip. If you are going to need make-up, choose smudge-proof make-up that can keep up with your travel schedule.
9.Β Take care of your lips and puffy eyes
Our eyes and lips are the first to show the travel effects on our bodies. The time zone change can cause some serious changes in our eyes and lips as well. You can help yourself by using your favorite under-eye product.
As far as the lips are concerned, they tend to get chapped and irritated when traveling, and thatβs why we mustnβt forget to deal with them as well. To heel, use a moisturizing lip product and apply it timely to your lips.
Bottom Line
Travelling is a truly unique experience, but not taking care of yourself, your body, diet, water intake, and skincare can really ruin this special time that you devote to exploring new things and learning about other cultures. Luckily for us, with a few simple tips and tricks, we can avoid this by taking care of ourselves and our health while away. Happy holidays!
Want to know more?
Traveling is amazing but contributes to global warming. Here’s how you can easily make a difference when you travel.
Who is the Author?
Mia Johnson
Mia Johnson is a writer with a ten-year-long career in journalism. She has written extensively about health, fitness, and lifestyle. A native of Melbourne, she now lives in Sydney with her 3 dogs where she spends her days writing and taking care of her 900 square ft garden.
