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How to Survive Your Winter Vacation Holistically

Tuesday, February 11, 2020, 04:35 PM

February is a common time of the year for many Canadians to escape to a tropical place. While you are sure to enjoy yourself once you arrive at your destination, the time it takes to get there can be filled with stress, illness, and many other unfortunate occurrences.

We took to research and our members to create a holistic survival guide to travel.

Combat Nausea

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy can be used to relieve a number of symptoms of several different illnesses, disorders, and smaller ailments like nausea or headaches. When the plane is going up and your stomach is dropping, use these common essential oils for relief.

Remember to use aromatherapy with caution in public areas and ask other people around you if they have any sensitivity.

Peppermint is often used to relieve headaches but can also help sooth an upset stomach. Use a small amount of this essential oil on your temples or combine it with acupressure and apply some to the PC6 pressure point.

Ginger is commonly known to relieve nausea. It can also be used as aromatherapy to reduce the feeling of sickness. Apply ginger oil to pressure points such as PC6 on your wrists or directly to the stomach area to alleviate stomach aches.

Acupressure

Aromatherapy is not for everyone and may not be the most travel-friendly therapy. However, seven pressure points can help to alleviate feelings of nausea, two of which are in this guide.

P6 can be found on the inner side of the wrist.

A photo showing where acupressure point P6 is located.
  1. While holding your hand up with your palm facing you, place the first three fingers on your other hand across your wrist at the base of your palm.
  2. Place your thumb right below these fingers.
  3. Press your thumb gently in this area so that you feel two large tendons. This is where the point is located.
  4. Apply pressure to this spot and repeat it on the other hand.

L14 is located on the back of your hand.

A photo showing where acupressure point L14 is located.
  1. Locate the highest spot on the muscle between your thumb and index finger, where your thumb connects to your fingers.
  2. L14 is half an inch inward on the back of your hand.
  3. Apply pressure there and repeat it on the other hand.

Ease into Relaxation

Many travelers experience stress and anxiety in airports and on planes. Here are some helpful tips.

Aromatherapy

Just like for nausea, aromatherapy can be used to alleviate stress and anxiety felt during travel. Here is a list of the most effective oils and how to use them.

Bergamot oil is cold-pressed from the rind of oranges and popular for relieving anxiety. Dab it on a handkerchief or piece of cloth to get its soothing properties.

Chamomile oil is made from the flowers of the chamomile plant and can be found in two different varieties: German Chamomile and Roman Chamomile.

To obtain its stress and anxiety-relieving properties it can be diffused; made into a spray; and used in carrier oils, lotions, and compresses. For travel, mix one to two drops into hand lotion and apply it to the hands or neck.

Lavender is the most common essential oil for a calming effect. The oil is made from the lavender flower and is known to have muscle-relaxing, anti-inflammatory, and anti-anxiety properties.

Like the others, it can be diffused, combined with a lotion or carrier oil, and — best for travel — dripped onto a cloth or tissue.

The Battle of Bacteria

It is a very common misconception that the recycled air you are breathing is the culprit for making you sick. In fact, the air we breathe on airplanes can actually be cleaner than the air in your workplace.

How can that be? Fresh air is constantly brought into the cabin and cleaned in a series of stages. The first being compression, where the air is compressed until the pressure matches the air inside the cabin.

While this is happening, the air is also heated up and cooled. The second stage involves the use of High-Efficiency Particulate Air filters, HEPA filters, to remove 99.97% of harmful particles.

Natural Disinfectant

NHPC member Lorraine Kochan recommends the use of Thieves oil on a flight. She uses it on her feet before getting on a flight to help fight off illness.

Thieves oil is a combination of cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus, lemon, and rosemary. It can also be used as a way to naturally disinfect your space on the plane to avoid coming in contact with harmful bacteria. More specifically, use it on your seat, making sure not to forget the headrest, the tray and armrests.

Instructions

  1. Add 10–15 drops of thieves oil per ounce of water.
  2. Optional: Add a dispersing agent like solubol. This helps the oils diffuse better in water.
  3. Shake before using.

For more information on how you can help sooth travel ailments, find a holistic health practitioner in your area using our Member Directory.

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