Updated from blog oginially posted on March 9th, 2018.

March break is just around the corner and is one of the business travel times of the year. Along with lots of teachers, parents and their kids will be packing up and taking vacation whether it’s to a hot destination or even ski vacation (although this year you need to search for some snow!). 

Healthy or not, young or old, thousands of people will be travelling mid March trying to get a break from their every day life. If you’re one of these people taking a vacation this month, your risk of getting sick is greatly increased, even more so if you’re hopping on a germ vessel…I mean plane! 😉

Staying healthy over the “flu season” can feel impossible, especially if you have kids, but protecting your immunity should be more of a lifestyle commitment than only used in cases of sickness.

In today’s blog I’ll be talking about the top essential oils and products I bring when I travel to keep me protected, but before I go there I just wanted to talk about my top 7 daily basic tips you can do daily to protect your immune system year-round so that when it’s time for vacation you’re ready!

Top 7 Basics for Keeping Healthy Year Round

1. Get enough sleep: along with stress, poor sleep increases how much cortisol your adrenals kick out which suppresses your immune system. You should aim to get around 8hrs of quality sleep. If you’re waking up tired, you’re not getting enough! Check out my post about natural tips for sleep here. 
2. Drink less alcohol: as all know that alcohol is toxic to our bodies, so the more we consume the weaker our entire system is, including our immune system. Keep it for the occasional weekend gathering or special occasions.
3. Eat your antioxidants: consuming lots of fresh vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fruits help to provide your system with the needed micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) that our body needs to stay healthy.
4. Nurture your gut flora: since around 80% of our immune system is in our gut, keeping the good bacteria outnumbering the bad bacteria is key to keeping your immune system happy. To read more on digestive health and gut flora, check out my post about improving gut health HERE. 
5. Vitamin D: keeping your sunshine vitamin up is very important in maintaining a healthy immune system. To read more about the importance of vitamin D for more than just your immune system, check out my post HERE. 
6. Drink lots of water: water not only keeps us hydrated, but it’s what your body uses to transport nutrients throughout our bodies as well as eliminating the toxins and waste not needed for disposal. You should aim to have 2L of water daily. To help you gauge your hydration level, your urine should be a light yellow colour.
7. Quit sugar: could possibly be considered one of the most important components of keeping a healthy immune system, keeping your sugars to a minimum is key if you want to stay healthy year round! 1g of sugar can impair your immune system for hours! Just think of that sticky feeling you get on your hands when you touch something sugary… that’s the same thing that happens in your body…a slow sticky mess. Especially if you’re sick, cutting sugar is the fastest way to feeling better again! Check out my post about how to keep the balance when it comes to blood sugar here. 

Ok, now to the good stuff… How to protect yourself when you travel?

So of course, when I’m home, cooking my own meals, keeping my exposure limited and my wonderful clients stay home when they’re sick, 😉 keeping healthy is much easier! But when travelling, there are so many factors outside of our control that additional protection is needed.

This is when I turn to my amazing powerhouse essential oils!

I’ve been using essential oils in my home for almost 5 years now. They have become my complimentary medicine cabinet as well as my emotional support tools and I use them daily. {I’ll write more about how I use them daily next month!}

So as you can imagine, my essential oil collection is quite large, and when I’m planning on going on a trip it’s always a decision of what oils to pack so that my suit case doesn’t way a million pounds or they get confiscated for too much liquid volume at security!

Side Story: On one of my first trips with my oils a couple of years ago, I had my travel pouch with my oils with me going through security and I got pulled aside for a secondary check. The woman opened my bag and went straight for the oils bag. My heart sank…and all I could think was NOOO! Don’t take my oils! And she just looked at me with a big smile and said: Are there essential oils in here? And I quietly said yes… And she unzipped the bag, took a deep breath inside the bag, closed it up, gave me another big smile and said enjoy your trip! LOL! ♥

Ok, so what oils do I travel with?

Here’s the 7 oils that make the cut and how to use them:

1. On Guard: This is definitely the #1 oil you should be taking for immunity. It’s doTERRA’s protective blend and contains the top anti-bacterial and anti-vial oils providing a full range of protection. This oil will help your body fight off and kill any pathogens that you come into contact with.
   
   How to use:
   • Apply 1 drop to your hands and rub them together as a hand sanitizer. Then take 3 deep inhales through your mouth and nose for immune protection and boost.
   • Add 1 drop to ½ oz of water to swish and swallow as a boosting mouth wash.
   • You can also use their Sanitizing Mist spray or make your own in a small 2oz spray bottle. I just prefer to pack lighter!
     
2. Lavender: Not only is this oil great for it’s calming effect on moods, but if you’re going to a sunny destination this oil is a must to help heal any sunburns. It’s also amazing to soothe skin irritations such as bug bites or cuts.
   
   How to use:
   • Apply 1 drop to your hotel pillow, kids blanket, or directly on your wrists or pulse points for it’s calming and soothing effects. This is great to help calm anxiety, promote restful sleep, or just to help calm hyperactive kids!
   • For adult apply directly to your skin if you have a cut or bug bite to take the itch away. For kids, mix it in a bit of a carrier oil. (adding tea tree to the mix is great)
   • Mix 10 drops of lavender + 10 drops peppermint in your 2oz travel spray bottle with water. Spray on skin to help sooth the heat and irritation of a sun burn.
     
3. Tea Tree/Melaleuca: Tea tree is known for it’s anti-microbial effects. As mentioned above, it’s great to be added with lavender for insect bites or cuts for it’s a powerful antiseptic. It’s also amazing at helping to sooth and heal any acne that might pop up with an increase in sweating if you somewhere hot, sunscreen applications, or even just being in a plane for a long period of time not able to wash your face, etc…
   
   How to use:
   • Apply topically for bug bites or any other skin irritation such as acne.
   • Use as a hand sanitizer by applying it directly to your hands or in mixed with water in a spray bottle.
     
4. DigestZen/ZenGest: This digestive soother is one of my favorite oil blends! When travelling and experiencing new and different foods, you never know what might upset your stomach. This oil is amazing from indigestion to a full parasite infection such as traveller’s diarrhea. It helps to calm all these uncomfortable digestive issues, including heart burn.
   
   How to use:
   • Apply topically to your stomach for instant relief. Rub it in with your hand and then take a few deep breaths through your mouth and nose to maximize the soothing effects. This is great for both constipation and diarrhea. 
   • For heart burn, apply to the upper digestive area (where your breast bone ends)
     
     
5. Lemon: Lemon oil is definitely a multi-purpose oil. It’s an amazing cleansing agent from the air, surfaces, and even your body. It also helps support our respiratory system and can be a great mood booster too! Also can be used as a natural and amazing “goo-be-gone” if you get any sticky residue on you at any time during your travels.
   
   How to use:
   • Add 1 to 2 drops in your water and drink. It’s a great thirst quencher, digestive aid, immune support, and even calming for nausea. It also helps to kill off any pathogens that might be in the water, although I highly recommend you consume only filtered water when away.
   • Add 1 drop to your cocktails to jazz up your drinks! 😉 
     
     Note: don’t put lemon oil in plastic containers for it’s known to dissolve petrochemicals such as plastic and will break down your water bottle. Use glass or stainless steel.
     
6. Peppermint: This herb has been valued for centuries for it’s calming and soothing effects. It’s well known for it’s ability to calm an upset digestive system (which is why it’s one of the oils in the DigestZen blend!). This oil is also great for opening up our airways, soothing a headache, provide a boost of energy, soothing burnt skin, and cooling you off if you’re too warm or even have a fever.
   
   How to use:
   • Put 1 drop in the palm of your hands, rub them together and breath deeply in from your mouth and nose to combat nausea or an upset stomach. Also great for a boost of energy and alertness or even to help calm an irritated respiratory tract.
   • Apply a drop to the back of your neck if you’re too warm for it’s amazing cooling effect! Perfect if you get hot flashes!
   • Spray on skin (see how to in Lavender) to help sooth the heat and irritation of a sun burn. This will especially take the heat and burning feeling away and keep you cool.
     
7. TerraShield: This perfect blend is formulated as a natural repellant, perfect for any hot destination vacation. This is perfect for any outdoor use: hiking, biking, camping, BBQ’s or any other outdoor activities that you can think of! Even walks on the beach with those pesky sand flies! This natural and gentile on the skin formula is even great for your kids. You don’t have to worry about the negative side effects of Deet. :/
   
   How to use:
   • Spray directly on your skin and rub in. Note that the product is in an oil base, so you would rub it in like a cream!
     

Suggested Accessories

• Empty spray bottles (2-3): I use them for an On Guard sanitizing spray, after sun spray, and a bug spray.
• Fractionated coconut oil: to be used as a carrier oil for various topical applications, especially great if you have kids and need to dilute the oils.
• If you’re travelling with kids, I would recommend you pre-formulate a few diluted roller bottles to bring with you. For more details on specific blends you can make email me: andrea@holisticharmonyhealth.com
• Diffuser: packing a mini diffuser for your trip is always helpful, especially if you have kids! You can easily put a few drops to diffuse of lavender for sleep, On Guard for immunity, or lemon and/or peppermint for uplifting and purifying.

I put together a PDF of all my top oils and even more uses for them.  Enter your information below to have it sent directly to your inbox.

How to get the Oils

Ok, so now I’m sure I have you all excited about using essential oils for travel you want to know how you can get your hands on some! I put together these perfect travel kits for you!

The kit includes a travel key chain with 8 x 5/8 drams (2ml) that contain 40 drops of each the following oils: On Guard, Lavender, Melaleuca, Lemon, DigestZen, Peppermint (oils mentioned above). With an additional 2 oils not mentioned: Serenity (calming/sleep aid essential oil) and Breathe (great to open up the respiratory tract). It also includes the On Guard hand sanitizer and the TerraShield repellant spray. I’ve added in 2 sample packs of the Deep Blue rub (perfect for sore muscles), the shampoo and conditioner, as well as 2 packs of the On Guard toothpaste (fluoride free). There are 3 empty 2oz spray bottles and 3 5ml roller bottles ¾ full with fractionated coconut oil (liquid) ready to dilute with the oils of your choice.

The cost of these packs is regular $130 but I’m giving a 15% discount and they’ll only be $110 CAD + HST. If you’re interested in purchasing a travel pack for pick up at my office, click here to order through PayPal.

If you’d like the kit delivered, there is an additional $15 and you can purchase it HERE. 

Now, because essential oils can be very powerful, it’s important that you use a pure and trusted brand. I personally recommend doTERRA essential oils because they are not only 100% pure, third party tested, safe, natural, and free from contaminants/synthetics/filler, but they’re also the highest therapeutic grade available in the market. So not only are we working with a pure product, but one with the highest healing powers! Double BAM!

If you love natural health solutions and products and want to get a therapeutic effect from all your personal needs (cleaning products, personal care products, and essential oils for everything including moods!), then the best way to buy the oils would be to get a wholesale membership through doTERRA which would give you wholesale pricing (25% discount)! There are various kits you can buy which waive the enrollment fee ($42CAD) or you can just pay the fee and buy individual oils of your choice.

You can purchase the kits and oils directly from my site here under the Join & Save tab: https://www.mydoterra.com/andrearossi/

If you’re not sure how to start or if you want more information about the oils, the membership, or even about healthy travel, email me your questions! I love to hear from you: andrea@holisticharmonyhealth.com

Much Love,