7 Steps to a Better Vacation: Prevent Travel Stress and muscle tension

These 7 steps to a better vacation can help you reduce travel stress and muscle tension while making your trip more comfortable and enjoyable. 1). Get the gear – Don’t bother to keep awkward sized luggage or suitcases whose wheels don’t work well, or for that matter any bag or backpack that is physically uncomfortable in any way.  If your shoulders or back aren’t comfortable, they will hold more tension which can become painful over time.

2).  Bring a tennis ball, golf ball, and a travel foam roller or another massage tool – Quickly and easily reduce muscle tension and pain with these must-have massage tools.  Pack a tennis ball and put it in a pillow case and sling over one shoulder and lean back against a wall, (or air-plane seat) breathe deeply, and stay on each tight spot until you feel a lessening of tension, then move on to a new spot. Repeat with your other shoulder.  A golf-ball makes a great foot massage roller for keeping your feet relaxed for all the sight-seeing you’ve planned.  While seated, roll out the soles of your feet, not much more than five minutes per foot is usually needed to get results.  As with any massage tool, it is possible to overdo it and cause inflammation, so take care, pack some Tiger Balm, arnica gel, or other topical analgesic cream to use afterwards, just in case. 

3). Stay healthy - pack vitamin C in powder form (Emergen-C or something similar) and carry hand-sanitizing wipes for airport and airplane chairs and other commonly-touched surfaces.  Hand-sanitizing wipes are especially important when traveling with kids to keep them (and you!) healthy and having fun.

4).  Bring your own pillow for greater comfort if you have chronic neck tension or pain, pack it in a plastic sweater-saver bag, (available online by searching for “space-saving travel storage bags,”  and at most large retail stores) squish out all the air in it  and zip it up to save space in your luggage.  This is also great for packing bulky sweaters and coats! 

5). Stretch out key muscle groups to prevent stiffness and tension while on long flights, at the gate while waiting to board, and in-flight.  Before boarding the plane or getting in your car for a long drive, do the angel arms stretch and psoas (pronounced “so-az”) stretch for opening up shoulders and hip flexors which often get tight and stiff on long flights or car trips.  For the angel arms stretch, you can do this seated, standing, or lying down.  Stretch your arms wide and move them in an arc, like you are making a snow angel.  The psoas stretch is shown by going to this Youtube link (I also call this one a “kneeling lunge stretch” or a modified warrior one pose in yoga): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfswfLuW_tI The stretch I’m talking about starts at about 30 seconds into the short video. 

6). Get good sleep - If you need help with sleep on the plane and at your destination, guided meditations for sleep work well, as I found out when I forgot my melatonin when traveling to Europe.  You can find relaxing guided meditations for sleep on Youtube or a free phone app.

7). Plan ahead and schedule your massage appointments for before you leave and after you come back.  Your body and mind will rest easy knowing that you will start your vacation or work trip with an aligned and relaxed musculoskeletal system.  Accumulating muscle tension is inevitable with time away from your regular workouts or PT exercises, so having your appointments set up for when you return will ensure a smoother transition back to real life.

Call (719) 654-4553 or email me at inspirationhealingarts@proton.me to book your session