How to Stay Healthy + Hydrated on Vacation

You spend months planning the perfect summer vacation (not to mention the many more months you spent saving up for it), and while the first few days truly feel like paradise on earth, one morning you wake up and your head feels funny, your body is sore, and you just don’t feel like leaving the room. Maybe it was that last drink you had with dinner last night, maybe it’s the heat, or maybe you’re just missing your own bed. Sound familiar? It probably does. And it’s probably a bad case of dehydration, one of the sneakiest, most common issues that can make going on vacation feel more like “getting through it.”

Fortunately, dehydration is almost just as easy to avoid on vacation as it is to get. Here are our best tips for avoiding trouble in paradise and getting the absolute most out of whichever exotic locale you are jetting off to this summer.

Enjoy the Shade

One of the most common culprits of vacation dehydration is a higher amount of sun exposure than we are used to. If you’re anything like us, you probably spend most of the fall and winter dreaming of sunny Caribbean beaches and palm trees. But if you spend most of your time in cooler climates (or even air conditioned offices, amidst the blistering Richmond summer heat), your body isn’t as ready for the tropical temperatures and sun as your inner beach bum may be.

When we escape to warmer climates, significantly more water escapes the body through perspiration (which it uses to cool itself down). Especially when we participate in strenuous tourist activities—don’t underestimate the workout potential of a kayaking or paddle boarding session. That’s why being mindful of water intake is so important during vacation, as well as taking occasional breaks from the sun in the shade and indoors. 

Wear Sunscreen

Unfortunately, dehydration and sun fatigue aren’t the worst things that can happen when you’ve lazed on the beach a little too long. Skin that’s been burnt by the sun’s ultraviolet rays usually becomes very dry and blistered. To moisturize and heal the sunburn, the body sends water to the skin’s surface. However, that means it also pulls water away from vital organs and other parts of the body. And the more water you’ve already lost from being out in the sun too long, the worse the dehydration gets. Make sure to drink extra water if you’ve gotten a little too much sun, and double up with aloe vera and hydrating products on the affected skin. 

Don’t Get Too Happy at Happy Hour

We know there’s nothing quite like an ice-cold piña colada and a good book right on the beach. Besides, when else do you get to drink an adult beverage at noon on a Tuesday? However, alcohol is a major diuretic, meaning it chases water (along with essential electrolytes and nutrients) out of the body. In fact, many of the annoying, pain-in-the-you-know-what symptoms of a hangover are actually those of dehydration. Coupled with prior dehydration from sun exposure and travel, that last drink could cause some serious morning regret. And while we won’t tell you to nix alcohol from your vacation (because we know you probably won’t listen to us), try to keep your alcohol to water cup ratio 1 to 1. 

Mind the Caffeine

Another one of our guilty pleasure diuretics? Caffeine. Whether you are staying alert behind the wheel on the way to your destination or making sure you don’t sleep through your boarding time, caffeine is another major source of travel dehydration. Coupled with inconvenient airplane bathrooms and keeping road-trip bathroom breaks few and far between, the chances of arriving at your destination hydrated and refreshed are low. And though we know that you can’t always avoid those red-eye flights or long drives, it’s important to combat the dehydration as soon as you get to your final destination (and in walking distance of a private bathroom). Though it may be tempting to make the bar your first stop on the resort tour, make sure to quench your body with all of the water you weren’t able to drink throughout the day. You will thank yourself when it’s time for all of those walking tours and long walks on the beach. 

Now that we’ve told you all of the things not to do on vacation, we want to give you some tips to make hydrating just a little bit easier. Of course, the easiest way to get proper hydration and nutrients is an infusion from InnoVitamin Solutions, but unless your vacation is a stay-cation, you may have to hydrate the old-fashioned way. Our number one piece of advice, of course, is to drink water (and schedule an appointment before or after your trip), but there are a few sneaky ways to get your hydration in without gluing a water bottle to your hand for the duration of your trip. 

Drink Coconut Water

Packed with electrolytes—namely, potassium, sodium, and magnesium—coconut water is a sweet, low-calorie way to rehydrate and replenish vital nutrients after a long day in the sun. Plus, it’s usually easier to find in pure form in sunny, tropical locations!

Enjoy Fruits with High Water Content

Switching up your diet is one of the best parts of travel. Luckily, many of the fruits and vegetables native to warmer climates are also rich in water content. Fruits with thicker peels, like watermelon, grapefruit, pineapple, papaya, and oranges, are a great source of hydration and vitamins. Enjoying foods with high water content is an easy way to cool down and add more water to the body. 

Try Chia Seeds

Adding chia seeds to your diet is another sneaky, easy way to increase your fluid intake. Because they can absorb up to 30 times their weight in water, and because they’re rich in nutrients and electrolytes, they can aid in rehydration. Chia seeds are a great addition to salads, oatmeal, and smoothies, but they can also be consumed in water as a tonic. Bonus point: chia seeds are great for relieving travel-induced digestive imbalance, and they are super easy to transport 

And though all of these tips should keep dehydration at bay while you are at the bay, we like to consider ourselves reasonable people. We know it’s hard to remember to drink water when you are making memories to last a lifetime, or to take breaks inside when you are in paradise. That’s why a post-vacation IV drip is the perfect pick-me-up to get you back into full gear once you return to your normal routine. Because who wants to feel like they need a vacation as soon as they’ve gotten back from one?