Gluten-Free Travel, Safe Travel Kit
JET LAG: This trick makes your first day seem endless, but it’s so worth the effort. Where ever you’re going, no matter how long it takes to get there, no matter what time you arrive…DO NOT go to sleep until at least 9:pm the evening of whatever time zone you end up in. We use our first day to settle in, find our rentals, locate the house, unpack our luggage, do a bit of grocery shopping, and talk about our plans for our visit. First time we did this was traveling to Ireland. We arrived at 8:am! By 9:pm that night we were all sitting outside staring blindly at the countryside, not talking or moving. Some of us gave up and went to bed, some stayed awake another hour. In the morning we were all fine and ready to investigate Ireland! WhooHoo!
ANTIBACTERIAL WIPES: I’m not a big fan of antibacterial anything…I feel many of us fear germs far more than necessary. It may sound contradictory, but exposure to germs is necessary to strengthen our immune systems. HOWEVER, when it comes to using strange toilets I’ve discovered the value of Antibacterial Wipes. Buy those travel packets, make certain they’re the antibacterial type, then keep some in your purse or backpack, more in the rental car, and the rest in your luggage for future use.
ELECTROLYTE MIX: Sea Salt, Baking Soda, Raw Sugar added to a glass of Lemonade is great for replacing any electrolytes lost during a ‘bad’ day on vacation. And if you can find those dried lemon crystals even better! Mix equal portions (salt/soda/sugar/crystals) in a small container and toss them into your travel bag. Then simply add 1 tsp (1/2 tsp for children) of the mix in your bottled water and sip throughout the day. This was my serious rescue after a visit to the buffet on top of Machu Picchu in Peru. I thought I was being extra careful...didn't take long to realize I had not! I spent the day in bed while my travel-mates visited Mandor Pampa without me.
GINGER: Any way you like it, capsules or candy, it’s great for nausea and sea-sickness. You can also order ginger ale to drink as often as you like. Ginger has a long history of being used to treat nausea, stomachaches, and diarrhea. I learned my love of Ginger from my Grandmother. She always had some of those sweet/spicy candies handy for a tummy ache...or simply for being good :-) I've also learned to cook with it and both the powdered spice and the sweetened candies have always been a staple in my cabinet.
GRAPEFUIT SEED EXTRACT: Works wonders for bacterial, viral, and fungal infections including yeast infections as well as those nasty little stomach bugs you occasionally find when drinking strange water. When I picked up that bug in Peru, this was a vacation saver for me. I have the liquid concentrate in my bath kit. All it takes is a few drops in some bottled water. And apparently now you can even purchase it as a capsule…which is exactly what I plan to do next trip.
IMODIUM: Yes, it’s a permanent item in my bath kit. No, I don’t take it any more often than is absolutely necessary. If your system is trying to expel something it doesn’t want inside it’s foolish to try and stop that process. However, it does come in handy on occasion if a long travel trip is planned and you’re feeling a bit iffy. Or after you’ve already spent the day getting rid of whatever was bothering you and you want to venture out the next day. Please don't go crazy with this stuff...be selective when you're going to use it.
LATEX-FREE BAND AIDES: Before I got my Dermatitis Herpetiformis under control I went through hundreds of these. Not so much any longer, but they’re still in my bag every trip. My fingers used to crack and bleed something awful. I used these little babies to 'stitch' things up many times. They saved me from a lot of pain and discomfort. If the bandage is too wide for the area...simply cut one in half lengthwise...then wrap as usual. This little trick worked great if I had to apply one around a toe or between two knuckles. Thankfully, I don't need these as much anymore. Now I travel with my Grand-kids and there's nothing better for a tearful cut than a Nanna Band-Aide.
PEPPERMINT: I love Peppermint, tea or candy they both work great for many tummy issues. Thanks to its calming and numbing effect, peppermint relaxes your stomach muscles so that bile can break down fats and food can move through the stomach quickly. However, if you have GastroEsophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), you should not use peppermint.
VITAMIN C: Great for burns…even sunburns. Make certain you pack the capsule form…not the chewable ones. Dissolve a capsule or two in cool water and apply generously to any burn. Try to use distilled or filtered water only…remember you’ll be applying it to damaged skin so you honestly don’t want to be introducing more germs than necessary. I keep Vitamin C capsules in my spice cabinet at home. Yes, I do get careless on occasion while cooking...and these little jewels have saved my hands or arms from scars more times than I care to count. When my Granddaughter burned her ear on the curling iron some Vitamin C dissolved in water and generously applied was the only reason she did not end up with a scar.
TOILET PAPER: Yes, Toilet Paper. Just because you love your comforts of home, doesn’t mean you’ll find them everywhere you travel. Get a roll of your favorite Toilet Tissue, unroll it, and break it down into 3 or 4 packets and put them into Ziploc baggies. Keep one in your purse or backpack, another in the rental car, and the rest in your luggage for future use. These days you can also find those little travel-sized packages of toilet paper. They cost a bit more but are easier to tuck into a purse or backpack and still come in very handy when out and about.
CarolAnne Le Blanc
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