10 travel hacks to keep your energy up on long adventure trips

Travel can sometimes be more of a marathon rather than a sprint. Trying to fit in all you want to do or see while managing the mental stress of “not wasting a day FOMO” might lead you into burn out – exactly what you don’t want to happen. So here’s some travel hacks to help you keep your energy up on your adventures.

Table of Contents

• What to do before you go to keep your energy up
• What to do while you’re travelling to keep your energy up
• Packing tips to help keep your energy up

Travel hacks to keep your energy up: before you go

• Train up!
  If you’re doing something that requires any sort of physical activity, practice before you go. Whether it’s long hikes in the mountains or just wandering around Disney, keeping yourself in as good shape (as possible for you) will make it easier to get around.
  You don’t need to be “marathon fit” (unless, ya know, you’re travelling to do a marathon). But even increasing your step count for a few weeks before your trip can help make it less daunting while you’re there.
  
• Plan down days in your itinerary.
  If you can, try to schedule in a down day or late start every few days while you’re travelling. Building them in can help alleviate the stress you might feel if you’re “not doing enough” to make the most of your trip and jam packing every single minute of every single day. This is me. I am the one jam packing every minute always.
  But that doesn’t mean you need to spend it rotting in your room. This is just a day where the plan is to do something less strenuous. For example, you could: visit hot sprints, plan a longer tasting menu dinner, lounge by the hotel pool, see a movie, or even just decide that you get to sleep in on this day
  
• Fight jet lag before takeoff
  As much as you can, try to start adjusting your sleep schedule a few days before you go. Obviously you can’t do a full 12 hour turn around while balancing work/family/your day-to-day. But you can wake up a little earlier or go to bed later to soften the transition so you have more energy while you’re away.

Travel hacks to keep your energy up while on your trip

• Eat good food
  I don’t just mean delicious croissants or mouth watering street food (you should absolutely eat those). I mean, make sure you’re incorporating the nutrients you need to keep you from feeling sluggish. Grab that apple from the breakfast buffet. Make sure you’re getting enough protein. Enjoy a smoothie on the go. Don’t forget about fibre! This isn’t about calories or diet culture, it’s just about keeping yourself energized so you can make the most out of your trip.
  

• BYO Snacks
  If you can’t tell, I love food and I also love not being hangry. I always keep a few protein bars in my bag since they help keep me full between meals. They’re a great re-charge on longer hikes or while out exploring. Plus, sometimes the snacks on the road are “tourist tax” prices that I just don’t always want to pay (looking at you, JFK Airport with your dusty sandwiches and water for $23).
  
• Siesta!
  You don’t have to be in Spain to enjoy a siesta (or a mid-afternoon break). If you don’t want to commit to a full down day, or if you know your evening plans are gonna go late, planning an hour or two of downtime in the middle of the day to take a nap or just get out of the sun for a bit can help you charge up to keep going.
  This is especially helpful for safari trips where you usually need to start super early or go late (like at one of the lit watering holes in Etosha). Animals are least active in the middle of the hot day so you’re not missing out.
  
• Plan your caffeine to keep your energy up
  Wow. Caffeine as an energy boost. Real insightful tip, Sam lol.
  But the tip here is to use caffeine meaningfully. Sure it’s an amazing tool to give you a boost, but avoid taking it too late in the day so it doesn’t mess with your sleep schedule. Unless you want to mess with your sleep schedule to fight jet lag (see above).
  
• JUST GO TO SLEEP
  Let revenge bedtime procrastination be an “at home” thing. When you’re travelling there’s no need to stay up til 3am scrolling endlessly on TikTok. So try and keep your phone out of it and go to bed at a time where you’ll get enough rest to charge you up for the next day. I’m yelling here at myself lol.
  
• HYDRATE
  Heat stroke? Not today. It’s a sure fire way to absolutely ruin your trip. When you’re thirsty you can be sluggish or just feel like garbage. So keep up your water intake throughout the day, especially if you’re travelling somewhere hot. I like to pack hydration tablets like these. They were a godsend while camping in the Namib Desert when it was hitting 40 degrees Celsius (or 104F for the Americans).
  Pssst. I loved camping in Namibia, check out this blog to start planning a self-drive in Namibia.

Packing tips to keep your energy up while travelling

Pack like sleeping is part of your plans
Just like how you pack your bathing suit if you know you’re going snorkelling, you should pack things that will help you sleep.

If you’re staying in places that might not be optimal (hello hostels or loud cities), bring things to make sleep a little easier or more comfortable.

What to pack to stay energized while travelling

• Eye mask (great for planes, camping, hotel rooms in bright cities)
• Earplugs (again, @ every hostel ever)
• Travel-sized white noise machine (like any of these)
• Hydration tablets
• Comfortable shoes. It’s crazy how much longer you can go when your feet aren’t protesting.

How do you keep your energy up?

So how do you like to stay energized while you travel? Leave me a comment below and let me know!