4 Healthy + Natural Travel Essentials

type="html">Because I live where the ground is frozen solid for over half the year, I always feel the need to cram as much fun as possible into the season. We're on the go a lot more and so I sometimes find myself making health and/or "green" compromises for the sake of saving time or making life easier while travelling.

Finding products + tools that make it easy to stay on track in those situations is helpful for me, and I've stumbled upon some gems on my quest for a simple, healthy, natural lifestyle - no matter what the season! Allow me to share!

Simple Snacks

It's all too easy to go for fast food while travelling but it makes me feel awful, especially if I'm forced to sit still in a car for hours afterward! It puts me right to sleep. I like to satisfy my hunger and feed the kiddos healthier snacks - like trail mix! Obviously it's really easy to switch this up to suit your tastes, but I am a big fan of simply mixing dried cranberries, almonds, and popcorn. YUM.

Family-Friendly Products

Rather than packing a ton of different stuff for each member of the family I like to find ways to bring things we can all use. For example, skin solution is an all-in-one moisturizer, makeup remover, diaper-rash-healer, razor burn banisher, and "natural Neosporin" for wound care in ONE bottle!

I also only pack whatever bar of soap tickles my fancy at the time (I have collected a LOT of bars of natural soap over the last couple of years..) since it can be used by everyone and is perfectly fine to use as shampoo as well!

Probiotics

Probiotics are always a good idea, but especially if you are travelling far from home. Unfamiliar food can cause interesting digestive situations which is the last thing you want to be dealing with when you're trying to enjoy a trip!

In fact, even if you're not travelling too far, I think most of us tend to eat different kinds of food than at home - and probably way more processed and less nutritious in general. Keeping your "gut-health" in check with probiotics isn't just good for your digestion, it's also a really big key player in how your immune system performs, which is another concern while travelling.

Essential Oils

It's easy to go overboard here and pack a billion little bottles, but I try to keep it to 2 or 3 depending on the trip. Where we'll stay, how far from home we're headed, and what we'll be doing factors in, but I generally stick with the basics:

• Lavender oil - calming, which can be helpful if you're travelling across time zones and need to adjust your sleep schedule, as well as for little ones who are forced to sit longer than they normally would in a car or plane!
• Tea tree oil - your antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial best friend, especially if you're staying in a hotel room! It's also energizing and uplifting and is fantastic for clearing up acne (which always seems to flare up for me when I travel.)

Travelling lightweight is sometimes tricky to do - especially with kids - but I always feel so much more "free" and able to enjoy myself when there is less shlepping to do. :)

Are you headed off on exciting travels this summer? What are your favorite travel essentials?