Travel can be a stressful time. Whether it’s a vacation or work travel, so much goes into planning a trip. Often, while packing, organizing, and coordinating the details, you might overlook things like skin care because they seem time-consuming.
You may also want to travel light, which can make carrying all your skin care essentials a hassle. However, skin care becomes even more important during travel because of the various stressors you’ll face, such as the sudden and frequent changes in climate and food.
If not handled well, these environmental, physical, and mental changes can undo all the good work of your regular skin care routine, resulting in rashes and sudden breakouts.1
To keep this from happening, here are some skin care tips to ensure that you stay on top of your game while on the move.
How to Take Care of Your Skin While Traveling
1. Stay hydrated
Travel may throw you off schedule, and you can easily forget to drink water. Always carry a water bottle with you and take sips at regular intervals. Aim for 8 ounces of water per hour, and drink more water if you’re flying, doing outdoor activities, or sweating.2
2. Get enough rest
Make sure that you get enough beauty sleep. If you’re traveling across different time zones, you may be tempted to stay up. However, not getting enough rest can affect your skin, as your body needs time to recover. You could even catch a nap while traveling so that you feel fresh and alert when you reach your destination.3
3. Protect yourself from the sun
Harmful ultraviolet sun rays can damage your skin. A sunscreen with SPF 30 or more and a lip balm with SPF are must-haves when you travel. But don’t focus only on sunscreen. Bring along other items like sunglasses, a scarf, or a hat to keep yourself safe from direct sunlight.4
4. Keep your face moisturized
Moisturizing is a crucial step that you should not skip while traveling. In addition to your regular moisturizer, you could carry a spray mist or even invest in a hydrating sheet mask that you can apply during a nap while traveling. This will ensure that you wake up feeling fresh and ready to go.5
5. Don’t alter your routine too much
If you already have an established skin care routine, you should try to stick to it as closely as possible even during travel. This is because too many sudden changes in your skin care regimen will force your skin to have to adjust to new products in addition to travel stressors like climate and food changes.6
6. Carry travel-size specialized products
Instead of packing your usual products into small plastic bottles or containers, opt for sample-size versions of these products. Skin care products must be stored in specific ways to maintain their effectiveness. Transferring containers can cause these products to become less effective (e.g., vitamin C serums are sold in dark bottles, as they cannot tolerate extreme heat and must be stored in cool, dark places).7
7. Avoid using hotel products
Hotels often provide budget products containing artificial fragrances and preservatives, which are bought in bulk and stored for long periods. If you have a special skin type like dry or sensitive skin, using such products can harm your skin, causing irritation, rashes, or other skin problems.8
8. Keep your face clean
Avoid popping pimples or touching your face too much, as this will transfer the oil, dust, and grime from your hands to your face. Always carry facial wipes to minimize breakouts. Wash your hands with antibacterial soap and use sanitizer before touching your face.9
9. Avoid using heavy makeup
Once you begin your travel, you may not be able to wash your face for long periods. Wearing thick makeup for so long can clog your pores, irritate your skin, and result in breakouts. Always remove your makeup with a gentle makeup remover before napping during travel.10
10. Prepare for skin emergencies
Always carry products for skin emergencies like antibiotic ointments for cuts and scrapes, topical steroids for insect bites, and acne control products containing salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide for acne flares or sudden breakouts.11
What to Carry While Traveling
Carry travel-size versions of your regular skin care products, like a cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen. You may also need a mist spray, facial wipes, sheet masks, sanitizer, skin emergency products, eye cream to combat puffiness, and lip balm. Don’t carry or use too many skin care products at the same time, as this may prove counterproductive.12
A Sample Travel Skin Care Routine
Here’s a sample skin care routine:13
Step 1: The night before you begin your travel, use a scrub with lukewarm water to remove dead cells and debris. Follow this up with a hydrating mask or moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated. Use cream-based products for dry skin, gel-based products for oily skin, and mild, fragrance-free products for sensitive skin.
Step 2: Prepare for your flight in advance, as plane rides can dry your skin out. Keep a moisturizer, mist spray, sunscreen, and lip balm handy to protect your skin. Pack all items according to regulations so that you aren’t forced to leave any skin care essentials behind and take a chance on unfamiliar products in a foreign location.
Step 3: Before and during travel, eat healthy (e.g., antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables) and drink enough fluids to keep hydrated. Avoid greasy or salty food or food with too many preservatives, as these can worsen your skin quality. Don’t drink alcohol during your plane ride, as this can make your body even more dehydrated.
Step 4: No matter how tired how you are during your travels, never fall asleep with makeup on. Take off all makeup with a makeup remover. Then use circular motions to gently cleanse your face with a cleanser and lukewarm water, followed by moisturizer and sunscreen application as needed.
The Bottom Line
Managing a travel skin care routine may seem overwhelming at first glance, but you can easily achieve this by planning ahead. Carry travel-size versions of your usual products, avoid harsh or unfamiliar products, stay well-fed and hydrated, and get plenty of rest.
Check out My Skincare Routine today for more such travel-related skin care tips and other interesting information.
SOURCES:
- Aedit.com: “How To Travel With Your Skincare Routine.”
- Global Traveler: “Stay Hydrated While Traveling.”
- Stylecraze.com: “10 Travel Skin Care Tips: Essential Rules To Maintain Your Skin On-The-Go.”
- Orane International: “7 Travel Skin Care Tips: Your on the Go Guide.”
- Orane International: “7 Travel Skin Care Tips: Your on the Go Guide.”
- Everyday Health: “7 Ways Dermatologists Keep Their Skin Healthy During Travel.”
- Everyday Health: “7 Ways Dermatologists Keep Their Skin Healthy During Travel.”
- Everyday Health: “7 Ways Dermatologists Keep Their Skin Healthy During Travel.”
- Stylecraze.com: “10 Travel Skin Care Tips: Essential Rules To Maintain Your Skin On-The-Go.”
- Stylecraze.com: “10 Travel Skin Care Tips: Essential Rules To Maintain Your Skin On-The-Go.”
- Self.com: “9 Easy Tips for Healthy, Happy Skin While Traveling.”
- Aedit.com: “How To Travel With Your Skincare Routine.”
- Garnier: “Traveling: the best skincare routine while on the road.”