Tips to Prep & Feel Safe While Traveling With IBDTips while traveling with gut issues. If you’ve ever traveled long distances with IBD, you know it’s certainly no picnic! Personally, the most stressful and frustrating part of traveling is eating while out and about, as it can be difficult to find options that won’t trigger a flare-up. And you know any additional stress is no good for our symptoms either!

Jini has written on this topic before, but I recently took a road trip and decided to document all aspects of it – the prep, the journey, and the preventive measures I took.

Today, I want to share with you all the tips I learned…

Prep – What to Bring

One of the biggest takeaways I learned from my trip is to do whatever makes you feel comfortable. If you feel you need to bring five pillows to sleep and feel safe, then do that – and don’t feel ashamed of it!

So many of us get embarrassed when we bring too much, and lugging a bunch of stuff around isn’t exactly fun. Due to our IBD (or chronic illness in general), we also have to bring items most others don’t, and sometimes shame can stem from what others may think of you.

Here’s what I learned from that point of judgment:

WHATEVER your body wants or needs, honor that.

Because when a body feels safe, it generally means fewer negative symptoms. This is only ONE of the major benefits of bringing what you truly need on the trip, even if it seems like a lot. The “just in case” items are important!

It’s also very important to travel with those who make you feel safe. Despite having a different sleep routine throughout my trip, and eating out a few times (not my normal), I literally had NO tummy issues.

I also noticed the difference in how I felt with my travel companions. They made me feel comfortable, where others had made me anxious – and those were nightmare trips! The people who understand when you need to use the toilet every 15 minutes are the people who truly love, understand you, and will support you.

FriendsMake sure you surround yourself with people that you feel good being around. Again, this sets up your mind, your body, and your gut for the best situation. The gut is the second brain, so safety is a HUGE component of healing! Jini has touched upon this many times, most notedly in this presentation, and in this video with Tami Hay.

Set yourself up with whatever comforts you need so that you can feel safe, which in turn allows the gut to relax and rest. One thing I personally love to bring with me is a salt lamp, as it cleanses the air and has a very soothing, warm glow. The one I carry is small and plugs in easily, so I can create a warm and cozy environment in seconds.

Gut-Friendly Food Choices

I took a lot of time to meal prep before I went on this trip, but there were a few meals that I decided to eat out as well. It can be difficult to find restaurant foods that are gut-friendly, so I’ll share with you what I found to be extremely helpful when eating outside meals.

How I Tackled Outside Meals

#1.) I brought my Natren Healthy Trinity capsules with me for convenience (and because I can’t live without them!). Healthy Trinity capsules are not powdered, so they cannot be mixed in water like the others. They contain 3 strains that are individually encapsulated within an oil matrix formulation, so they need to be taken with food to help break down the capsule and distribute the good bacteria. I took mine after the first two bites of my food – just after some food had been ingested, but early enough to start working ASAP in case the food was in any way contaminated.

#2.) I then took two TriEnza capsules in the middle of my meal. If you’re familiar with these, you’ll know the label on the bottle says to take them at the beginning of the meal, but since I was taking Healthy Trinity I decided to space them out a bit – that way the probiotics helped with any bacterial issues surrounding the food, and the enzymes helped break the food down. I had never done this before, but I have to say this worked wonders for me!

Pack an Ice Chest

What’s nice about a road trip is you can pack a cooler with dry ice. Then, when you get to your destination, you can place everything in the fridge! Dry ice won’t leak like regular ice, so it won’t get all over your food.

This is a list of gut-friendly foods I brought and used as a basis to create my meals:

  • Absorb plus
  • Organic honey (or manuka honey)
  • Bananas
  • Almond butter (if tolerated) for GF bread/toast (I like using it on Jini’s banana bread)
  • Frozen fruits/veggies for smoothies, such as blueberries, mangoes, ripe banana, or avocado
  • Distilled water for Netipot (if using)
  • Bone broth made beforehand and frozen
  • Oats, organic jasmine white rice (for diarrhea)
  • Bottled water or Travel Berkey for the water for the shakes
  • LTYG Blender Bottle or blender bottle of your choice
  • Lemons, which help with constipation
  • Avocados for smoothies and toast
  • Udo’s oil or flaxseed oil for shakes or salad dressing
  • Spray bottle with water and white vinegar to spray all your fruits and veggies down before consuming

I also packed some distilled water for my Netipot, aloe vera for spasms, pain, or to sip if my tummy were to feel upset, and some sliced cucumber with a homemade salad dressing. These are great, quick meals you can prep beforehand in small bags or Tupperware containers, then just pop in the cooler. And if you don’t like cucumber, you can sub with any gut-friendly veggies such as sauteed squash or properly peeled celery.

Here is my short and sweet dressing recipe:

  • Two avocados
  • 1-2 lemons (depending on what you like/tolerate)
  • 2 cups of organic olive oil or avocado oil
  • Pinch of salt (or more to taste)

Throw all the ingredients in your blender and blend! The avocado will make it really thick, so add more oil or lemon juice as needed.

smoothiesThroughout my trip, I also drank a lot of whole-food smoothies, and I added Absorb Plus to them for an extra boost of vitamins & minerals. I found it useful to put all the smoothie ingredients in a bag, one for each day.

If you also find a bag of frozen, organic, sliced potatoes/yams, you can bake these ahead of time, season them, and then have them as gut-friendly fries for the trip! You can just reheat them in a pan with olive oil before you hit the road. These I’ve found will stay fresh for quite a while!

Jini’s banana muffins are another great option to prep and bring with you. I like to eat mine with some nut butter and honey. And if you have a bit of a sweet tooth like I do, this recipe for chocolate chaga discs are AMAZING.

Supplements

Each person has individual needs for supplements, so definitely pack what you deem necessary! Below is a list of supplements I’ve used on-going which have helped me tremendously.

Supplement packing list:

Even if you aren’t bleeding or don’t have hemorrhoids, even sitting for long periods of time can hurt the rectum. This is where comfrey can be really soothing! After bowel movements, I like to use the water wipes because they contain only two ingredients – 99.9% water and a drop of fruit extract. I would then use the comfrey salve for additional irritation by applying after the water wipe.

Jini’s Castor oil pack with a heating pad is also FANTASTIC for any tummy pain. I also pack bed buddies for any achy parts of my body, to combat pain associated with not sleeping in your own bed, or for awkward seating positions like in a car/plane for extended periods of time. You simply heat it up and apply it to the area!

I also use my mucosal healing tea for a nighttime healing boost and to sleep better, as I find it very comforting.

Additional Items I Found Helpful

Besides the above supplements, here are some other things I found helpful during the trip:

  • This seat cushion and/or the neck roll was also really helpful to sit on during the trip if your bottom or rectum gets sore from sitting!
  • For road trips, camping, etc. the Travel Berkey is really cool for on-the-go water purification! It is one of the best water filtration systems Jini and I have seen.
  • Portable charger so you can watch and do Jini’s meditations while traveling. This one can be used with a cellphone and/or laptop!
  • In case of accidents, it’s always good to have plenty of underwear. If your destination is somewhere hot, a great tip is to buy underwear that is breathable or sweatproof. This will avoid irritation or heat rash from excessive sweating down there. Jini says to make sure they’re natural fabrics, as you don’t want the xenoestrogens from synthetic fabrics leaching into your skin either. Cotton is one material Jini recommends. 
  • One gallon BPA-free water jug. This one has a straw too! What I like about this is that you can fill it up before the trip with clean water and use it for your smoothies while you are on the road. 
  • This sunscreen by doctor Mercola is great and free of toxins! My mom has a sunscreen allergy and she can tolerate this one, so for the sensitive person, this is a great option!
  • Young Living insect repellant oil, which I am OBSESSED with. Not only does it smell amazing because of the essential oils it contains, but it really helps with repelling insects – even ticks! I applied this oil to all exposed feet, ankles, legs, and arms on my travels to repel all bugs, as I was outdoors a lot.

If and when you decide to travel, I hope these recommendations can help you travel with more ease! There’s no feeling in the world like the freedom to see new places and sights without the pain of IBD. 

What are your tips and tricks for traveling with IBD? Drop a comment below and let me know!

Until next time, happy trails…and always listen to your gut! 🙂