The most awk place I almost pooped [+ 4 happy belly travel tips]

Have you ever almost pooped your pants on vacation? Or is that just me? Earlier this year when my family and I were traveling in Australia, we reached a code red level emergency while grocery shopping in Byron Bay. It turns out they don’t have bathrooms in grocery stores in Australia. WHO doesn’t have a bathroom?! The closest one was blocks away so I ran back to the parked car where my husband was waiting for me and Navy’s necessary yogurt for the morning that I, of course, still had to purchase despite my emergency state (I was NOT leaving the store without that yogurt!). I jumped in the car, yelled “DRIIIIIVE!” and proceeded to frighten both my husband and my daughter with my awkward doubled-over-rolled-in-a-ball position necessary to make the drive home. Well, I did make it to the bathroom (in a full sweat but still, made it) and to this day Navy reminds me “don’t forget to go to the bathroom and go poopy!” on the regular.

The day of the incident… it all started out so well

As you can probably tell, keeping my digestive system moving along is a huge priority in life, but especially when traveling. That’s probably why one of the questions I get asked a ton is how to keep your gut healthy when you’re away from home and out of your usual routine. So whether you’re heading out on an overseas adventure or taking a weekend trip away, travel season is here and today, I’m sharing my best gut tips for a happy belly no matter where you are.

1. Start each morning with warm lemon water! This is one of the oldest tricks in the book, but it bears repeating. It’s a gentle way to wake up your digestive juices and helps detoxify the system (bye bye, bloat!)
2. Drink lots of digestive teas! These can be an absolute lifesaver for calming your belly. Bring ginger, peppermint, nettles, herbal digestive blends or whatever else you have on hand and drink them every night! I always travel with a few tea bags and am always so happy I have them. Whether it’s on the plane, out and about, at night at my Airbnb or hotel, knowing that I have the right tea for me when I need it is a lifesaver.
3. Bring one of our favorite superfoods, chia seeds! Not only are chia seeds are an excellent source of fiber (5.5 grams per tablespoon), but they are also rich in trace minerals which mean they help you stay hydrated. Perfect combo for optimal digestion. Add a scoop to your water, your morning yogurt, or sprinkled on top of a salad!
4. Don’t forget your probiotics! Probiotics keep the good gut bacteria thriving. As you know, I love my sauerkraut and if you’ve got a refrigerator, I highly recommend heading to the health food store to pick up some kraut or kimchi to eat with breakfast, lunch or dinner! Travel Hack: kraut can be kept outside of the fridge for up to 24 hours, so it will last through travel days. No fridge? No problem! I recommend the New Chapter All Flora probiotic.

Next month, I’ll be putting these tips into play during my family summer vacation. You’ll get the behind the scenes here and on my Instagram on where we’re heading (Navy too of course!) and what I’m packing for me and my family.

Are you traveling somewhere this summer? Comment below and tell me 1) where you’re going and 2) your best good gut travel hack.

I’ve written about healthy travel more than once! Here are a few more tips from the blog archives:

My best travel tips: https://yourhealthiest.wpengine.com/best-travel-tips/

Travel Tips from Navy https://yourhealthiest.wpengine.com/traveling-with-kids/

How I Stay Healthy While Traveling https://yourhealthiest.wpengine.com/healthy-cruise-travel/

My Shocking 7-11 Suggestion (snack recommendations!) https://yourhealthiest.wpengine.com/shocking-7-11-suggestion/