Energy Optimization Before Summer Travel
Summer travel is exciting. It's also surprisingly hard on your body.
Long flights, broken sleep, unfamiliar food, and packed itineraries all take a toll — especially if you weren't feeling your best before you left. A little preparation in the weeks before departure can make a real difference in how you feel when you get there, and how quickly you bounce back when you return.
Here's what our team at Oak Integrative Health in Burnaby often discusses with patients getting ready for summer travel.
Start with the basics: food and nutrition
Travel throws off eating routines. Airport food, long days without proper meals, more alcohol than usual — it adds up quickly and can leave you running on empty before your trip has really begun.
In the weeks before you leave, focusing on consistent, nourishing meals is the simplest and most effective thing you can do for your energy. Our nutritional counselling service can help you build flexible strategies that work on the road too — not a rigid plan, just practical habits that keep your energy steady even when your usual routine goes out the window.
Look at your nutrient levels
Low energy before travel sometimes comes down to nutrient gaps that have been building quietly for months. Vitamin B12 is one that comes up often — it plays a key role in energy metabolism and neurological function, and some people (especially those eating plant-based diets or with certain digestive conditions) have difficulty absorbing enough through food alone.
If this sounds relevant to you, it's worth discussing with a naturopathic physician. For patients where it's clinically appropriate, injectable B12 may be one option considered as part of a broader care plan. As with everything at Oak Integrative, this is based on a thorough individual assessment — not a one-size-fits-all approach.
Consider IV nutrient therapy
For some patients, IV nutrient therapy is something our naturopathic physicians discuss as part of pre-travel preparation. It delivers fluids, vitamins, and minerals directly into the bloodstream, and is administered at Oak Integrative by naturopathic physicians certified through the CCHPBC.
It isn't appropriate for everyone, and it's always one piece of a broader plan — never a standalone fix. But for patients with demanding itineraries, high stress loads heading into a trip, or a pattern of getting run down while travelling, it may be worth exploring in a consultation.
Don't forget your body
Hours in a plane seat are hard on your spine and joints — especially if there are existing areas of tension or restriction that you haven't had time to address. Many of our patients find a chiropractic visit before a long-haul flight helpful for mobility and comfort, both during the journey and once they arrive and start being active.
Our chiropractors assess each patient individually and discuss what, if anything, would be useful for your specific situation.
Sleep and stress matter more than you think
The weeks before a big trip are often among the most hectic of the year. Arriving at the airport already exhausted makes everything — jetlag, digestion, immunity — harder to manage.
If you're finding it difficult to wind down or sleep well in the lead-up to your trip, that's worth talking about with a naturopathic physician. There are naturopathic approaches that may support sleep quality and help your body adapt more smoothly to time zone changes.
When to book
If you'd like pre-travel support, we recommend booking two to four weeks before your departure date. That gives your practitioner time to work through your health history, discuss what's appropriate for you, and get anything started with enough time to make a difference.
New patients are welcome at our Burnaby and Victoria locations.