5 travel mistakes I wish I'd stopped years ago
Plus my complete playbook for healthier trips
Over the past 15 years, I've traveled to more than 40 countries for work and personal adventures.
I've flown overnight for stakeholder meetings, landed in new cities and gone straight into workshops, and spent enough time in airports that they started feeling like a second office.
One thing I learned along the way?
Travel doesn't just test your schedule.
It tests your habits.
For years, I knew travel was taking a toll on my health.
I'd come home exhausted. My digestion would be all over the place. I'd feel bloated, completely out of rhythm, and need a few days to recover.
As someone who later trained as a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach, I became curiousp
Why was it happening?
And more importantly, what could I do about it?
So I started experimenting.
I tested different routines and habits.
And what I kept finding was that staying healthy while traveling has very little to do with willpower and a lot to do with preparation.
The good news is that we have the power to shape our travel experience.
Small decisions around sleep, food, movement, and recovery can influence how we feel throughout the entire journey.
Here are the five biggest travel mistakes I learned the hard way and stopped making so you can avoid them too:
1. Not preparing before I left
I'd spend hours preparing for a meeting. Slide decks, pre-reads, research on the client.
And then zero minutes preparing for my own health.
I'd land, realize I was hungry, and whatever was nearby became the plan. A €20 airport salad with 30 ingredients. A croissant. Random sweets between sessions.
Now, before every trip, I open Google Maps and save two or three restaurants, the nearest supermarket, and a walking route from the hotel.
It takes less than ten minutes and makes healthy decisions much easier once I actually arrive.
2. Not taking travel days seriously
I had this unspoken rule. Travel days don't count. I treated them like a cheat day.
Pastry breakfast at the airport. Snack on the plane. Another coffee because I was tired.
By the time I arrived, I hadn't eaten a real meal. I was running on caffeine, sitting for hours, and already behind.
The thing is, travel days are often the most demanding days. That's when I'm meeting clients, presenting, networking, making decisions under pressure.
What I eat and how I hydrate on a travel day shape how I feel for the next 24 to 48 hours. Now I treat it like a performance day.
Savory breakfast. Hydration before I need it. Move when I can.
3. Not packing for success
I still laugh at this one.
I'd look at airport water prices and refuse to pay them. Then spend the next four hours dehydrated and reaching for another coffee.
Same with food. No snacks meant I'd eat whatever was nearby, whether it supported my energy or not.
Now I travel with a refillable water bottle, a few simple snacks - almonds, a piece of fruit, seed crackers - and my core supplements.
It's not complicated. But arriving well-nourished instead of depleted is a completely different experience.
4. Not planning buffer time at arrival
I would land, check my emails, head straight to meetings, and try to make the most of every minute because the company was paying for the trip and people were waiting for me.
What I didn't realize was that 30 to 60 minutes for myself would have made me significantly more effective for the rest of the day.
A short walk after dropping my bags. A proper meal. A moment of quiet to plan the day. A quick workout.
Today, whenever possible, I build in a buffer after arrival. Recovery is part of performance.
5. Not sticking to my standards
This was the hardest one to see.
When I traveled for work, I often made decisions based on what everyone else was doing.
If the group wanted pizza, I’d have pizza.
If everyone ordered drinks, I’d order one too.
If dinner started late, I’d stay out longer than I normally would.
I didn’t want to be the difficult one. I didn’t want people to think I was overly health-conscious or no fun.
What I eventually realized is that most people aren't paying nearly as much attention as we think.
Nobody remembers whether you ordered sparkling water or wine.
Nobody remembers whether you had the fish or the pizza.
But you remember whether you woke up feeling grumpy or energized the next morning.
These days, I still enjoy dinners, conversations, and social events while traveling. The difference is that I make choices based on how I want to feel tomorrow, not simply on what everyone else is doing today.
These five things sound small.
But they compound fast.
That's why I decided to put everything I've learned about healthy business travel into one place, and wish I'd had it years ago.
The Travel Health Protocol
Inside, you'll find the exact strategies I use before, during, and after a trip to stay energized, sharp, and healthy on the road.
What to pack.
What to eat on travel days.
How to sleep better in hotels.
How to beat jet lag faster.
How to stay grounded during packed schedules and back-to-back meetings.
It took me years of trial and error to figure it out.
It'll take you about 20-30 minutes to read.
I just finished putting it together. I wanted to share it with this community first. 💛
Click here to read the Travel Health Protocol.
P.S. One of the biggest things I've learned is that health doesn't get easier when life slows down.
For most of us, there's always another trip, another project, or another busy season around the corner.
That's why I stopped waiting and started seeing busy seasons as the perfect time to take care of myself.
If you're tired of feeling like you're starting over every Monday, every month, or after every trip, reply to this email and let's talk.
It's something I help my clients with all the time.
With energy,
Gözde
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I'm Gözde Imamoglu, founder of Rising Yellow and the Energy Shift Community. I help leaders with demanding lives get their energy back through functional medicine and sustainable habits.
