How amazing does it feel when you can finally leave your work, hop on a plane, and be halfway around the world in less than a day. Sipping a cocktail on sandy white beaches, listening to foreign accents and having no care in the world. The feeling is so amazing that we forget all the work we do on ourselves while living our 9-5 life. We forget the gym, drink far more and wave our therapist goodbye.  Just because you are traveling, it doesn't mean you should put aside all of the positive mental health actions you have gotten used to. Here are 5 ways you can feel good while traveling, leaving a smile on your face and pride in your heart.

Travel with others in mind

With all that is going on with our planet and understanding that the actions we make directly affect pollution and our climate, it is easy to feel ‘good' about yourself when you make the right choice. You can leave a far less impactful footprint on the earth by choosing to take a train instead of flying when possible. By eating local foods and beer, by doing so, there will be less need to ship products you use at home to every city in the world. And finally, choosing what luggage company you use will help those taking charge of this planet after us. Monos Luggage is one of the few luggage brands that is Climate Neutral certified, plus they are part of 1% For The Planet. Each Carry-On is made with the earth in mind first, style and durability coming an extremely close second.

Dive into “I've been to busy to…”

There are so many things to do at home. Workout before work, work your 9-5, possibly put in 3-4 hours on your side hustle or meet up with friends and check in on what's been going on. Use the downtime on your trip to get in some of those things you haven't been able to focus on, heck, even hyperfixate on them and let your brain dive fully into the experience. Some ideas for this are to bring a thick paperback novel with you, solve a Rubik's cube or take lessons and learn as much of the language you are surrounded in.

Keep your morning routine going

The value of what you do right after you wake up is essential for your mental health. At home, you hopefully give yourself 45 minutes of “you” time. Allowing for time to journal, enjoy your coffee in peace, say your morning gratitudes and slowly ease your brain into the barrage of what's to come once you open your phone.

While on vacation, you can create an abbreviated routine that fits your different schedule. A few ideas are:

• Take your routine outside to enjoy the warm weather and new surroundings.
• Add reading to your routine, settle in for a few chapters as you sip your coffee. You are in no rush, right?
• Add your exercise to the morning routine by going for a walk or workout after your coffee. By doing this, you will kill two birds with one stone and get your exercise in simultaneously.

If you don't have a morning routine, going on a trip can be a great time to create one. With less structure and no need to make it to work by 9 am, you have more time to develop what things you want part of your routine and practice them. It will take 3-4 weeks to get comfortable with any new habit.

Make time for fitness

Most likely, you worked your ass off to get in the best physical shape possible for your vacation. You ate healthily, worked out 5-6 days a week and got ample sleep so that you could hit the beach and feel fantastic… as you should!  But didn't you notice the positive change to your happiness and mental health as you pushed yourself in the gym for the last month? Working out often, eating well and getting deep sleep also helps our brain in many ways to counter the effects of anxiety and depression.

Don't stop this focus just because you made it to your final destination. The need to work out 60-90 minutes isn't needed when traveling. You can dut it down to 30-45 minutes. The goal is to get a sweat going, release those endorphins and continue to feel good about yourself.  Alter your routine to fit your vacation needs, perhaps change up your workout and go for a swim instead of lifting weights or going for a run. In the end, your travels don't need to eat into all of the positive work you have done for yourself in the realm of helping your body and mind. Think of your next trip as a mental health recharge. Go home in a better situation than you left.