Ahhh, travel. It’s all fun and games until someone gets constipated. Or until your sleep schedule is totally off. And you’re a little hungover. And your brain enters a new realm of stress and exhaustion mixed with adrenaline you didn’t know was possible.

We’re just as excited as the next person to get back into the swing of traveling more regularly after two years of couch-sitting. But with the return of regular travel comes the return of very common travel woes: high stress, lack of sleep, irregular energy, too-much-booze, and bathroom backups. 

To prevent any of those troubles on your next trip, we created the Jet Setter Farmacy in partnership with The LINE LA—because the only thing you need to worry about on your travels is having a good time. 

Here are some common traveler’s woes and how the Jet Setter Farmacy can help:

 

High Stress

When you’re traveling, it’s common to be running on, well, adrenaline. Depending on the trip, itineraries can be booked up hour-by-hour, and sometimes, you have the added stress of navigating a new city’s layout, transit system, and perhaps even a different language! To make sure you don’t end your trip saying you “need a vacation from your vacation,” we suggest Chill the F* Out to ease you out of fight-or-flight mode (no pun intended). 

 
 

Chill the F* Out is our serotonin-delivering, stress- and cortisol-reducing blend. Two of the star adaptogenic ingredients, reishi mushroom and ashwagandha, regulate your body’s adrenal glands and stress response so that your lost suitcase doesn’t make you want to have quite the level of meltdown you might otherwise. Just remember to put this must-have stress supporter in your carry-on bag. 😉

Farmacist Tip: Chill the F* Out is best taken during the day, but it will not make you sleepy or too “chill” to enjoy your travel plans. Although ashwagandha has been studied to support sleep, it is not sedative so it will not make you sleepy upon taking it. Chill the F* Ou supports sleep by helping to regulate your stress response, so you are not in such a heightened state (fight-or-flight). This allows you to transition into sleep mode easier and reduces stress-induced racing thoughts that can keep you from sleep.

Sleep Irregularities and Jet Lag 

Whether you're waking up at an ungodly hour to catch a flight or heading to a new time zone, jet lag and sleep disruptions are unfortunately common while traveling. While many will take melatonin or some other kind of over–the-counter (OTC) pill to get some shut eye, supplemental melatonin can sometimes contain up to 20x the amount your body actually needs and could potentially affect your body’s natural rhythms in the long run. There’s a better option for working with your body’s natural cycles and helping adjust your body clock—without any grogginess. Just like the hang-tag on your hotel door says, our go-to sleep aid is Do Not Disturb.

 

  

Do Not Disturb is our herbal, melatonin alternative for those who have a hard time falling asleep or staying asleep. Holy basil (tulsi) and mucuna pruriens (velvet bean) reduce stress and gently induce sleep within an hour or so of taking, which is also ideal if you landed a hotel room right next to the elevator. Don’t let a bad night’s sleep ruin your trip of a lifetime; dose with Do Not Disturb for some restoring shut-eye. 

Farmacist Tip: If you are someone who regularly takes melatonin or an OTC sleep aid when you are not traveling, I would recommend making the switch to Do Not Disturb at least a week before your travel plans for best results. As your body has most likely developed a dependency on your OTC sleep aid, and an herbal approach is different, it may be a rocky transition period for a week as your body transitions from the OTC product it is used to. You don’t want that rocky period to fall during your travel plans. 

Bathroom Backups 

Travel can mess with your digestion. You’re off of your normal sleep schedule, probably not eating your normal fare or drinking enough water, and navigating a totally different daily routine. With a change in your daily schedule comes, yep, you guessed it: a change in your bathroom schedule. (Or as this writer’s aunt would call it: pooter time). Feeling backed up is normally frustrating enough, so it’s definitely not ideal when you’re traveling. If it were Carrie Bradshaw, she’d write: I couldn’t help but wonder: could I really be on-the-go if I couldn’t go? Unlike Carrie did with many of her lovers, you may need to Follow Your Gut. 

   

Follow Your Gut is our anti-inflammatory, gut-supporting powerhouse blend that features turmeric, astragalus, ginger, and cayenne pepper. Its prebiotic fiber content supports the gut, has immune-boosting properties, and will help get things moving. Finally, you can let it all go on your vacation. 

Farmacist Tip: The immune system can be weakened due to the stress of travel and increased toxin exposures, but the astragalus root in Follow Your Gut helps to keep you in top form. For best results, we’d recommend taking Follow Your Gut daily for a week in advance of your travel plans to prepare your body for travel and get those good gut prebiotics working in your favor for bathroom regularity. 

Low Energy

We love coffee as much as the next person (especially for that extra jolt while traveling), but believe it or not, you CAN throw back too many espressos at quaint European coffee shops or…erm, at the Des Moines airport Starbucks during a layover. Having an energy boost is great while traveling, but sometimes, you need that boost without the jitters so you can Slay All Day.

 
 

Slay All Day is our creamy adaptogenic matcha blend that will give you alertness and energy without the drawbacks of coffee. Paired with chlorella and Siberian ginseng, Slay All Day also delivers immune- and digestion-supporting properties for a balanced blend that’ll keep up with you during a busy travel day. 

 

Farmacist Tip: Slay All Day is energy-boosting with just a little caffeine from the matcha in the blend. Siberian ginseng is an adaptogenic root that provides natural energy (without caffeine) and helps to regulate the body’s stress response. I recommend taking this blend before 3pm, so its energy-boosting effects do not interfere with your sleep. 

Travel Anxiety (or Hangovers!)

Travel is something to celebrate! So with that comes lots of glass clinking, drinking, and sometimes—ugh—that sinking feeling the next day when a hangover or dehydration is messing with your plans to see the sights. Not a big drinker? Well, maybe you just want something to take the edge off after a long day of activities or give you a feeling of calm. Hangover prevention or otherwise, while traveling you need to Stop Your Wine-ing. 

   

Stop Your Wine-ing is our alcohol-alternative blend that has all the benefits of wine (namely, a similar heart-healthy polyphenol and antioxidant profile, plus calming vibes) without the downsides of alcohol. As part of the Jet Setter Farmacy, it’s easy enough to slip this pack in your pocket and make your own booze-free cocktail whether you’re at the hotel bar or out on the town. Stop Your Wine-ing really does the trick at taking the edge off, so you can wind down from a full day of activities and be up and at ‘em the next morning. 

Farmacist Tip: The most popular way to have this blend is mixed with a little cranberry or tart cherry juice using the “Wine Not Alternative” recipe in our Not So Boozy Blend Book. If you choose to use tart cherry juice in your recipe, that will make your mocktail a little bit sedative, as tart cherries stimulate melatonin production in the body. So, this blend can not only help with stress and provide calming vibes, but can also help with sleep! 

Traveling can be a real trip sometimes, but let your travel woe worries fly away with the Jet Setter Farmacy in your carry-on. You’ll have everything you need to support you on your journey, for a bon voyage from head-to-toe. 

. . . 

Jet Setter Farmacy includes single serving, travel-friendly packs of all the blends mentioned above. The Jet Setter Farmacy will be available for purchase on our site, and inside The Garden (our retail store at The LINE LA).

 

About the Author 

Leah Jereb is a copywriter, comedy writer, performer, and voice actor. You can follow her online @ljsayshey or leahjereb.com.