The need for some kind of routine kicks in before I even land at my next destination. I learned a while back that structure matters for recovery, hitting goals, or just feeling normal when everything around me goes sideways.
Travel days rarely go as planned. When I’m on the move, I’ve had to figure out how to keep wellness routines while traveling and dealing with jetlag, skipped meals, and days when my body barely moves.
That’s when I started seeing my routines less like schedules and more like checkpoints that move with me.
A layover meant for two hours turns into seven, and you find yourself arriving at your lodging when the sun starts to rise. You’re exhausted from being awake for more than 24 hours, whilst doing your best not to unleash the hangry beast on innocent bystanders.
The shape of mapping it all out changes, but the point stays the same: routines ground me so I can handle what comes next, even when they don’t look like routines at all.
What brings me back in those moments are the anchors I’ve built routines on that I can use individually to ground myself and reset. Small anchors like breathing or settling into a squat remind me to pause, take a beat, and keep moving forward.
My practice always looks different. Sometimes it’s three slow breaths. And other times a deep squat on the side of an airport walkway, backpack beside me, just to ground myself and reset.
Since traveling is always throwing something at me, I’ll adapt and switch focus. Missed morning movement becomes recovery time. Late arrivals shift the plan from what I thought I would do to what I need to do to get back on track.
Stuff goes sideways often, and I’m fine with it.
What do you do when your routine, the thing you rely on, is the first to disappear?
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When Structure Packs Up and Leaves
A month ago I traveled from Nashville back to Hawai’i. Had a seven-hour layover in Los Angeles. Transitioned between two time zones. Ran on no sleep for over 24 hours while relying only on protein bars just to survive.
This trip wasn’t planned. I went back to celebrate my auntie who had passed in June. After more than a day without sleep, every moment was spent with family, laughing, eating, loving, showing up.
All my routines, eating, sleeping, quiet time, journaling, meditation, were on pause. And honestly, I didn’t care. Being present mattered more than anything. Guilt definitely showed up for a second. I felt it, then let it pass, and moved on.
The first few days home was a freefall, and then I started reintroducing some structure, nothing rigid, but more like boundaries. With food, I ate mindfully, paying attention to quantity instead of quality. Movement happened in morning walks around Whitemore Village, most days, but not every day. Journaling happened in bits.
I barely even took photos, which is huge for me (I like to document everything), but these moments felt sacred. I wanted to absorb the moment, eyes open, and fully present.
Later, when things slowed down, I turned to my Self-Discovery Journal, letting it help me process, reflect, and reset.
Even without the usual routine, I felt grounded. This was a reset that did not require planning. I was there for others, the ones I love, not just myself.
After Hawai’i, travel continued, from Los Angeles to D.C. with a layover in Dallas. That two-hour stop turned into seven hours, and three time zones later, my body and mind were upside down.
Needing to find some sense of rhythm, I spent the next few days grounding myself. It took small anchors like vitamin D, market walks, and cooking to get to a point where I felt 50 percent after two days, and 75 percent after three.
Routines anchor me when everything else is wonky. They do not need to look the same, they just need to exist. Sometimes they slip, sometimes they bend, sometimes they appear in surprising ways to keep me from coming undone.
The only routine that really sticks is finding consistency in the inconsistency.
The Bag Within the Bag
When a travel day leaves me feeling completely drained, I have a ritual that brings me back to myself. It’s a personal travel recovery kit I always have with me that includes items like: earplugs, a sleeping eye mask, and tea bags.
These aren’t items for temporary relief on the move. I don’t use them on planes, trains, or buses because I can’t fully trust my surroundings, and my body won’t reach rest even for a catnap while out in the unexpected.
The tools in my recovery kit are for shutting everything down, creating a sanctuary where I can reset completely, recover, and keep alert for whatever comes next.
Once I settle into whatever lodging I’m in, I take a hot shower, then sip lemon ginger tea to warm up and settle my body. I slip on my jamas (usually a 3XL t-shirt) because comfort matters, pop in my earplugs to block the noise, and pull down my sleep mask to shut out every bit of light.
The world closes off, my mind and body reset, and I let myself fully recover.
Adaptogens + Tiny Anchors
An adaptogen was never part of my routine while traveling until a host in Austin shared theirs. While I knew how Lion’s Mane mushroom helps with mental clarity and focus, I hadn’t met anyone who used it daily. Reading about it once or twice piqued my interest, but I never acted on it until one morning.
We were making hot beverages when my host pulled out a bag of Lion’s Mane powder. I had questions, of course, starting with my main concern: Does it have caffeine?
I avoid caffeine when I can because my body has changed since I drank black coffee for years. Now, I rely on tea as my constant.
Tea me up from the inside out, soothes me, and just makes me feel good.
Along with stretches and a quick walk to get my blood moving, reigniting that sense of being alive in the morning, I’ll sub out my daily hot tea for Lion’s Mane once or twice a week.
These small anchors set the mood for the day. Imperfect, but grounding.
Routines in Fragments
The things I do to recover, set the pace for the day, and keep my body and mind moving forward aren’t really routines. They’re my wellness habits while traveling. These aren’t big, complicated routines. They’re just small habits that don’t die.
My habits kind of linger in the background and pull me toward normalcy when everything else feels like it’s not. They show up in small ways, like stretching before a flight or at the gate, managing my sleep by going to bed early for an AM flight and later for a PM one, and making sure to drink water throughout the day before a full travel day.
Bits of a routine matter more than trying to be perfect all the time. Every little effort counts.
Owning the Mess
Traveling full time, always moving, has taught me that wellness doesn’t have to follow a formula. It shifts and takes on new forms depending on what the day throws at me.
The practice I keep above all is self-compassion, allowing myself to adapt freely when routines get thrown off. Finding consistency in inconsistency is the only routine that works for me.
What are your anchors for when things go left?
If you’re curious on what wellness habits for busy travelers look like or need help in finding your own anchors, download my free guides for breathwork and stretches.
