On the road — and off the toilet — again
All your bags are packed and you’re ready to go. Well, not all of you — your colon, per usual, is stubbornly immobile and threatens to remain that way well into your journey. While frustrated, you’re far from alone. “Constipation is a big issue — I see it a lot with long flights [and] even shorter flights,” thanks to factors like dehydration, a jolted circadian rhythm, discomfort going on foreign toilets and different eating and drinking patterns, says Niki Strealy, a registered dietitian near Portland, Oregon, who specializes in digestive issues. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way. Here, frequent flyers and GI experts share their secrets for moving things along:
Drink water.
When Strealy travels by plane, she brings a full bottle of water with her to the airport, which she drinks before going through security and refills after. “Long flights can be very dehydrating, which can cause constipation,” she says. She and other pros continue to drink (nonalcoholic) fluids on the plane. Upon arrival, Strealy has already strategized where she can get safe drinking water — if her hotel is another air tram and cab ride away, for example, she’ll buy water at the airport to drink en route. “If you wait until you get to your destination to get water, you’re already dehydrated,” aka inviting constipation, she says.
Add electrolytes.
It’s not just water that keeps you (and your bowels) properly hydrated. Electrolytes matter too. “If the body is lacking water in general and electrolytes in general, it’s not going to be available for the large intestine” to properly lubricate a bowel movement as it moves through the colon, says Chad Larson, a naturopathic doctor in Solana Beach, California, and an adviser on the clinical consulting team for Cyrex Laboratories. To get those electrolytes, Strealy recently purchased World Health Organization-compliant “oral rehydration salts” online; Larson suggests bringing along a baggie of sea salt or Himalayan pink salt to occasionally pinch into water for similar benefits.
Choose hot beverages.
At home, part of Phoebe Lapine’s stay-regular routine involves drinking a hot cup of lemon water upon waking. So when she discovered the product True Lemon — packets of crystalized lemon juice — she stopped leaving home without them. “It’s so convenient and I feel so much better when I have that in the morning,” says Lapine, a private chef and author in New York City who travels frequently for book tours and other work, as well as for pleasure. “It really helps me stay on track.” Whether you usually drink water, coffee or tea, sticking to a hot beverage routine on the road can comfort the colon, Lapine and others find.
Pack magnesium.
When Ann Wessling, a Denver-based sports announcer, was pregnant in 2016, she had to travel to 22 events around the country for work. Cue leg cramps and constipation — symptoms she thought she’d just have to deal with. Then a friend recommended a product called Natural Calm, a magnesium supplement that, like magnesium itself, can improve cramping, constipation and stress. “Little did I know the unbelievable ‘calm,’ regularity and relief from leg cramps magnesium would provide,” Wessling says. Larson recommends taking 300 to 400 milligrams of magnesium citrate a day if you need an extra push; most Americans are deficient in the mineral anyway, he says.
Consider probiotics and digestive enzymes.
Kate Mackay’s work for a travel website can take her to Chicago, India and everywhere in between. But no matter where she goes, she brings magnesium, probiotics and digestive enzymes. “Take your probiotics and digestive enzymes before each meal,” she suggests, adding that it’s important to check the labels for proper dosing and to make sure that the enzymes correlate with your meals’ ingredients (fats versus carbs, for instance). Larson also always packs probiotics and supplements that combine hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes. “I may be eating foods that are a little different for me and I want to know I’m breaking it down in the upper small intestine,” he says.
Move your body, move your bowels.
Before Larson even departs on trips, he plans where, when and how he will exercise on the road. “I plan it just as I would plan visiting a museum or visiting a friend,” he says. “For me that’s paramount. It’s vital.” Movement in your new destination is not only important for overall health, fitness maintenance and mood, it’s also not surprisingly critical in triggering a bowel movement. Like sleep, experts say, your gastrointestinal system operates on a circadian rhythm that can be thrown off during travel. “A walk after breakfast can help to reset your body’s bowel clock,” Strealy says.
Seek fiber, fruits and veggies.
Trying new cuisines can be part of the fun of travel — but needs to be balanced against the not-so-fun side effects of constipation (or diarrhea, if that’s your tendency). In fact, studies show that as many as 46 percent of travelers change their plans thanks to traveler’s diarrhea. That’s why many pros including Strealy like to bring their own food and snacks like nut butters and oatmeal packets to maintain some dietary normalcy at least through the flight and breakfast the first morning. If you find yourself stopped up later on, “increase fiber intake by including fruits and veggies,” she says. Just be sure you wash them appropriately first.
Apply heat and pressure.
Cathleen, a Pittsburgh-based luxury travel adviser who asked to use her first name only, recommends packing a hot water bottle to soothe your stomach first thing in the morning when away from home. “Hot water bottles are great to pack because you don’t need to worry about bringing the power converter necessary for an electrical heating pad,” she says. As a bonus, gently massage your belly in a clockwise motion (the direction your colon flows) before adding the heat, she suggests. Yoga-like twists can help bring relief too, finds Shawn Shafner, founder of The POOP project, a New York City-based arts and education organization that promotes conversations about sustainable sanitation.
Get over your foreign toilet fears.
One common contributor to vacation constipation is fear of using foreign toilets. But those fears are not only holding you and your bowels back, they’re also pretty irrational, Shafner says, since most bathrooms aren’t vessels of disease; it’s the lack of safe ones in developing countries that promotes disease. “Don’t judge another country by its toilets or by your own standard of toilets,” he says. Then, do what you can to make a foreign bathroom feel more comfortable, whether that’s by packing your own wipes or traveling with a portable Squatty Potty — a device that encourages the proper (knees up) elimination position. “I may be irrationally attached to it,” Lapine says.
Relax.
Still plugged up? The worst thing you can do is worry about it. “When adrenaline or epinephrine starts to flow into the body because of anticipation or excitement or anxiety, the GI tract slows down quite a bit,” Larson says. “That’s the nature of those stress hormones.” Strealy recommends relaxation exercises like deep breathing or meditation to activate your “rest and digest” system instead of your “fight or flight” one. Simply accepting that you may be constipated for the first day or two of travel, and understanding it’s relatively normal, can help too. “It’s about traveling and having a good time,” Shafner says. “You shouldn’t let poop get in the way of that.”
Get help.
When all else fails, bring in the pros. “Every country has pharmacies; if you’re really having a problem, don’t be afraid to go,” Shafner says. Better still if you can talk to your home doctor before your departure, Cathleen says. He or she may direct you to a certain supplement or medication, or even recommend packing a disposable enema or reusable enema kit to keep in your luggage and use with bottled water. “I realize this may sound unappealing to some,” Cathleen says, “but for those who have trouble staying regular, it can be an effective way to self-manage symptoms.”
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