Traveling is cool. We take the full view; we discover new possibilities every day. We are bubbling with energy; we are moving all the time. But let’s face it, five minutes sweet raccoons, if you travel often, you know it as well as I do: we sleep badly. I give you my little anti-insomnia routine to succeed in sleeping while traveling.
The minimalist comfort outfit to sleep well while traveling
Travel, by definition, is to move. And if you are going to take rent a car in Lahore several times in a row, no, you are not going to have enough in your suitcases to change ten times in a week, especially if you decide to live the adventure in a backpacker’s backpack. Sleep in the jungle. Sleep in a tent. After a while, I realized that I couldn’t sleep in a clean bed with pajamas that smelled like fabric softener. Because at home, when I’m not traveling, I sleep naked. EXCEPT no, little mole, you can’t do that when you travel. After research, I opted for an ideal bedtime outfit, one that is comfortable, keeps you warm, comes off easily if it’s too hot, allows you to be on the cleat if you have to wake up in the middle of the night. Night to save baby monkeys – truthfully, live my life at the Cikananga reserve. My definition of travel pajamas only applies in the case of tramping in the woods under a tent. If you sleep in a stylish Airbnb, your pillow-pillow is quite suitable for raccoons.
- Those that reach you to the top of the calves. It keeps warm. It keeps mosquitoes from reaching your feet – and admit that there is nothing more annoying than having to take off your hiking shoe to get into an out of control itching attack.
- It’s a pretty chunky old boy’s shirt. Long enough to hide the thighs – if you ever have to wake up at midnight and your tentmate is offended to see you in your panties. And she has pockets. Because I like to put a lot of stuff in my pajama pockets when I sleep in a tent, you never know if you have to get up in the middle of the night. Aka. Handkerchiefs to go wee in the woods.
I only wear it to sleep. Even though I sleep in a shirt, and it’s pretty, and I’d like to go out with it, it’s the dodo shirt. Otherwise, worn during the day, it is dirty. And no one wants to sleep in dirty clothes.
Essential oils, the key to calm down and sleep while traveling
In addition to smelling good, essential oils also have specific virtues. Kid, my mom treated us with essential oils for everything. Please don’t say it smells like a 30-something yoga-like. First, try to put a few drops of fine lavender or eucalyptus radiata on your pillow and your wrists, then you will come and give me some news. Essential oils recommended for better sleep:
- Mandarin
- Petitgrain bigarade
- Ylang ylang
- Roman chamomile
- Marjoram with shell
- Fragrant verbena
So, when traveling to an unknown destination, I always put a few drops of essential oil on my stuffed raccoon to fall asleep with my nose in it.
Have a thermos close at hand for evening herbal teas
Because you have to drink 1.5 L of water per day, and if, like me, your mom has shot you with chamomile infusions every night, you might be a little sad when you don’t have your dose of plant and hot water before going to sleep. Fortunately, a thermos can be shipped everywhere, it fills up as soon as the opportunity arises, and it plays the role of a high-tech gourd.
If the little verbena mints are your cam, you can have sachets in your pockets – not those of your shirt pajamas, be reasonable – and sneak some infusions before going to sleep on a trip.
Sleep well while traveling thanks to self-hypnosis
You probably know my great, great passion for hypnosis. If you want to sleep well absolutely anywhere and not spend hours staring at the ceiling in “What the fuck am I doing” mode, you can hypnotize yourself. If you don’t know-how, there are some cool apps on the market. Like this one.
Self-hypnosis allows you to be in an altered state of consciousness and relax more quickly. The goal is to relax in minutes and let yourself go into a deep sleep.
Wash in an eco-friendly way
Don’t you have a shower? You can do like me and not shower for a week; you can also carry an emergency toilet kit in your backpack. You will need a quarter of your thermos to wash off quickly.
- Washable makeup remover pads – I use the ones from Lamazuna and love them for their ability to wash your face simply and effectively, without soap and with very little water. The Cleansing wipes Lamazuna are microfiber, a superabsorbent material, on which the makeup adheres better than to the skin. Result of the races: a little water on the wipe, a blow on your face, and pof. Let’s go. If you don’t put on makeup but want to get the day’s grime off your face to prevent yourself from getting nasty pimples, it works the same. Honestly, I bought a set of 10 wipes three years ago. And it is fire. They are used and then washed with soap when you take your shower. As easy as that.
- Pachamamaï’s solid toothpaste – do you need a toothpaste that doesn’t leave you full, full, full of foam residue in your mouth? Because you don’t have a water point and don’t want to look like a mad dog or sleep with a dried toothpaste aftertaste on your molars? Go for Pachamamaï’s solid toothpaste. If, at first, the change can seem weird (aka, it doesn’t foam). It is a very eco-friendly toothpaste, gentle on the gums, cruel free and effective. And at the end of your brushing, you don’t need three thousand sips of water to “spit” – with class, in a bush, please. I used to have Lush’s ethereal but its baking soda made my teeth sensitive to hot and cold.
Write down your thanks for the day and plan for the next day.
In my travel diary, I note every evening my three great gratitude’s of the day. Even if it was a little stupid stuff like “I ate raspberry ice cream, and it was really good”. Because there is no small joy, and ending your day with all the positive things will help you fall asleep with a smile. Even if you feel like you’ve had a rotten day in the rain, there are necessarily three little things that put a little happiness in your heart.
DIGITOLOGY 