Traveling is an enjoyable experience that helps you disconnect and recharge your mind from stressful activities. It also allows you to interact and connect with your family members and fellow travelers, thus helping reduce stress and anxiety.
However, traveling in cold temperatures can be stressful if you aren’t prepared to keep yourself warm. What to pack when traveling during harsh weather conditions will depend on how long you’re traveling and the extremity of the cold.
If you’re looking to travel during the cold season, below are a few tips and tricks to keep you warm. Keep on reading to learn more.
Dress Warmly
If you’re planning to travel during the cold season, ensure that you dress in layers to help you stay warm during the trip. Dressing in layers entails choosing a breathable base layer, a warm middle layer, and a weatherproof top layer. Dressing this way helps you regulate your body temperature by adding or removing layers of clothes.
For the base layer, choose a thin, fitting outfit that wicks moisture away from your body, preferably made from silk or wool. Cotton is highly discouraged as it absorbs sweat, making you cold.
On the other hand, for the middle layer, choose something thicker that will act as insulation. A middle layer could be a wool sweater, thick fabric hoodie, or fleece jacket, which you can acquire by visiting sites like printful.com/custom-hoodies. Wool, fabric, and fleece are great for regulating body temperature; ensure they don’t get wet, as they will lose their insulating properties.
The last layer is a waterproof coat that’ll protect your inner insulation from outside elements like wind and rain. Furthermore, remember that when the cold wind blows over your exposed skin, you’ll lose heat.
Plus, use gloves to keep your hands warm. Wear thick woolly socks and winter shoes or boots for your feet. Finally, have a scarf in hand to help keep your neck and nose warm.
Eat A Lot Of Foods
When traveling in cold weather, ensure to fuel your body with food that’ll help raise your body temperature.
Foods that take longer to digest are best in raising body temperature and making you feel warm. Food metabolizing helps your body produce energy through a process called thermogenesis.
Food groups high in calories, healthy fats, protein, and carbs increase metabolism, thus making you warmer. If you’ve been following a diet routine, feel free to break it during your journey, as traveling in cold weather requires you to eat more than normal.
In the event that you choose to bring cooked food, keep it warm as eating warm food keeps you warm. To keep the food warm for long hours, pack it in a thermos food jar. A food thermos jar is designed with insulators and heat-resistant materials to ensure no heat escapes from your food.
Prepare Yourself Mentally
Your mood is essential when traveling. In fact, it’s the main aspect that determines the outcome of your journey. For this reason, get comfortable with the fact that you’ll be traveling in the cold.
Mental preparation enables you to enjoy your trip regardless of the cold or other obstacles. To keep your mind on the game throughout the journey, practice mindfulness and relaxation, and stay active by incorporating various activities throughout the trip.
Drink Plenty Of Water
Staying hydrated in winter is more challenging than in summer when it’s hot. However, hydrating is a solution to almost every problem.
For instance, you’re advised to drink plenty of water when you’re sick, when it’s hot, when you work out, and so on. Yet drinking water is also advisable in the cold season. Since it’s tricky to drink cold water when it’s cold outside, warm the water first and store it in an insulated bottle as a solution.
But how does hydration help you stay warm? Your body relies on water to maintain your body temperature. It uses water to transport heat from the core to the rest of your body. Dehydration causes the body to strain when moving heat around your body, which is why you experience cold fingers and toes. Therefore, when traveling ensure to pack plenty of water to help keep you warm throughout the journey.
Avoid drinking alcohol or caffeine when traveling in the cold. Alcohol causes an expansion in your blood vessels, causing your body to lose more heat, while caffeine causes your blood vessels to contract, making it difficult for blood to circulate.
The Bottom Line
Keeping warm during winter travel is the first step to an enjoyable and memorable journey. The more comfortable you’re, the more energy you’ll have to be fully engaged in the trip. Additionally, remember that a severe cold can lead to chronic health problems like hypothermia. Consider incorporating the abovementioned tips to keep yourself warm when traveling.