Keeping Vata balanced while travelling: an Ayurvedic travel routine

Travel is one of the most Vata-raising things you can do. In Ayurveda, Vata is the dosha of air and movement, and a trip piles on the things that push it up: fast motion, dry cabin air, cold, late nights and meals at odd hours. To keep Vata balanced while travelling, add back warmth, oil, moisture and a little routine before, during and after the trip.

This applies most if you are naturally Vata, with dry skin, cold hands and a busy mind. Our list of signs you are a Vata person will tell you if that's you.

Why does travel aggravate Vata?

The Charaka Samhita lists the things that raise Vata in its chapter on Vata disorders (Chikitsa Sthana 28, verses 15 to 18). A surprising number of them describe a typical travel day:

• dry, cold and light food, or eating too little
• staying awake too late
• an irregular routine
• a lot of walking
• holding back natural urges, such as waiting too long for the bathroom
• worry and fear
• riding in fast vehicles

The text was written long before aeroplanes, but "fast vehicles" covers them well (read the chapter). Put a long-haul flight, a dawn taxi and a missed dinner together and you have most of the list in one day. That is the traditional reason so many people feel spacey, dry and unsettled after a trip.

How dry is the air on a plane?

Very dry. The UK Civil Aviation Authority puts cabin humidity at about 10 to 20% on a typical flight, compared with roughly 40 to 50% in most buildings (UK CAA). A US National Research Council report on cabin air gives the same 10 to 20% range at cruising altitude (NCBI Bookshelf).

That dry air mostly affects the surfaces it touches. Skin, lips, eyes and the inside of the nose can feel parched. The CAA also says the body doesn't become seriously dehydrated on a flight: the extra water loss over eight hours is only around 150 ml. So drink to stay comfortable, without forcing litres down. The bigger job is protecting your skin.

A medical review of the physiology of air travel suggests moisturizing cream for dry skin, particularly just before the flight (read the review).

What should you do before you travel?

The day or two before a trip is the easiest time to get ahead.

• Give yourself a full abhyanga, a warm oil self-massage, the evening before or the morning you leave. Massage from head to toe with warm sesame oil or a Vata body oil, wait 15 minutes, then shower. Our guide to abhyanga shows the strokes.
• Eat a warm, cooked meal before you leave home. A bowl of rice and dal, a soup or porridge is more grounding than a cold sandwich at the gate.
• Pack the night before. A frantic last-hour pack is pure Vata.
• Decant into small bottles. Most airports limit carry-on liquids to containers of 100 ml or less, so keep your skincare at or under that size.

For more on what to bring, our skincare packing guide goes through it item by item.

How do you look after your skin on a flight?

The aim is to keep moisture in and put oil on top. Here is a simple in-flight routine:

1. Board with clean skin and a moisturizer already on. If you wear makeup, keep it light so you can reapply skincare easily.
2. A few hours in, mist your face with a facial spray. On its own, water evaporates quickly in dry air, so press a little face oil or moisturizer on straight after.
3. Rub a drop of oil or balm into your lips, cuticles and the backs of your hands.
4. Repeat once or twice on a long flight, and once more before landing.

A few comfort habits help too. Sip warm water or herbal tea, since in Ayurveda warm drinks settle Vata and cold ones do the opposite. Wear socks and bring a layer, because cabins run cool. Get up and walk the aisle every hour or two. And don't hold back when you need the bathroom, which Charaka lists as a Vata trigger.

What should you pack for a Vata-friendly trip?

You don't need a lot. A rich moisturizer, a face oil, a mist and a small body or foot oil cover most of it. If you're unsure which face oil suits dry Vata skin, see how to choose an Ayurvedic face oil.

Here are the Shankara products people tend to pack. We make them, so read this as a description, not a ranking:

• The Travel Kit for Vata skin holds our Hydrating Cleanser (60 ml), Microcrystal Exfoliator (15 ml), Ageless Serum (30 ml) and Nourish Moisturizer (15 ml) in a travel bag. All four sizes fit carry-on limits.
• The Rose Facial Mist comes in a 100 ml bottle, right at the usual carry-on limit.
• The Calming Body Oil, our Vata body oil, comes in a 30 ml size that is easy to pack for massage on the road.
• The Nourishing Foot Oil (100 ml) is for foot massage at the end of a long day of walking.

How do you settle Vata after you arrive?

The first evening sets the tone for the trip.

• Take a warm shower or bath, then oil your skin while it is still damp.
• Rub warm oil into the soles of your feet before bed. Foot massage, padabhyanga, is one of the oldest Ayurvedic evening habits and a lovely way to end a travel day.
• Eat something warm, soft and simple. Heavy, rich restaurant food on the first night can leave you feeling worse.
• Move your meals and bedtime to local time as soon as you can. In Ayurveda, regular timing is one of the most Vata-calming habits.
• Keep the first day light if you can. A gentle walk outside in daylight beats a packed itinerary.

What about long trips and frequent travel?

If you live out of a suitcase, routine is what slips first, and it's the thing that helps Vata most. Pick two or three anchors you can keep anywhere: warm water first thing in the morning, oil on your skin after every shower and a set time for your main meal. The details can change from city to city as long as the anchors stay.

Watch your skin for the early signs of Vata running high: tight cheeks, flaking around the nose, chapped lips and dry, split heels. When you see them, add more oil and go back to warm, cooked food for a few days. Our post on taking care of ourselves during Vata season has more ideas that work just as well on the road.

This is not medical advice. If you have a health condition, ask your doctor before flying, and see a dermatologist for skin conditions.

Quick questions

Should I drink lots of water on a flight?

Drink when you're thirsty and keep a bottle with you. According to the UK CAA, flying doesn't cause serious dehydration, so there is no need to force extra litres.

Is a facial mist enough on its own?

Usually not in very dry air. Follow it with oil or moisturizer so the water doesn't simply evaporate.

Shankara has made Ayurvedic skincare since 2001, and 100% of our net profits go to charitable causes.

How we made this

This guide was drafted with AI assistance from the Charaka Samhita, the aviation health sources linked above and Shankara's product records, then checked against them. Kumar is the name of the assistant that writes for our blog. Ayurvedic ideas about Vata are described as tradition.

— Kumar, Shankara Naturals