Top 8 Essential Oils You Must Travel With

Going on a road trip, or a longer vacation can be a wonderful experience, as long as you keep yourself well. To have the most fun and get the most out of your experience it is important that you and your travel mates have the tools to overcome those little ailments and discomforts that can make the experience range from mildly unpleasant to downright unbearable. No one wants to miss out on their trip due to a pain or illness.

How can we include a little ‘Trip Insurance’ to our already overstuffed carry-ons or vehicles? 

Aromatherapy has an answer with some readily available essential oils.

Motion sickness, bug bites, digestive troubles, mild colds, general travel weariness, and other aches and pains are common discomforts experienced when venturing away from home. A small collection of inexpensive essential oils can provide great relief from these ailments. Using these oils is simple; ranging from inhaling a little oil from a tissue, to adding to a bath, to drinking a drop with a warm cup of water. Relief comes rather quickly because of the oils’ powerful properties and compatibility with our own bodies.

Peppermint and Ginger Essential Oils

FOR:  Motion Sickness, Tummy Troubles and Clearing the Head

We’ll begin with ‘getting there’ – any trip starts with traveling. By car, boat, plane, or otherwise, motion sickness commonly affects many people, particularly children. This can easily make the ‘traveling’ portion of your experience absolutely no fun. Enter Peppermint essential oil.

Peppermint has long been used to calm uneasy stomachs, and is easily used. One drop (it is strong!) in a cup of warm water, sweetened if you like, can be sipped before and during the trip. For the ones who cannot deal with the minty taste, a drop can be added to a small amount of honey and taken from a spoon. Easy peasy. If these methods do not suit you, one can also mix 1 drop with 2 drops of carrier oil and rub on abdomen.

Ginger essential oil is also known for its calming of upset stomachs – a little inhaled from a tissue or diluted in a carrier oil and rubbed on the abdomen can bring relief.  You can also add a drop of ginger to warm water and drink as a strong tea – this may be effective for some food-related stomach issues as well, particularly when combined with the abdomen massage method.

Peppermint can also be uplifting to the weary driver or passenger – a drop or two placed on tissues in the car or near your seat will release the aroma into your surroundings. Be careful with this oil however, as getting it on sensitive areas of the skin (directly under the nose, and certainly near the eyes) can cause irritation. Tissues with the oil on it should not touch these areas directly.

Got a headache? Read how to tread that headache with peppermint essential oil.

Lavender Essential Oil

FOR: Soothing and Rest

Lavender   has been called ‘a medicine chest in a bottle’ due to its wide range of effects. The aroma of Lavender is uplifting and relaxing, useful for stress in congested airports or crowded highways. Breathing this essential oil is very safe and effective for adults and children.  You can inhale drops from a tissue directly or you can place a drop within your surroundings and inhale that way. Mixing 1 drop with lotion or carrier oil makes a great stress reliever, too.

Lavender essential oil is also an effective wound-healer because of its anti-inflammatory, mild antibacterial, and skin-regenerative actions. It can be used directly in case of burns, mixed 50:50 with Tea Tree essential oil and put on band aids to prevent infection, or blended with Thyme White essential oil and Eucalyptus essential oil (2:4:2) and added to a bowl of water for an effective disinfectant wash.

Lavender is very useful for treating bites and stings – just place a little ‘neat’ (undiluted) on the affected area. This versatile oil is also a component of an insect repellent blend composed of equal parts of Lavender, Thyme, and Peppermint, and a double-dose of Lemongrass essential oil. A drop or more placed on tissue or cloth about your room can keep the insects out of your space; 3 drops of this blend per teaspoon of carrier oil can be regularly applied to the skin – or you may mix a similar amount into any lotion you may have.

Lavender can be used in combination with Geranium essential oil, Chamomile essential oil, Peppermint and Eucalyptus essential oils in relieving the effects of jet-lag.

Lemon  Essential Oil

FOR: Cleansing, Purification

Lemon essential oil also has some diverse uses and it one I use quite regularly. It is an effective antibacterial, but not so strong as to be an irritant. Adding several drops per quart to your drinking water will help purify it, and the water can act as a disinfectant to be used in washing your fruits and vegetables.  Regularly drinking water with added lemon oil can gently stimulate the lymphatic and digestive systems, helping alleviate that sluggish feeling that often accompanies extended plane and car travel.

READ: How to battle the sniffles with hot tea and lemon essential oil.

Eucalyptus  Essential Oil

FOR: Keeping Cool and Cold Relief

Eucalyptus essential oil – the Narrow Leaf variety is a favorite – has a great range of uses as well. It can cool the body when too hot, and protect it when too cold. It is found in almost all formulas used to relieve congestion, can support circulation, and bring lightness to a travel-weary head.

Eucalyptus oil can be used like peppermint to uplift and invigorate during long intervals in an automobile. It can be added to a cool bath or used on a cold compress in cases of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (accompanied by, of course, copious amounts of water and electrolytes!), and used in a similar manner to reduce fever.

Eucalyptus oil may be blended with Geranium as a massage oil (3 drops Eucalyptus and 2 drops Geranium per teaspoon of carrier oil) to relieve heat cramps. For congestion relief, to a drawn bath, add 1 drop Eucalyptus, 3 drops Lemon, 2 drops Thyme, and 2 drops Tea Tree – soak and breathe deeply – or simply add a few drops to a steaming bowl of water and inhale.

These are just a few examples of ways to make your travel experiences more enjoyable with aromatherapy. With a little effort, you can expand your knowledge of these oils, discovering further uses, and find other oils that work well for your particular needs.

Should You Only Rely on Essential Oils When Traveling?

While yes, it’s true that essential oils can be wonderful to use when you’re traveling, such as getting into a state of relaxation or even fighting off nausea, that shouldn’t be the only thing you should rely on. Again, they’re fantastic, but when it comes to traveling, there are other things you should try and rely on, too. For example, when it comes to getting yourself to feel relaxed, maybe a game of chess could help; if you’re feeling sore and achy, painkillers should do the trick.

Essential Oils Are Awesome for Natural Healing!

These essential oils are readily available, and fairly inexpensive – though caution should be used when buying oils, as some can be adulterated, and others are mass-produced with techniques that may limit their therapeutic benefits. The more pleasant and ‘well rounded’ an oil’s aroma, generally the higher the quality. Your nose will know! And as with any aromatherapy application, start slowly – essential oils deserve a healthy respect.

Are you an essential oil user? I’d love to know how you incorporate them in to your life!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own and I am not being paid for this post.

No medical claims are being made here.