Travelling? Bring Your Tea With You!

Posted on Jul 25 2013 - 1:40pm by Laura Scurtu

Travelling

Everyone has a bit of a wanderer within themselves. Travelling enriches the soul, opens your eyes to different cultures, and gives you an experience that you wouldn’t have by just reading about it in books. However, travelling is not all good – you may also experience its disadvantages such as homesickness, jet lag, nausea and a variety of other symptoms.Still, which would not put you off from travelling, right? What is also good to know is that many of these ailments can easily be remedied by drinking tea. When travelling, it’s best to bring along tea to alleviate any symptoms: read on to have an idea of which type of tea is best for curing jet lag, nausea, upset stomach, relaxation, headache and bloating.

Tea for Jet Lag: Green Tea and Matcha 

People experience jet lag when they cross different time zones all in one trip. The symptoms usually include fatigue, irregular sleeping patterns, disorientation and physical pain in the joints.

For those experiencing jet lag, it’s best to drink green tea. You can even drink as much as three to four cups daily and before bedtime. Matcha green tea is a wonderful choice because it comes in powder form, so you can mix it any time! Matcha contains high levels L-theanine, an amino acid that helps the body to sleep easily and deeply and relax, combating jet lag. It also gives you a steady stream of energy throughout the day, making you more energetic and ready to take on the itinerary of the day.

Tea for Nausea and Stomach Upsets: Peppermint and Lemon Tea 

Some people may be easily nauseated by the constant motion of moving vehicles. There are also times that sensitive stomachs can become upset by eating the foreign delicacies. There are two types of tea that are recommended to combat the symptoms of nausea – peppermint tea and lemon tea. Peppermint tea is a tisane (infusion) of peppermint herbs is the go-to remedy for people who feel nauseous, since it helps decrease the stomach’s motility, thus alleviating the spasms that cause nausea. Peppermint leaves do not contain caffeine, lessening the risk for palpitations and fast breathing. However, people who have particularly sensitive stomach should avoid peppermint since it may also cause acid reflux.

If you have a sensitive stomach, you can try drinking lemon tea. Lemon tea can easily be made by putting lemon zest on any base tea. This helps ease the symptoms of upset stomach and nausea, since the juice of the lemon generates alkaline in your stomach, thus lessening the agitation felt by the stomach because of excess acid and esophageal contractions.

Tea for Relaxation: Chamomile, Lavender and Valerian Root Tea 

If you are feeling stressed due to the new surroundings, you can try a variety of teas to help you relax and sleep better. You can use herbs such as chamomile, lavender, and valerian root to create teas to relieve you from stress and help you sleep easier.

Because of its amino acid glycine content, chamomile acts as a nerve relaxant and may also function as a mild sedative. It is one of the most popularly known teas, with several people claiming its effects to be highly successful in relieving them from stress.

Lavender tea is known for its anxiety-easing properties and ability to placate those suffering from nervousness. Lavender tea contains tannins and flavonoids, which are antioxidants that induce calm, along with preventing the rise of dental cavities in the mouth by keeping bacteria away.Finally, the root of the valerian plant can be easily acquired if you’re in the vicinity of central Asia or Northern Europe. It can easily encourage sleep by adding the root to hot water. Its benefits also include curing insomnia, tension, and even an upset stomach. 

Tea for Headaches: Ginger Tea and Gyokuro 

Your tea of choice is actually dependent on the type of headache that you’re experiencing. People suffer from migraines, which happens when the arteries connected to the brain tighten and contract. Ginger tea is shown to have beneficial effects when drunk, since a study shows that the effects of ginger involve the block of prostaglandins, which may be a cause of migraines. However, it is still a study which requires further research, so it is not a surefire way to help you get rid of migraine quickly and infinitely.

If you are headaches experiencing from the onslaught of colds, adding cinnamon to your green tea may be the answer to cold-induced headaches. The best type of green tea to have is Gyokuro, which has the highest vitamin C content among all other loose leaf teas. Cinnamon is rich in minerals such as fiber, iron, manganese and calcium, which can easily help you recover from the cold.

Tea for Bloating: Dandelion Tea 

Taking a vacation in a tropical island means that sooner or later, you will be visiting their lovely beaches. If you’re suffering from bloating yet you want to wear that teeny weenie bikini, try drinking tea to reduce the bloating and get you ready to wear whatever you want without getting conscious about it.

To combat bloating, you can try drinking dandelion tea. This is also a tisane and is often used as coffee substitute. Dandelion tea is made from the root of the dandelion plant, and is a powerful diuretic that reduces bloating.

How To Take Your Tea With You… 

You can get tea almost anywhere, but it is also advisable to bring specific teas with you when you travel. Here are some tips for travelling with tea:

1. Most travel accommodations have electric kettles or other sources of hot water. But, you can also bring your own travel-sized kettle, for hygienic purposes. This way, you can boil water anytime you like.

2. If you are planning a day trip, you may pre-brew your tea and store it in a thermos.

3. Try to bring loose tea leaves instead of tea bags, for more health benefits and a better tea taste. Don’t forget the tea leaf container and separate tea bags as well.

4. You can choose to bring a tin container for your loose tea leaves, but to lessen your load, you can store them in a ziplock bag. A problem with this is that many customs or airport officers may find the package suspicious, making this a major inconvenience on your part.

Travelling can indeed be fun, and you can make the most out of it if you feel well throughout the trip. Remember that you can always take tea to help you feel better. So go ahead and bring your favorite drinks and have fun as you travel!

Photo Credit: Flickr/Carissa Rogers

About the Author

Laura from RiverTea is a tea and healthy living enthusiast. She likes to accompany people on their journey to discovering the flavourful universe of teas.