We’re entering the summer travel season, and that means a lot more time in airports, packing luggage while trying to figure out what you can leave behind (answer: always more than you’d like to), and attempting to eat and drink healthy while you’re going 100 miles an hour with your hair on fire.  Even with the recession, you’re probably planning on taking at least a scaled-back vacation, probably someplace sunny and warm.  And even though there may be relaxation awaiting you, let’s face it: getting to and from your destination can tax even someone with near-perfect, serene Inner Beauty.  So, from us to you as we think about our own escapes to some paradise where mobile phones don’t work, some travel tips for keeping staying beautiful everywhere from the rental car desk to a white sand beach:

• Take just the essentials.  You’re not going to be able to take your entire medicine cabinet, so just choose the skin care products you must have: sunscreen, moisturizer (moisturizer with sunscreen is even better, as long as it’s broad spectrum), cleanser, and some basic makeup like foundation, lip liner, and so on.  You’ll have less to carry and spend a lot less time of your valuable vacation in front of the mirror.  Plus, fewer items means fewer chances of getting stuck at airport security.
• Protect yourself from the sun.  We won’t even go into the risks of melanoma; you’ve heard those before, and there’s no more important reason to minimize your sun exposure.  But beyond that, there’s the simple fact that if you’re lying on the beach for a week with unprotected skin, you’re doing damage.  In the short term, you’re going to burn and peel, and along with being miserably painful that is never attractive.  In the long term, you’re damaging collagen and dehydrating your skin so that you’re more likely to develop crepey, leathery skin on your face and chest as you age.  Be smart: wear a sunscreen with at least 30 spf, reapply it every 2 hours, wear a sun hat and when you’re on the beach, sit under an umbrella.
• Hydrate.  The air in an aircraft is less humid than outside air, so it’s a perfect place to start drinking extra water and to keep hydrating throughout your trip.  Hydration keeps your digestion consistent, plumps your skin, cools your body when you’re in the sun, and curbs your appetite so you can resist going crazy on your cruise ship’s 24-hour all you can eat seafood and dessert bar.
• Bring healthy snacks.  My oh my, the things we eat when we’re on the run.  We grab a soda at the airport store, a soggy wrap on the plane for $8, a bag of nuts in the destination airport, then a late sandwich or pizza at the hotel, because the restaurant is closed when we arrive.  At all adds up to more sodium, fat, and calories than we need, which can mean extra pounds at the end of a vacation, and that’s not good for anyone’s inner or outer beauty.  So pack healthy snacks from the start: fruit, nuts, nutrition bars, whole juice (not apple or grape juice, which are packed with sugar), even healthy sandwiches on whole grain bread.  You’ll eat better, save money, feel better and look slimmer when you head back home.
• Take it all in stride. Inner Beauty may suffer most during travel.  Nothing ever goes perfectly: there are delays, baggage problems, botched orders, more delays, and so on.  If you go into your trip assuming you’re entitled to have every stage of your journey go perfectly, you’re going to be miserable and make everyone around you miserable.  Instead, remember to be Zen about your travels.  Accept that some things will go wrong, but keep in mind that they are small bumps on your way to a wonderful respite from daily life.  A little perspective will reduce your stress level and help you feel more beautiful when you arrive.
• Be kind.  We once heard an airline pilot share the key to getting great service at the airport: be kind to the airline staff.  When there’s a flight delay or some other problem, passengers inevitably treat airport staff like dirt, call them stupid, shake their fists and so on.  What the pilot meant was that being kind—and we mean over-the-top, “Can I get you a drink, you look like you’re having a rough time” kind—to airline gate agents and other people can really help you get where you’re going.  But more important than that, it makes you feel better.  Why stand around with your teeth clenched getting angry when you can be nice to someone else and make yourself feel wonderful as well?
• Unplug.  You’re on vacation.  The office will function and the world will turn even if you leave your mobile phone, Blackberry and laptop at home.  We all work hard 50 weeks a year; for two weeks, we need to focus only on ourselves, on the present moment.  Disconnect from the grid and practice mindfulness.  Savor the moments of your trip.  You might not get another one for a while.

Have fun this summer and stay beautiful,

Debi & Eva