Sick After Traveling? Here’s How to Recover Naturally

Travel holds the promise of adventure, fresh scenery, and lasting memories. However, many people notice they feel run-down or develop mild illness after returning home from a vacation or a long visit abroad. Long flights, disrupted sleep, new foods, and unfamiliar environments can place a strain on your immune system. When daily routines are altered, gut microbiome balance shifts, stress hormones rise, and your body becomes more vulnerable to unwanted pathogens. In this article, I will explore why this happens and how to support recovery naturally using functional medicine principles, the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP), and the four‑pillar approach of The Myers Way®—plus practical tips to help your system bounce back faster.

Several factors contribute to post‑travel fatigue and illness. Changes in sleep schedules, exposure to new bacteria, and the stress of travel can temporarily weaken the immune system. Dehydration, time zone shifts, and unfamiliar foods may also challenge gut health. Understanding these influences can help you take proactive steps to recover quickly and support your body naturally.

Why You Might Get Sick After Traveling

Several common factors contribute to why many people feel “off” after travel.

Does Flying Weaken Your Immune System?

Yes. In a study simulating a long‑haul flight at cabin‑altitude conditions (8,000 ft) in healthy volunteers, there was a measurable drop in lymphocyte proliferative responses, which is when lymphocytes divide and create a large pool of immune cells, within days after exposure. (1) This suggests that flying can alter your immune system and increase susceptibility to respiratory infections and symptoms of other illnesses. 

In addition, the cabin environment is dry, oxygen levels are slightly lower than sea level, and you are tightly packed among many others. The process of flying can cause dehydration, fatigue, and immune stress. (2)

How Does Travel Stress Affect the Body?

Travel often disrupts sleep patterns, increases cortisol, and shifts routines. Elevated stress hormones suppress immune‑defense mechanisms and shift resources away from repair and immune resilience and toward survival. When your sleep is poor, your gut motility slows, your microbiome shifts, and immune regulation is compromised. One hospital review found that preparing for travel and then relaxing after arrival often leads to what is called “leisure sickness” a phenomenon similar to holiday sickness, where the body reacts to sudden downtime. (3)

Other factors: changing time zones, changes in diet, exposure to new microbes, altered exercise patterns—all combine to challenge your gut‑immune axis.

Common Illnesses People Get After Traveling

When you travel, you may encounter unfamiliar bacteria, viruses, or fungi. Your gut microbiome may become imbalanced. A study of short‑term travellers found microbiome changes, including decreased diversity and increased Enterobacteriaceae when diet, schedule, and environment shifted. (4)

Other contributors: the recycled air in aircraft, which may increase exposure to respiratory viruses (5); dehydration and low humidity in the cabin, which impairs mucosal defense (6); jet‑lag and disrupted sleep, which disturb the immune system.

Fatigue, digestive upset, and cold‑ or flu‑like symptoms are common after travel. Some studies report up to 80 % of returning travelers feel ill within the first week. (7)

How to Recover When You Feel Sick After Traveling

If you arrive home and suspect you are becoming sick after traveling, here are functional medicine steps you can take right away for smooth holiday recovery after seasonal trips:

1. Hydration and sleep: Aim to drink ample filtered water. Add a pinch of sea salt if you’ve been dehydrated or consumed alcohol. Prioritize 7‑9 hours of restful sleep in a dark, cool room. Sleep is when immune repair happens.
   

2. Gut + microbiome support: Travel can disrupt your gut flora. Incorporate probiotic‑rich foods that are AIP‑compliant, such as coconut yogurt. Take a high‑quality probiotic supplement if appropriate with your physician's guidance.
   

3. Nutrition of real food: Focus on foods rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals to restore balance. AIP‑compliant choices include:
   

• Bright leafy greens (kale, spinach)

• Wild‑caught salmon or other fatty fish for omega‑3s

• Bone broth for gut repair

• Roasted root vegetables (sweet potato, carrot, beets)

• Berries (blueberries, raspberries) for vitamin C and polyphenols. These nourish your immune system and support your gut lining.
  

4. Minimize immune triggers: Avoid processed foods, sugars, alcohol, and inflammatory foods. These burdens add stress to your immune system and gut. Stay on top of taking immune-supporting supplements.
   

5. Rest and stress reduction: Even though you might feel you need to “catch up,” resist the urge to return to full‑tilt action. Gentle walking, light stretching, Pilates, yoga or breathwork can support your nervous system and reduce cortisol levels.
   

For more in‑depth bread‑and‑butter support, explore the immune‑health protocols on my website: check out the Immune Health Bundle and the Gut + Immune Health Bundle. If you need foundational immune support after travel, see our full Immune Support collection.

How to Prevent Getting Sick After Traveling

Prevention is key. Here are practical, functional medicine‑based steps to stay healthy while traveling.

• Wash your hands frequently. Use alcohol‑based hand sanitizer when soap/water are unavailable. Surface contact remains a major entry portal for germs. (5)

• Stay hydrated during travel. Aircraft cabins are low humidity; dehydration stresses your system. (6)

• Prioritize rest before departure. Avoid late nights or chaotic packing that disrupts your sleep.

• Eat AIP‑friendly meals as much as possible before, during, and after travel.

• Support your gut ahead of time: Take a quality probiotic for 1‑2 weeks pre‑travel if possible.

• Manage stress: Use meditation, breathe consciously, and remind yourself to slow down.

• Consider targeted supplementation before and after travel for immune and gut support.
  

Should You Take Supplements Before and After Travel?

Yes. While supplements are not a substitute for food and lifestyle, strategic use can bridge gaps. Pre‑travel, consider probiotics to inoculate good bacteria, adaptogenic support to moderate stress, and foundational micronutrients such as vitamin D, zinc, and magnesium. The Gut+ Immune Health Bundle can help reinforce your immune and gut support after travel. 

Supporting Your Immune System the Functional Way

My functional medicine approach centers on the four pillars: diet, gut, toxins/infections, and stress. When you travel, you challenge each of these. Intervening strategically brings resilience.

• Diet: Use an AIP‑style approach of whole, nutrient‑dense foods and minimal processed items.
  

• Gut: Repair and support your intestinal lining and microbiome through food, probiotics, and minimal immune triggers.
  

• Toxins/Exposure: Travel increases exposures (air quality, recycled cabin air, crowds). Clean nutrition and good sleep help mitigate.
  

• Stress: Recognize that travel is physically and psychologically stressful. Intentional rest, breathing, and immune support help offset that.

Take Care of Your Health Wherever You Go

Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure during the holiday season, you can support your body’s resilience. Remember to prioritize sleep, hydration, gut health, and nutrient-rich AIP-compliant foods. Use thoughtful preparation and recovery to protect your immune system and enjoy your trip without paying for it afterward.

Your body thanks you when you support it in advance and again when you land home. Ready to apply these principles? Explore the full range of AMMD™’s immune‑support formulas. For more tailored support, check out the Immune Health Bundle and Gut + Immune Health Bundle to give your system the extra care it deserves post‑travel.