Bring your weird crystal habit on the road with these packing tips and ideas for calmer, more high vibe travel. Read more about self-care for anxiety here.

Self-care and witchy wellness is a practice. It’s something that we have to keep working with in order to feel the benefits. And bringing a few little tools with us when we travel can remind us to recenter and enhance our time away, making it richer and more meaningful.

Witchy wellness is about nourishing ourselves on all levels — emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical — by focusing on self-reflection, food that makes us feel good, movement, and a spiritual practice. You don’t have to meditate every morning or stick to a rigorous yoga routine while traveling, but sprinkling a little self-care in here or there can make your experience more eye-opening and restorative.

Here are a few things that I bring to help me to tune into myself while traveling:

Essential oil arsenal

I always have a couple of essential oils in my carry-on. Lavender oil for calming me down in the airport and helping me sleep (massage onto your wrists, temples, and your third eye — WUT?). Peppermint for cooling me down and waking me up after a stuffy overnight flight (put some behind the ears and on your temples). Sweet orange oil for an instant mood lift and topical vitamin C for brighter skin post-flight (mix 1-2 drops with your moisturizer or facial oil). Tea tree or clary sage for calming blemishes (apply to the problem area after you’ve moisturized).

Travel rocks

I love a few little crystals on me (yes, in my bra or in the little pocket of my yoga pants) and in my bag when I’m going from A to B. They feel like protective armor against stress and bad attitudes. Lately I’ve been traveling with moonstone, amethyst, and shungite. I’ll also chuck them under my pillow when I’m in a new place — moonstone in particular helps me sleep. I can’t explain it, but I’ll keep doing it.

Something to burn

Cleanse that suitcase and your temporary digs with Palo Santo. I like that this little stick of wood travels easily and I feel like it sets the tone for a good adventure. I happen to love the smell, but if you aren’t in love with it, give it a miss — it will add a fragrance to your suitcase.

Eye mask

For meditations and a good night of sleep in a new environment. Don’t forget good headphones for listening to podcasts, guided meditations, mood-settling music, and white noise if you’re trying to sleep.

This is a way cuter version of a meal I recently packed for a flight.

Food to keep you going

Wherever I’m going, I trying to pack at least one snack, if not a meal and a couple of snacks. It cuts down on food waste (no leaving stuff behind in the fridge), I won’t risk getting hangry because I’ve got food ready to go, and I have something really nourishing to fortify me for a long journey. Some of my favorites:

• A whole avocado – get a plastic knife and spoon and a little packet of salt in the terminal (or be a baller and carry these) and you have an emergency snack that will make you feel amazing.
• Energy bites – make some yourself with 1 cup dates, 1/2 cup shredded coconut, 1/3 cup cacao, and sea salt (you can play with this variation and layer on more flavor with other ingredients like nut butters, nuts, seeds, and flavor extracts).
• Nut butter packets
• Fruit like apples or easy-to-peel citrus, like clementines.
• A massaged kale salad with roasted vegetables + a plant-based protein + something crunchy. This is a big ask, but I’m always the happiest when I have this on a long flight. I either pack this in a big jar or in a cardboard container I snagged from Whole Foods.

Tarot deck

I basically don’t leave home without my tarot cards these days. My Centennial Smith Waite deck came with a protective travel tin and is slightly smaller than a lot of standard decks, so it’s an easy addition. I love reading for myself in new places and the cards I pull are often poignant and memorable (that’s what the journal is for).

Journal

Whether I only write one page the entire time, or decide to do an epic tarot journaling sesh in a gorgeous setting, I would feel weird traveling without my journal at this point. I often have little lightening bolt thoughts while wandering around a new city or beloved beach that I want to reflect on and capture in handwriting rather than digitally.

Herbal refreshment

CBD oil is one of my go-tos for quick anxiety relief, mood boosting, and sleep. Brands I like: CW Hemp and Robyn. I love traveling with teas, too, or buying some where I am. Having a tea before bed can really chill me out — plus it helps with digestion. Vanilla rooibos, peppermint, red raspberry leaf, and chamomile are the way to go for me.

Supplement it

Magnesium and probiotic capsules are my go-to’s all the time, but especially when traveling. Keeping that gut health in check is vital for good digestion and keeping your gut feelings/intuition on point.

To-Dos

To enhance the experience while away, I try to focus on:

• Getting out in nature. Even if you’re visiting a new city, seek out the parks, water fronts, or take a day or afternoon trip somewhere outside the urban sprawl.
• Putting down the phone. And this is coming from an Instagram and photo-taking addict. Try deleting your most compulsive apps for a couple of days, or if you’re international, don’t turn on your roaming data. I know we’re all getting tired of hearing the term “digital detox”, but if you can, you should do it. Even for just a day or afternoon.
• Slowing meals way down. Eat to taste, savor, and experience your surroundings and the people you’re with. Meals are often really memorable on vacation because everything is new and and our senses are heightened. Embrace that.

You obviously don’t have to pack anything special to have an amazing, awe-inspiring, magical vacation or trip, but just remember to be open to seeing and and experiencing it.

Happy travels, loves.