On the Holiday Road

The travel plans are made, the suitcases are packed, and the old family bus is packed to the brim with all the essentials. You’re all set for a Clark Griswold, National Lampoon-style road trip, complete with maps, sodas and bored teenagers. Suddenly you hear a voice from the back seat say, “I don’t feel so good”. Uh-oh. Carsickness has struck again and you realize your fun family vacation is going to involve a whole lot of cleaning the interior of the car.

There are several things you can do for those that are susceptible to motion sickness. First of all, make sure they’ve eaten something, or not eaten too much; traveling on an empty stomach can feel just like getting on a roller coaster after eating a jumbo corndog. Secondly, make sure that person is getting enough AC and isn’t too hot, which can make motion sickness worse.  Third, have that person trade seats with someone else if not being able to see the road causes them to be nauseous.

Natural Relief for Motion Sickness

So what if you’ve tried all those things and your passenger still feels sick? Instead of resorting to motion sickness pills which can make them drowsy and miss out on all the fun of the road trip, try these four essential oils for natural relief:

Ginger Oil- ginger is an age-old trick for soothing an upset stomach and drinking ginger tea is a common practice among pregnant mothers to ease morning sickness. 

Peppermint & Spearmint Oils- not only does mint freshen breath, it’s also a powerful anti-spasmodic, which means it can prevent your tummy from turning flip flops.

Roman Chamomile Oil- chamomile is a great multi-purpose herb that soothes and relaxes.

Essential oils are super-concentrated distillates from the leaves, stems, roots and flowers of certain plants. They can be very irritating when applied directly to the skin, so the safest way to use them is with a diffuser.  BalticEssentials.com has a great selection of essential oil diffuser necklaces that can go wherever you go, from coast to coast.  Each pendant comes with a felt pad.  Simply place 3-4 drops of your favorite oil on the pad, place inside the pendant, and you’re all set to go.

When you’re packing up the car, make sure to bring along your diffuser necklace to ensure that your rest stops are spent resting and not scrubbing your car’s interior. And to really make sure you have the best vacation ever, get a Hazelwood and Rainbow bracelet to help you stay energized for the whole trip!