How to Pack Supplements for a Trip

I’m headed out of town this week for a business conference. I travel about every two months for close to a week, so I’ve made just about every mistake possible when trying to pack… which is good for you, because I’m going to take you into my luggage and show you how I easily travel with my supplements.

I’ve done all kinds of exciting supplement protocols in my quest for great health. Right now, with the help of a few health consultants, I’m working on fixing my stomach acid production once and for all. I can’t wait to let you all know how it goes.

In the meantime, I want you to know I’ve taken 3 pills a day and upwards of 60 and the rules and strategies presented below can be used regardless of your protocols, timing or amount of pills. As I was packing I decided to take some pictures and show you how I stay organized for trips.

3 Rules I Live By Traveling With Supplements

Over the years of working on my health, I’ve made quite a few traveling mistakes.

Here are 3 rules I live by that reduce any weirdness, protect against the uncontrollable and help relieve my anxiety.

1.  Keep them on your body (as discreetly as possible)

When I’m on the road, I don’t want to miss an important lunch or be that party pooper who must go back to the room every few hours. Nope, I need to be as flexible as I can. Missing a business deal or important presentation because I want to be healthy is not going to happen. Therefore, I’m thinking 1-2 meals ahead of time and I carry those pills on me somewhere.

2.  Make it as brainless as possible

I used to just throw the bottles in my bag, or bring huge baggies full. Then I’d forget what was what, forget how many to take, or forget to take my pills altogether. When traveling very often I find myself feeling rushed, tired or brain-dead from a long day of learning. Nowadays, I plan ahead and avoid all of these problems. I’ve created a way to avoid all these problems and I’ll show you how below. Now, I have no more excuses to not feel great.

3.  Bring 1 extra day worth of pills

This is a rule for any travel. I’ve been snowed in, grounded by wind storms, missed flights, and had just about every other problem that could go wrong – go wrong. It’s just part of traveling. So, instead of worrying about it or fighting it I go with it. Just always plan for it and then it doesn’t end up being a big deal.

These 3 rules will keep you in control of your supplements and health when you’re on the road and outside of your normal comfort zone. Even if you don’t observe these rules, below are 4 different ways I’ve tried packing supplements in the past.

4 Options to Pack Your Supplements

1. Just throw all the bottles in your luggage. This works if you have extra space but isn’t a great idea for a short-term carry-on trip.
2. Fill up one of those pill separators and travel with that, which is great if you don’t run out of room.
3. Fill up plastic bags with each separate supplement, which isn’t a bad idea but it can be easy to lose bags, miscount, and hard to carry on your body.
4. Fill and label plastic bags for each day or meal depending on your supplement schedule.

Right now my supplement protocol calls for very specific supplements in the AM and different ones in the PM. That means I need to be very careful about what I’m taking at all times. Even if I wasn’t on an AM/PM split, after trying all of the options above, I believe #4 is the easiest, most discrete and fail-safe way to travel with supplements.

It might seem like a lot of work up front to do option #4, but the convenience on the trip is amazing. I just grab the bags for each day, put them in my pocket or bag and I’m off to meet my co-workers. If I never make it back to the hotel till bedtime, no problem.

You might notice that I’m only packing for 2 meals a day. On trips like this when I’m not taking any food with me, I know in advance I’ll be skipping meals. Usually I’ll skip breakfast or lunch. The reality is that most hotel/conference breakfasts are filled with processed junk foods that I won’t be eating.

In the event that I can find 3 meals a day, I have my back up bag of Betaine HCL, which is all I really need to feel great.

How about you, how do you handle traveling with supplements? Tell me below!

-Steve