Traveling means leaving the comfort of your own home, which has a list of unfortunate consequences. One of them is that you are forced to part from the coziness of your own bathroom.
Consequence? You may realize how much you actually need half of the items in your shelf—exactly when you are thousands of miles away from them, sweating like crazy during summer and beyond, due to the physical activity you’re engaging in.
Yes, it’s a nightmare.
But don’t worry—I am here to give you a bunch of hygiene tips to help you deal with sweat, so you can be fresh and ready during your vacations. Best part? This advice is designed with plus-sized friends in mind, so it should be twice as helpful!
My First Tip— and this applies to everyone, really—is to carry wet wipes with you. Take a package with you when you leave your hotel room. At all times. Always. No exceptions.
Why? Odds are that by noon you’ll want to abscond to the shower as fast as possible, and we don’t want you to quit your activities for the day. Wet towels are god-sent for this, as they help you freshen up within a couple of minutes.
My advice is to buy alcohol-free, scentless towelettes. I love perfumes and nice fragrances, but I’ve found out most components in them tend to irritate the skin, even more so in the face of friction burns.
Even better, they serve multiple purposes. This might be a little baffling to you, but in some countries—particularly if you travel to rural areas—you might not find toilet paper in the bathroom stalls. Unless you happen to carry an extra roll with you at all times, wet towels might as well be a life saver.
Now, back in the hotel, you might be tempted to use whatever soap the staff offers—it’s there to be taken, after all. However, I highly suggest using your own soap, particularly one developed for sensitive skin, odorless, and—this is important—antifungal and antibacterial properties.
What for? Tourism makes us sweat, and we accumulate sweat between our skin. Sweat and humidity can lead to friction burns, and friction burns could lead to unsavory skin lesions. Bottom line? Buy a soap that can help you stay clean, fresh, and healthy.
After your shower and before going out, don’t forget to apply an antifungal powder between your skin folds, and take more with you in your bag or purse. You’ll find out they’ll make a big difference in preventing boils and rashes during your tourist endeavors.
And if you are the super active type that doesn’t want to call it quits and go to the hotel room just yet, carry an extra outfit change with you in your bag!
Freshen up fast, change your sweaty clothes and voilà, you’re ready to ditch the hiking for the club.
Oh—and if you are a girl? Invest on getting some bra liners. You’ll never regret it.