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A little over a week ago I gave you a description of the 5 major culprits that cause travelers’ constipation when you leave home to travel.

Don’t worry if you can’t potty either, 77% of travelers have occasional digestive discomfort - but with good planning you can be like our cat friend in the photo and mark your territory anywhere.

Begin By Planning Ahead

Spend 2-3 days before your trip to get your entire digestive system, from your brain to your butt ready to travel.

• Shift Your Mealtimes a Bit - Try to adjust to the mealtimes of a new time zone, or business trip schedule by eating when you will eating. You can also use peanuts to shift your body clock by a few hours.
• Eat More Fiber - Load up on these foods with the highest fiber per serving. The list includes avocados, raspberries, and brown rice.
• RELAX, RELAX, RELAX! - Your state of mind has a big impact on your digestive system and stress makes it more sensitive. SO RELAX!

While In Transit

• Drink Plenty of Water - Add an extra glass per alcoholic or caffeinated drink.

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It seems that once you hit the road, in the first few hours you get an uncontrollable urge to poop, but then your behind goes on strike. It can be very frustrating, but ever wonder why it happens?

After my recent experience with this on an 8-hour road trip across from South Carolina to Washington D.C., I decided to find out. It turns out there are 5 main culprits that prevent you from taking shits pooping.

The First 24 Hours

Stress - Many of the other aggravates listed below are directly related, and it’s what causes the initial “emptying phase”. Stress increases the sensitivity of the digestive track and the body responds by releasing the contents. After this initial phase, your body goes into a survival mode, slowing down digestion since it is energy consuming, it becomes less of a priority.

The 5 Main Culprits of Travelers’ Digestion

1. Shifting Mealtimes - Your internal body clock is mainly regulated by your liver. Traveling changes eating schedules throwing your (daily) circadian rhythms out of whack. Moving across time zones has the same effect compounding the problem.
2. Eating Junk - Airports, gas stations, and coffee houses don’t generally offer high-fiber, high-water content, low calorie foods. Aside from eating more because you’re off a regular eating schedule, stress increases cravings for sweet, flavorful, and high calorie starches.

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The other day radio personality Howard Stern attributed much of the youth and longevity in his family to the lack of travel. The “shock jock” known for more outrageous statements claimed that radiation, stress, and germs among other things caused frequent travelers to grow older.

I became very interested in the concept, since I’ve always held the belief that travel brings youth and vigor by stimulating the mind. I decided to put some of Howard Stern’s claims to the test to settle the argument one way or another.

Radiation While In Flight

Earth’s atmosphere protects us from solar, stellar, and magnetic radiation from the cosmos and is less dense the further we get from the surface. The logic goes that the higher up we are, the more radiation we are exposed to, damaging our cells and ultimately aging our bodies. A study [pdf] by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists on pregnant women found that while flying does expose us to more radiation than at sea level, an average high-dose flight only exposes a human body to 15% of the maximum dosage for a 24 hour period.

• The study did find however that the levels of radiation increase to potentially dangerous levels during some solar-energetic particle events. Travelers, especially pregnant women should monitor the Space Weather Prediction Alerts website.

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Travelers who are ridged in their planning tend to miss out on spontaneous new opportunities and experiences, while those that jump in to a trip get stuck doing only a few things. We all fall on toward one end of the spectrum or another, but the smart traveler knows how to balance their tendencies and maximize their travel efficiency.

Travel efficiency is the amount of travel experience you get vs. the total time spent traveling or overhead (like planning). No matter if you’re a planner or an aimless student you can use these rules to work in harmony with your preparation habits and increase your travel efficiency.

• Plan Ahead - The time you have before you actually begin your journey is yours to spend. Planners can take as much time as they want plotting out the sights and places they’d like to visit. The more spontaneous crowd can look for bargains or network with other travelers during this time.

Planners: Make sure that you leave at least 20% of your trip open for new ideas or events. Fill in this time only after you arrive at your destination. If you can’t fill it in, relax using your favorite method (i.e. beach, nap, bar).

Spontaneous: Do a tiny bit of research with some Google hacking and pick 3 things (per week) that you really want to do. Getting somewhere without any clue will waste a day or two in a hotel or wandering, especially if you can’t get information or Internet easily.

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The Diet Detectives have rated the airlines on the nutrition of their meals and both United and Continental scored high. The results of the research rate each airline on the number or calories, best options, and their willingness to share the information.

Since last year??s survey, Delta increased its score, but United Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue and US Airways all dropped slightly in the ratings.

My grip is that you have to pay separately for food on most US airlines, regardless of the length of the flight. If you’re curious, you can see what your next airline meal looks like beforehand or get your meal faster by ordering kosher (which may be better for the environment).

[photo by: wmliu]

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Make sure to rinse and wash glasses and mugs you find in hotel rooms before you use them. An undercover investigation found that they were not cleaned properly or at all in many cases.

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Avoid getting sick and wasting a good hand washing with soap and water by dispensing paper towels before you wash your hands. If you happen to be in a restroom where you have to crank a level to get your paper towels you’ll want to follow this advice.

It only takes one person who didn’t wash their hands to touch the handle to make it a germ distributor. By lowering the lever before you wash your hands you can ensure that you only make contact while your hands are dirty. After you’ve washed your hands the paper towels are waiting there for you.

To further avoid nasty travel germs take your used paper towels and use them to open the door out of the bathroom so you don’t have to touch that either. It may sound extreme, but rest stops, airports, and bus stations are breeding grounds to some of the nastiest germs around. Make hand sanitizer part of your travel essentials and stay hydrated to avoid a cold when you get to your destination.

[photo by: oneupmanshipwreck]

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Infestations of the little blood sucking bugs are increasing at hotels around the world. BusinessWeek reports there are some clues to look for to tell if the hotel you’re staying at has a bedbug problem on their hands.

Check if the mattress has an “allergy-free” (formerlly known as bug-free) bed cover on it. Hotel dogs walking around with sniffing dogs in the lobby are also a good indicator.

Keep in mind that the little critters are found in hotels of varying classes, including 4 and 5-star ones. Bedbugs can live without a meal for more than a year and hitch rides around the world in your luggage. Lovely.

[via Consumerist]

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Air travel can increase your chances of coming down with a cough or cold or run into more serious problems down the road. MSN Health has a quick rundown of how to protect yourself from dry air to blood clots.

The low humidity in airplane cabins tends to dry out the sensitive mucus membranes in the upper airways where viruses and bacteria can take hold.

The advice is really just common sense - stay hydrated, get up and move, and keep washing your hands. Carry tissues and hand sanitizer along with your other travel essentials and pre-order your meal to get more fruits and vegetables.

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The Breast Cancer click to give free mammograms program is now running year round. You can view the latest results here, and don’t forget to keep clicking!

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