The past few years, I’ve taken trips of over a month at a time each fall. In 2021, ready to go anywhere and everywhere following the pandemic, I visited four countries; last year, two; this year, one but traveling to various islands. I have a travel blog, so traveling is necessary.

The first two years, I had flare-ups from packing and the stress of trip planning — really bad flare-ups. I remember being on the plane in 2022, madly rubbing every cream I had into my hands, feeling the stares of the people sitting around me.

I have even more crazy travel eczema stories, too, like these:

In 2021, in Romania, I stayed with a friend’s family, who drove me to the mountains to see castles, including Dracula’s castle. My friend’s mom was concerned about me and gave me a cream. At first I was skeptical, until she told me she made it herself from plants and that it was for eczema. It helped, and on the way back to their home, we stopped multiple times on the side of the highway when she spotted the specific plants needed to make the cream for me.

Then, in 2022, I was at Petra in Jordan, hiking the steps to the monastery, my knees hurting with each step and my hand eczema flaring. One woman, selling bottles of water and souvenirs, noticed my eczema as I passed by (that’s how bad it was) and told me about a magical plant that cured her and where in Petra to find it. Someone from my group realized she most likely had leprosy, not eczema, because eczema can’t be “cured” like that. (Case in point: The cream from 2021 helped for a while — until it didn’t anymore.)

This year has been different. When I arrived at the airport for my departure, it finally sunk in that I hadn’t had a flare-up from packing or stress. In addition, my period was about to start, which usually causes a flare-up for me, yet my hands were better than they’d been in ages.

I’ve also been able to walk up and down stairs without horrible knee pain. The main thing I attribute to my wellness is working with a functional eczema clinic that put me on an individualized protocol for my gut and nutritional issues.

The second helpful aspect is the products I use. After a horrible allergic reaction this year, I switched out a lot of my products. I now use only glycerin soap bars (instead of body wash), Native shampoo and conditioner, and Vaseline (which I know is a bit contentious, but it’s all I can personally use for now).

I have so many allergies, which include hemp, seasonal grasses and trees (I’ve learned these rule out a lot of ingredients, like stevia), nuts, propylene glycol, and more chemicals that are in almost everything. I’m also gluten and lactose intolerant.

I’ve experienced the frustration and anger that come from going to Whole Foods only to feel like there’s nothing I can eat or use. Now, after help from the clinic plus my own research, my hope has returned.

Here are the game-changing products I recommend for traveling:

• Zinc and Tencel gloves from the Eczema Company — On long flights and at night, I wear these gloves over moisturizer to hold in my skin’s moisture.
• Roll-on Vaseline — I discovered this product right before my trip. The body balm is way less messy than tubs of petroleum jelly (especially when flying and traveling in general).
• A good-quality sleep mask — Getting quality sleep is so important for healing eczema.
• Badger sunscreen — It contains just four ingredients and is zinc-based and reef-safe.
• Calm magnesium (unflavored) — The supplement helps with sleep and digestion, which are really important for traveling with eczema.
• Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein and Vital Proteins collagen peptides — I take packets of the unflavored versions to help me reach my protein and amino acid needs, which are essential for eczema healing.
• Aloha organic plant-based protein bars — This is the only protein bar I’ve found that has enough protein, without allergens (no nuts, gluten, grains, or dairy). I have the cookie dough flavor.
• Unscented Earthwash laundry detergent sheets — It’s easy to travel with these because there’s no liquid.
• Ashwagandha supplements — To ease travel anxiety, I start taking them before my trip so the herb can build up in my system, and I take them every day of my trip.
• Papaya pills — I use these before meals to help with acid reflux. Most people actually have low stomach acid causing reflux, and traditional pills aren’t the right thing. You can test these yourself to see what’s best for you.

I also have allergy medicine, including natural nose spray and Ollois natural allergy supplements to keep my allergies at bay, and electrolytes to mix with my water — minerals are also important for eczema healing, as I’ve learned this year.

I hope this can help you find solutions that work for you and ease your travels. I don’t want to let my eczema or allergies stop me from traveling and enjoying life, and I wish healing for all of us!

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