Essential Oils for Travel

Essential oils have grown in popularity over the years, going from a simple room-freshening alternative to a nation-wide trend. It’s been deemed a more natural alternative for alleviating different physical ailments. Whether you’re a curious newcomer when it comes to essential oils or you’re a diehard Young Living (or DoTerra) fan, essential oils can be a great way to create a comforting routine while traveling.

We’ve made a list of our favorite essential oils for travel and what they can contribute:

Check out further informative blogs regarding your well-being in our health and wellness travel section.

Essential Oils for Jet Lag and Travel Anxiety

Lavender

Lavender

Jet lag can put an extra load of stress onto your trip, especially when you’re expected to hit the ground running. Lavender has been called upon for hundreds of years to soothe anxious minds and aid sleep and that’s why it’s one of our best essential oils for airplane travel.

If you’re struggling to fall asleep or relax on a flight, try rubbing a bit of lavender on your temples.

When you get to your destination, put some lavender on your pillowcase before you go to bed. The familiar scent will help calm your jitters, set your mind at ease, and send you to sleep.

Read our other tips on beating jet lag or learn how to avoid jet lag prior to your travels.

Best Essential Oils for Energy Boost

Peppermint

Peppermint

With a change in your routine and sleeping environment, getting up in the morning can be hard especially if you also have jet lag. If you’re looking to get an energy boost then a few drops of peppermint essential oil will perk you right up. Put some on a warm wet towel and inhale it for a boost in energy.

Have a hangover from a night of drinking with friends? Rubbing peppermint oil on your temples and stomach can help ease the pounding headache and nausea you wake up with.

Essential Oil Room Freshener

Citrus

Not all hotel rooms are created equal, and there’s no damper quite like a hotel room smelling of cigarette smoke or just smelling not quite right. A citrus-based
essential oil such as wild orange or lemon can help eliminate the smells in a room and make you feel more at home.

You don’t need to bring an essential oil diffuser to freshen up your hotel room. If you have an extra spray bottle in your bag, spritz away! The energizing scent of citrus will make it feel more like home.

Essential Oils to Boost Immune System

Thieves

Thieves essential oil

Small, enclosed spaces like airplanes, trains, and cars can be a breeding ground for different bacteria. Our immune systems are more susceptible to what we’re exposed to when we’re traveling, and having something to help combat potential sickness can be key.

If you’re feeling unwell before a flight, the first thing you should do is assess if you’re too sick to fly. If you’re good to travel, proceed with essential oils. If you have a sore throat or a cough, rubbing a few drops of diluted thieves essential oil on your throat and chest can help you feel better.

Best Essential Oils for Sanitizer

Tea Tree

Tea tree oil has been touted as a versatile oil, helping with everything from acne to air purification. Its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties make it a useful oil to keep on hand at home or in a new city. It’s a useful essential oil for sanitizing and deep cleaning a new place of accommodation.

Did you know you can also make natural hand sanitizer from tea tree oil? It’s also useful as an insect repellent when you’re out in the woods so you can ward off the insect bites. Talk about multiple uses from one small oil.

Essential Oils for Motion Sickness

Ginger

Ginger

If you’re traveling in a car for long periods of time and get motion sickness easily, you’ll want to include this oil in your travel stash. Ginger has been known for centuries to help nausea and vomiting, but it’s hard to access ginger on the road. Having some as an essential oil can help squelch any nausea that comes from motion sickness. Add a drop or two to a glass of water to help calm the tummy waves.

Essential oils can be a travel gamechanger, and they’re easily transported. With a carrier oil like coconut oil or sweet almond oil, you can use a variety of different essential oil blends for topical, aromatic and internal use.

Essential Oils to Calm Upset Stomach

Chamomile

Chamomile

Traveling can wreak havoc on your digestive system, leading to nausea, indigestion, and stomach upset. Luckily, chamomile essential oil can be your knight in shining armor. Known for its calming and antispasmodic properties, chamomile oil can help soothe a troubled stomach.

Simply add a few drops of chamomile oil to a portable diffuser and inhale the calming aroma. This can help ease anxiety and promote relaxation, which can indirectly improve digestion. Alternatively for topical application, dilute chamomile oil with a carrier oil like jojoba or almond oil (at a 1% dilution for adults) and massage gently onto your stomach.

Muscle Tension Relief Essential Oils

Wintergreen

Those long travel days can leave you feeling stiff and achy. Wintergreen essential oil, with its potent anti-inflammatory properties, can be a lifesaver for muscle tension relief.

Dilute wintergreen oil with a carrier oil (0.5% dilution for adults) and massage it gently onto sore muscles. And when you reach your destination, run a bath and add a few drops into your bathwater for a muscle soothing soak.

Essential Oils for Headache Relief

Frankincense

Essential oil in glass bottle

Headaches can put a damper on your travel plans. Frankincense essential oil, known for its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, can be a natural remedy for headache relief.

Add a few drops of frankincense oil to a diffuser or steamer and inhale the soothing vapors. This can help reduce inflammation and ease headache pain. You can also dilute frankincense oil with a carrier oil (1% dilution for adults) and massage gently onto your temples, forehead, and the back of your neck.

What’s your favorite travel essential oil?

Notes on Using Essential Oils

With any essential oils, it’s important to use caution. The information on this page is not intended to be used as medical advice. If you have any kind of skin reaction or skin irritation, please discontinue immediately and seek the help of a medical professional.

For more information on safe essential oil usage, we recommend Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals.

Essential Oil Travel FAQs

Can I take essential oils on a plane?

Yes! As long as your essential oils fall within the TSA 3-1-1 rule (your liquids have to be less than 3.4 ounce each, they have to all fit in 1 quart-sized plastic bag, and you can only have 1 plastic bag). If you’re worried about your oils spilling, you can always bring an essential oil travel case.

How do you use essential oils on the go?

It’s best to carry essential oils that have little rollers. If your oils don’t have rollers on them, you can always purchase your own travel-size rollers for easy application. This travel case comes with refillable essential oil rollers.

What essential oils are good for jet lag?

Lavender is a great essential oil to carry for jet lag. It can calm you quickly and help you fall asleep at night.

Are essential oils safe for children?

Generally, essential oils are not recommended for children under the age of 3. Their respiratory systems are still developing, and strong inhalants can cause irritation.

Even for older children, essential oils must always be diluted with a carrier oil like jojoba or almond oil before topical application. Safe dilution ratios for children are typically much lower than those for adults (around 0.5% dilution).

Some essential oils are particularly strong and can be harmful to children, even when diluted. These include tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, clove oil, and wintergreen oil.

Essential oils are never safe to ingest, regardless of age. Keep them out of reach of children and supervise them closely when using diffusers.

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