Travel for work has become something that we idealise. Why would you want to sit at your desk all day when you could be jetting off all over the country or world like you see so many colleagues or friends doing? Business travel sounds great, but it can have a serious negative affect on your nutrition, weight, and overall health, when you travel frequently.

Business travel is glamorised through marketing and social media, but the physiological, psychological, emotional, and social tolls of travelling frequently for work often get overlooked. The average frequent flyer takes two to four business trips a month, and recent research is shedding light on particular health risks that office-based employees typically avoid. Here are some of the ways that travel for work negatively impacts health:

Jet Lag

This may sound obvious, but jet lag can have serious consequences on your health. When you travel across time zones it upsets the body’s circadian rhythm, the internal biological clock that tells when you it’s time to sleep or be awake. When your circadian rhythm is off, it results in reduced quality of sleep and that sleep-deprived feeling of jet lag. Jet lag causes decreased alertness and poor mental performance, which means you won’t be doing your job as well as a person who keeps a consistent schedule at the office.

Faster Aging

A recent study shows that the more someone travels, the faster they age. This is because frequent flying can lead to chronic jet lag, causing memory impairment and disrupted gene expression. Ultimately this influences aging and the body’s immune system, putting frequent travellers at increased risk for heart attack and stroke.

Radiation Exposure

Radiation exposure is much higher at high altitude than on the ground, which means frequent business travellers are exposed to more radiation than considered healthy. One study cites round trip travel from New York to Tokyo seven times a year (or equivalent travel) as officially exceeding radiation limits.

Weaker Immune System

When you’re on an airplane everyone breathes the same recirculated air. This exposes business travelers to germs more often, and the jet lag and fatigue of travel can even switch off genes linked to the immune system. When your immune system is affected in this way and constantly exposed to germs, your body struggles to fight off disease as easily as less frequent travellers.

Out of Shape, at Risk of Obesity

When you’re constantly on the way to and from the airport and staying at hotels with unfamiliar gyms (or no gym), it becomes hard to go to exercise as often as you should to stay energised. Adding to this unhealthy plane and airport food plus alcohol consumption during business networking, a business trip leads to a lot of added calories that less frequent travelers aren’t consuming.

High Risk of Mental Health Issues

A disrupted circadian rhythm affects your mood, judgment, and concentration for up to six days. The combination of stress from preparing for a business trip and the jet lag from long travel is disorienting to the body. Many frequent travelers also experience the mental effects of being lonely and isolated from friends and family while travelling, and even guilty for leaving family behind.

While all of these health risks are serious problems to consider if you’re a frequent business traveller or if you plan to be one, there are preventative measures you can take to protect your health. Business is global, and travel is something that some of us have to adjust to in our roles. However, there are things that you can do to reduce the negative effects of frequent business travel. Talk to your employer about stress management and diet improvement education programmes for you and your coworkers.


Following are some top tips to help you lose or maintain weight while travelling for work:

1. Regulate Your Morning Routine

Frequent travel often results in jet lag, but you can avoid it by regulating your circadian rhythm with a consistent morning routine. Stick to morning habits like exercise, cooking a healthy breakfast, reading, journaling…whatever works for you. Then when you’re traveling keep that habit going to keep your internal clock thinking that it’s in the same time zone as home. Exposing yourself to natural light first thing in the morning lets the body know it’s daytime and adjust faster to a new time zone.

2. Help Your Immune System

Knowing that your body is susceptible to a weaker immune system due to frequent travel, you should do what you can to help keep it strong. You can strengthen your immune system by getting as much sleep as possible, eating a balanced diet, and reducing stress levels through exercise and mindfulness practices (like yoga or meditation).

3. Eat Well

Airlines package their foods with a lot of added salt and sugar to help them retain their taste at high altitudes and during long journeys. This starts to wreak havoc on the body after a while, and combined with stress and jet lag your metabolism slows down and causes weight gain. Make the healthiest choices possible while traveling, by choosing whole foods over processed, tomato based sauce over cream and keeping deserts to a minimum. Packing your own low calorie snacks to take on the trip will help you immensely.

4. Exercise While On the Road

Frequent travellers are more prone to obesity as a result of losing a routine in eating and exercising, but don’t let that be an excuse. Use the hotel gym wherever you’re staying or download some exercise apps for effective body weight workouts you can do in your hotel room, and take it outside for an easy jog or swim if the weather is nice. There are always options for working out no matter where you are.

Don’t let your busy travel schedule be an excuse for your bad health. As a frequent business traveler, you can make time for healthy habits and weight management. Take proactive steps, be mindful or what you eat, and be aware of the risks and effects of travel on the body. By preparing for your travel, you automatically counteract the negative effects of weight gain, hypertension, immobility and fatigue.