How Cycle Syncing Your Period Can Help You Enjoy Travel More
Travel is one of life’s greatest pleasures, but it sometimes comes with challenges. If you find yourself getting stressed on your trips or if you often schedule activities only to discover that you’re too tired or not in the right mood to enjoy them, then syncing your period with your travel plans might be the answer.
What Are the Benefits of Syncing Your Periods for Travel?
Whether you are planning the trip of a lifetime or just heading out of town to visit relatives for a weekend, syncing your travel with your menstrual cycle has a host of benefits. By taking account of your natural hormonal fluctuations, you can plan ahead to schedule physically demanding activities for when you have the most energy or to build in downtime for when you need the most relaxation.
Understanding Your Menstrual Cycle
The menstrual cycle isn’t just ovulation and bleeding. There are four distinct phases to every cycle, as follows:
The days given are a rough guide — a typical menstrual cycle covers 28 days, but cycles vary widely, and what is normal for you is normal for you.
Why does this matter, and how does it relate to your travel intentions? The different hormonal balances at each state of the cycle impact your mood and energy levels, so syncing your period with your travel plans makes sense for maximum enjoyment.
Travel During Your Menstrual Phase
Many people experience fatigue, cramping, and discomfort during menstruation. While your hormonal levels are at their lowest, you may crave peace, quiet, or solitude. It’s a time for reflection and rejuvenation.
Let’s be honest, you might just want to stay in bed. However, too much rest can disrupt your circadian rhythm, so getting out and about is helpful. If you choose to or have to travel during the menstrual phase, you may prefer to journey solo and by comfortable means. Think scenic train journeys or a relaxing spa visit rather than hectic sightseeing.
Travel ideas for your menstrual phase:
Forest bathing in the Akasawa forest in Nagano, Japan
Chilling on a stunning beach on Ko Lipe, Thailand
Enjoying a wellness retreat in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Spain
Travel During Your Follicular Phase
Once your period has ended, the rest of the follicular phase is when your body starts to rebuild. It’s a time of possibility and potential, and energy often peaks during this phase.
You may have big dreams and big visions and a desire to learn and explore — ideal for travel! This is also a time when creativity soars, so any kind of arts or crafts activity is ideal. Outdoor activities like wild swimming or rock climbing can also be appealing. Schedule your most adventurous types of vacation for the follicular phase if you can.
Travel that’s perfect for your follicular phase includes:
Tackling the remote and challenging Snowman Trek in Bhutan.
Discovering the ancient city of Petra in Jordan.
Diving on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
Travel During Your Ovulation Phase
During ovulation, you may feel at your most attractive, confident and sexy. You are hard-wired to want to connect at this time, so it’s a great phase to schedule group travel, meet-ups with friends, a passionate and playful getaway for two or a trip to a busy, bustling destination with plenty of nightlife and attractions.
This is also a time for festivals, special events and networking. It’s not an ideal moment for solitude, so try to avoid solo journeys or retreats during your ovulation phase.
The following are ideas for travel during your ovulation phase:
Attending the Rio carnival in Brazil
Enjoying the iconic street performances in London’s Covent Garden
Browsing the bustling markets of Cairo
Travel During Your Luteal Phase
This long phase of your menstrual cycle can feel like two phases in one. You may still feel on a high for the first half of it. As it progresses, however, many people start to feel less energetic, and anxiety is a common issue as your cycle winds down.
If you experience PMS, your mood may change abruptly in the last few days before your next period begins, so prioritise self-care and don’t be hard on yourself. Wherever you are heading, drink plenty of water because dehydration can worsen PMS symptoms and add to your stress. During the first week of this phase, you will probably feel organised and focused, so complex travel can work provided you stay flexible. Factor in gentle exercise for stress relief and balance.
When travelling during your luteal phase, consider:
Blending rest and activity in a resort in Sedona Verde Valley, AZ.
Taking a family road trip across Europe with plenty of rest days built in.
Whale watching on an Icelandic cruise.
How to Get Started With Syncing Your Menstrual Cycle
The benefits of syncing your periods go far beyond travel — being in tune with your menstrual cycle can help you manage your workload, juggle family responsibilities and navigate your love life too. If you know the date of the first day of your last period, take that as day one and track from there. If you don’t know it you can either wait for your next period and start then, or estimate where you are and later correct it as necessary.
There are numerous apps for menstrual cycle tracking. Pen-and-paper people can use a notebook or calendar. Bear in mind that you will need to track several menstrual cycles before you can start to spot patterns, so patience is key.
Log as much or as little information as you like as you start syncing your periods with your travel and the rest of your life, but some key things to collect include any physical symptoms, your mental health and emotions, and the quality of your sleep. You might also want to monitor your daily basal body temperature as this can help to confirm ovulation, and many people also track changes in discharge or cervical fluid.
Travel in Tune With Your Menstrual Cycle
Embrace a more conscious and mindful way to travel by syncing your menstrual cycle with your journey plans. By learning to work with your natural hormonal rhythms, every trip you take can be more aligned with your true needs.
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Beth, the Managing Editor and content manager at Body+Mind, is well-respected in the mental health, nutrition and fitness spaces. In her spare time, Beth enjoys cooking and going for runs with her dog.
