Road trips are supposed to be fun, right?!
But does the idea of taking a long road trip also bring a little bit of anxiety in thinking about how someone in your family seems to always suffer from car sickness?
So you’re looking for some natural remedies that can help to prevent nausea that comes from motion sickness during a road trip.
And with that…
What are the best essential oils for car sickness?
First, if you had to choose just one essential oil…
Why should you make it that one?
That’s the ginger essential oil, and ginger is known to be one of the best natural remedies to prevent any sort of nausea!
And, if you want to make an essential oil blend in preparation for your road trip, here are a few more that you may consider adding:
- Peppermint
- Spearmint
- Lavender
If you have an essential oils kit like one of these, there’s a good chance that it comes with at least 2 of the 3, if not all 3, of these oils. But there’s also a good chance that it doesn’t come with the ginger essential oil. In which case, if you’re making your own, be sure to get this one!
Side note!
See about the best shoes for hiking in Hawaii and what to wear snorkeling in Hawaii! And for Hawaii vacation ideas, see the best things to do in Waikiki that will give you Hawaii vibes!
What are ways to use essential oils in the car?
Conveniently, there are essential oil diffusers for cars that are travel-friendly!
Take a look at this one. It’s a diffuser that’s designed to go in your cup holder.
There are also clip-on pads that you can use in your car too. For that, take a look at these.
More ways to prevent car sickness
There’s no guaranteed solution to completely prevent car sickness, but here are some things that may help to make your road trip a little bit more tolerable!
Another essential oil solution
If you don’t want to have to deal with an essential oil diffuser for your car, or you want to try to keep the oil remedy more individualized instead of being intended for the whole car…
This includes essential oils that are best to prevent nausea, and it doesn’t require any sort of diluting. So it’s an essential oil remedy that’s ready to use as is. It’s a roll-on applicator, so all you need to do is take it out and then roll the oil blend onto your skin like behind your ears before you get on the road. It’s compact and travel-friendly so it can make a perfect accessory to your road trip without much inconvenience!
If your road trip travel partners aren’t so fond of traditional essential oil diffusers, this type of oil application can keep the smell from diffusing through the car as much.
This has also had some success with kids who have a history of getting car sick. But as with all essential oils, just be sure that you know best practices of kids using essential oils. One of these things is to make sure you avoid close contact of the oils with the nose and mouth.
More ginger remedies
Once again, ginger is among the top foods that can successfully prevent or make better the nausea. And there are a few more ways besides the ginger essential oil that you can let ginger help you out with your car sickness.
Here are some of them:
- Ginger drops, kind of like cough drops – like these
- Ginger hard candy – like these
- More ginger-filled remedies – like these
Pack some green apples
In that road trip cooler, consider bringing along some green apples! This is another food that’s been known to help with motion sickness.
Things that you can wear
Here are a few things to wear that people have had success with in dealing with motion sickness when traveling:
- Wristbands that you wear – like these – Don’t be fooled by the name! They can help on land in the car too.
- Patches that you put behind your ear – like these
- Neck wrap – like this
Look outside
If you’re not driving, it might be easy to pass time by looking down at the phone or tablet, especially when you have that portable phone charger that will make it so your device will never die even on long road trips! But this can also lead to feelings of car sickness. So instead of having your eyes glued to a screen, keep an eye out on the scenery outside!
Stop at rest areas often
If one of your road trip partners is frequently feeling a bit car sick, you might want to stop often at rest areas. The fresh air and walking around may help with that feeling. It may get you to your destination a little later, but it’s also good for everyone in the car to get out and stretch out those legs too!
FIGHT THAT CAR SICKNESS!
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🐠 Here are things you must consider packing!
- Swimsuit or swimming shirt aka rash guard
- rash guard: swim set for women and swim shirt for men
- Water shoes
- Waterproof phone case (so you can capture pictures of fishies underwater!)
- cheapo phone case OR waterproof camera
- I also have this "camera" wrist float to attach to my cheapo waterproof phone case so my phone won't sink to the bottom of the ocean in case I somehow let go of it. (Mine does stay afloat - test this for yourself before completely trusting it!)
- Swimming goggles or snorkeling mask set
- Reef-safe(r) sunscreen
- lightweight travel towel:
- walking sandals:
I also don't go snorkeling without a personal swim float buoy. Not only does it help to keep me visible, but it makes for a perfect way to rest out in deeper water! Oh, and it also serves as a dry bag so I can take stuff into the water with me.
Another way I have taken valuables into the water with me is to wear a travel money belt that I don't mind getting wet with salt water (it's not waterproof but I have several so I just use one of them) and then I put things in a ziplock freezer bag, and put that freezer bag in the money belt.
There are also designated waterproof waist pouches that you can store your valuables and take into the water with you.
see more:
- What to wear hiking
- What to wear snorkeling