Five Oils I Always Travel With

We decided just yesterday that we’d have a quick escape to Palm Desert this weekend, to have some R&R before family descends upon our home for Christmas (which will be great fun and a bit chaotic all at once). We also have a couple of great trips lined up, to Cancun in January and London in February to celebrate my Dad’s 80th birthday. I’m not one to pack light, but I’m always trying to – so I’ve whittled down my copious collection of essential oil bottles, and these are the five oils I always travel with, whether it be a weekend or a month away! I tend to use blends more than individual oils, as I feel they are synergistically combined, but that’s just my personal preference.

1. Breathe – this is the first blend I pick, especially when we’re staying at a hotel. Hotel rooms can be musty, or even worse, moldy. They are usually air conditioned or artificially heated, rather than having fresh air coming through. I find it’s easy to get congested and stuffed up, and my husband finds that he gets especially congested and his breathing is challenged. Breathe helps to clear the nasal passages and keep the airways healthy. It contains Laurel Leaf, Eucalyptus Leaf, Peppermint Plant, Melaleuca Leaf, Lemon Peel, Ravensara Leaf, Cardamom Seed essential oils.
2. DigestZen – this is one we hope to not have to use! Typically, the worst case scenario here is that we find a great restaurant and overindulge, so DigestZen comes to the rescue and helps relieve the feelings of fullness and discomfort. But if it was worse, say if someone’s hygiene hadn’t been the best while they were preparing our food, or if we run into any food-borne buggies that we weren’t anticipating, DigestZen could help soothe an upset stomach too. DigestZen contains Ginger Rhizome/Root, Peppermint Plant, Caraway Seed, Coriander Seed, Anise Seed, Tarragon Plant, and Fennel Seed essential oils.
3. OnGuard – my very favorite, this one helps to keep our immune systems strong and healthy. We sometimes use it to clean surfaces such as plane seats, armrests and tray tables (just a tiny bit is all that’s needed, mind you, as my husband once discovered), but mostly use it internally, adding a couple of drops to water and drinking it. If I have any scratchy throat feeling going on, I’ll gargle with it and then swallow it. OnGuard contains Wild Orange Peel, Clove Bud, Cinnamon Bark/Leaf, Eucalyptus Leaf, and Rosemary Leaf/Flower essential oils.
4. Serenity Restful blend – this is a given, to help us with sleep. Occasionally I’ll substitute it and take just Lavender, which is also calming to the nervous system and promotes sleep, but has double-duty as a skin tonic if we get too much sun or get a bug bite. Serenity contains Lavender, but also has other relaxing oils including Cedarwood, Ho Wood Leaf, Ylang Ylang Flower, Marjoram Leaf, Roman Chamomile Flower, Vetiver Root, Vanilla Bean Absolute, Hawaiian Sandalwood.
5. Balance – we all know that travel can be stressful, so I bring Balance along everywhere I go to help keep me calm and grounded, no matter what happens (who am I kidding, Balance lives in my purse 24/7, traveling or not). I love the deep, woody, earthy scents of Balance – I find that for me, Balance is a better choice for stress and tension during the day, whereas Serenity is my choice for sleep. Some people do it the other way around! Balance contains Spruce Needle/Leaf, Ho Wood, Frankincense Resin, Blue Tansy Flower, and Blue Chamomile Flower essential oils in a base of Fractionated Coconut Oil. It is one of my very favorite oils.
   
   My other trick for traveling is that while most of the oils come in 15mL bottles, the Family Essentials kit comes in 5mL bottles. The Family Essentials Kit is typically an introductory kit that people purchase when they first get an account with doTERRA, but one can buy them any time, so I purchased one specifically so I could get the smaller size bottles for traveling, and I find that works great. For our family, these five gems cover 95% of our needs. If I were to add anything else it would be Deep Blue, which also comes in the 5mL size, for any muscle or joint aches or pains. But that would be about it for the absolute essentials. I love having oils on hand for the everyday health issues that can arise, especially when we’re away from home. It makes me feel good that I can take care of my family naturally and safely all the time.