Posture Travel Tips
Travel—the ultimate test of patience, endurance, and your spine’s will to live. As a single mom with three teenagers who insist on packing half the house for a weekend trip, I’ve seen my share of concave airplane seats, back-wrenching carry-on bags, and posture-shaming mirrors in airport bathrooms. If you, too, are tired of arriving at your destination looking like Quasimodo, grab your favorite lumbar roll (don’t have one? We’ll fix that) and read on for some tried-and-true posture travel tips. Spoiler alert: none of them involve growing a new spine.
Table of Contents
1. Roll With It—Literally
Those airplane and car seats? Designed by someone who must hate backs. They’re concave, pushing you into the most hunched position possible, like you’re practicing to be a hermit crab. Combat this madness by rolling up a sweatshirt (or a towel if you’re fancy) and stuffing it behind your lower back. Instant lumbar support! Bonus: When the airline “comfort” pillow inevitably fails, you’ve got an emergency neck roll.
Pro Tip: Choose the sweatshirt of the teen who’s currently annoying you the most. Petty? Yes. Satisfying? Also yes.
Better yet, travel with a travel foam roller. I have two. One is my water bottle that is also a foam roller and one is this one in this video.
2. Hot and Cold: Not Just for Drama Queens
Travel is a pain—literally. Whether it’s your lower back, neck, or shoulders protesting the five-hour flight, a little heat and ice therapy can go a long way. I swear by salves with wintergreen or peppermint that provide a hot-cold sensation and make you smell vaguely like a Christmas candle. For serious relief, slap on an over-the-counter lidocaine patch.
Just remember to remove the patches. I can’t tell you how often I am walking around with a patch on my back that’s showing!
3. Roll Away the Pain
Do you know what’s worse than lugging a heavy suitcase? Lugging that heavy suitcase and throwing out your back. Be smarter than I was during my first dozen trips—get a roller bag and a backpack. Roller bags save your spine, and backpacks evenly distribute the weight so you’re not lopsided (or as my kids like to call it, “mom-shaped”).
Also, ditch the overstuffed purse for a lightweight fanny pack, bum bag or. crossbody purse. Sure, you might look like a tourist from 1994, but at least your shoulders won’t feel like they’re auditioning for a chiropractor’s worst-case scenario reel.
4. Posture Correctors: For When You Just Can’t Anymore
If you’re prone to hunching (and who isn’t after two hours in the middle seat?), a posture corrector might be your new best friend. These magical devices gently pull your shoulders back, making you look and feel like the confident traveler you pretend to be on Instagram. Wear it under or over your clothes—either way, you’ll be one step closer to arriving at your destination upright and proud.
Bonus: Posture correctors double as a passive-aggressive way to remind your kids to sit up straight.
5. Airplane Yoga for the Stuck-in-Seat Crowd
Think you can’t exercise on a plane? Think again, my hunchy friend. Every hour, take five minutes to do these simple seated exercises:
- Chin tucks: Bring your chin toward your chest, then back up. Bonus points if you scare the person next to you with your double chin game.
- Spinal twists: Turn to one side, hold the armrest, and gently twist. Try not to accidentally elbow your neighbor’s tray table.
- Lower abdominal pulls: Suck in your belly like you’re trying to fit into those pre-pandemic jeans. Hold for 15 seconds. Release. Repeat.
- Shoulder blade squeezes: Pinch your shoulder blades together, hold, and relax. Pretend you’re crushing your kid’s excuses for why they didn’t pack their own snacks.
Yoga for Travel: Pre/post Flight Sequence
Final Thoughts
Traveling with bad posture is a battle, but with these tips, you can win—or at least survive without needing an emergency visit to the chiropractor. Remember, your back deserves better than the sad excuse for support provided by modern transportation.
Now, excuse me while I roll up my daughter’s sweatshirt and sit through yet another five-hour flight. If anyone needs me, I’ll be the upright (and slightly smug) passenger in seat 9F.
Got a favorite posture hack for travel? Drop it in the comments below—because sharing is caring, and I’m always looking for an excuse to avoid a full-on hunchback transformation.
Get Travel Insurance
Unfortunately, there are a lot of things that can go wrong on any trip. Be prepared for the worst with travel insurance. We use Travelex or Safety Wing (often cheaper).
Book Flights
I use Skyscanner to find flights. I use it so much, I wrote an entire guide to finding cheap flights with Skyscanner! Another option for finding deals is FlightHub.
Book a Place to Stay
I recommend using Expedia.com or Hotels.com for most hotel bookings. I prefer to book directly with Marriott when I stay there because of their excellent military discount.
If you prefer staying in a vacation rental instead, I recommend VRBO or Whimstay for last-minute deals. If you are looking for a hostel, I use HostelWorld.
Choose Activities and Tours
To find great activities in any area, I use Viator. If we are visiting a city with lots of popular attractions, I always check CityPass, GetOut, and GoCard to see if they have discount cards available. Groupon also tends to have a lot of local travel deals.
When I want to book a full-on multi-day tour, I use TourRadar. They’ve got fantastic weekly deals. If going somewhere in Mexico or the Caribbean, I use Apple Vacations.
Rent a Car or Get a Lyft
Often, Lyft is cheaper than Uber. Use my Lyft link for an $18 credit! For a car rental in any country, I recommend Hertz or Discover Cars. Do not take Uber in 3rd world countries.
Save Money on Gas
Upside a free app gets you cash back on gas! Use promo code RV2Q2 to get an extra 15¢/gal bonus on your first purchase.
Get a Visa
I use iVisa to get all of my Visas.
Travel Printables
If you found this information helpful consider buying me a cup of coffee aka helping me pay to put kids through college! Just scan the QR code or click the link. As always, thank you for your support!
