Non-stop travel can take its toll on the body, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t look great. Travel shirts and pants made by outdoor companies are more stylish than ever and even backpacks are taking on a more sleek and business-like aesthetic. Although it can be fun to embrace the hippy style, leaving your hair unwashed and beard unshaven, there will also be times when you want to look fresh and clean cut.
For men, in particular, it can be hard to maintain proper grooming standards at the best of times, let alone when on the move. Follow this advice to quickly and easily stay well-groomed, no matter how hard you are hitting the road.
Simplify Your Grooming Routine
Minimalism should be a part of every aspect of backpacking, but one perfect place to apply it is with your grooming products and routine. You may be limited by airport security rules anyway, so consider each product carefully. Often people buy all sorts of creams and lotions, thinking that they are all necessary. However, this means that you spend less time thinking about the value of each one, with many ending up completely unused.
Instead, focus on a few high-quality products. For instance, your shower gel could serve many functions if you are willing to buy the highest quality product. Go for something scented, so that you don’t require so much cologne, while a moisturizing body wash reduces the need for a separate moisturizer. This can double as shampoo and even laundry detergent when sink washing your dirty underwear.
By limiting the amount of products you own, you speed up your routine and will, therefore, be more likely to stick to it, keeping you fresh for longer. You could also embrace a beard as a way of simplifying your grooming routine. A daily straight razor shave is hard to maintain, but a quick trim at the edges now and then is a fast and easy way to appear well-groomed.
Watch Your Hydration Levels
Things that seem simple at home, can be become more difficult on the road. Drinking enough fluids is one of these things. Firstly, you get asked to throw it out at airport security and then may forget to refill on the other side. A long haul flight with just the occasional offering from the cabin crew won’t be enough, especially because the air inside an aircraft is so dry, which dehydrates your body and skin. If you are drinking alcohol, you will dehydrate yourself even further. At your destination, you will be on the move and sweating more than you realize, and tap water may not be drinkable. This will be made even worse if at altitude.
All these added together is a recipe for dehydration, which leads to tired-looking eyes and dry skin. Just taking the time to consciously consume more water is one of the easiest ways to make yourself look and feel great while traveling. Try to limit your caffeine and alcohol intake and always ensure you have more water than you need in your backpack. It’s almost impossible to overhydrate, but all too easy to not drink enough. So up your fluid intake and you’re halfway to appear well-groomed.
Moisturize Frequently
It can be surprising how tough traveling is on your exposed skin. You will generally be outside a lot more than usual, exploring your destination. This exposes you to the elements causing dry skin and cracked lips. If you fly often, then you will spend hours sat in very dry air. You may also transport more dirt to your face by touching the interior of any public transport.
In order to maintain and protect smooth, blemish-free skin, it is essential to moisturize. Often you will be lacking in sleep as well, so using some cream below the eyes will remove those dark circles so that you look more awake. Find a high-quality moisturizer that is right for you. Combined with a lip balm and caffeinated eye cream, this is a simple kit to keep you looking sharp.
Use a Refillable Travel Cologne Spray
In a scientific study from the Monell Chemical Senses Center, different photos of people were shown to participants. It was found that releasing a pleasant smell made the participants more likely to assess the people in the photo as attractive. In fact, it has been shown that the same person will appear more attractive in a photo if they are wearing cologne. Even though anyone viewing the photo cannot smell them, they naturally feel more confident when they smell good and this is subtly reflected in their demeanor in photos, making them seem more attractive.
With that in mind, you don’t have to have a complicated grooming routine to make yourself look more attractive. A quick spray does wonders for your confidence and other people’s perception of you. When traveling, you might not want to carry around those heavy, awkwardly shaped glass fragrance bottles. Instead, you can buy a refillable spray bottle. These are lightweight and easy to pack but will hold enough perfume to keep you always smelling great no matter how sweaty and dirty you get on your travels.
Take Advantage of Power Naps
Exhaustion is a seemingly unavoidable part of travel and it’s one of the main reasons you will struggle to maintain your physical appearance. Remedy this with some much-needed beauty sleep. Power naps are an incredible tool to boost alertness in a short amount of time. By keeping your daytime sleep under half an hour, you will avoid the groggy feeling that comes from sleep inertia. Instead, this light sleep will give you the boost that you need.
There’s a clear cognitive benefit to this, which will make you seem more attractive by appearing more attentive during conversation and more successful in your business activities. However, there will also be immediate improvements to your appearance as you overcome the physical effects of tiredness. For the best results, have a strong coffee first. The caffeine will take 20 minutes to kick in, during which time you can be napping. When you awake, you will feel ten times more alert.
Use this extra energy to jump straight in the shower, wash with your scented shower gel, slap on some deodorant, cologne, and moisturizer, brush your teeth and do your hair. You’ll emerge a new man, with a fresh and attractive style that gets heads turning.
Grooming isn’t something that comes naturally to a lot of men. During travel, it is one of the first things to be neglected. However, beauty routines don’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. Simplify your routine, stay hydrated, moisturize, and nap your way to a cleaner, more attractive, outward appearance. This will help to boost your confidence, keeping you happy, social, and successful as you travel the world.