Travel can be wonderful. It’s an opportunity to set aside your humdrum routines and see different places, eat different foods and sleep on different pillows. It can also be terrible for these same reasons.
And sometimes you get constipated.
“For a large number of people, traveling for work or vacations can be associated with onset of new constipation or the exacerbation of pre-existing constipation,” says Dr John Carroll, a gastroenterologist at MedStar Georgetown University hospital.
As it turns out, the very excitement and disruption that make travel fun can also wreak havoc on our digestive systems.
“Our guts love routine,” says Dr Erin Toto, clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. “When we go on vacation, your entire circadian rhythm is thrown off, and that can really impact bowel function.”
We asked experts why so many of us get stopped up when we travel and what we can do to prevent it.
What is constipation?
“Constipation actually has a lot of different definitions,” Toto says. Clinically, she says, it is considered “hard stool, infrequent bowel movements, and difficulty passing stool”.
What “infrequent” means may vary from person to person. Having bowel movements anywhere from three times a day to three times a week is considered within the normal range, Toto says.
Generally, the number of bowel movements is less important than how you feel. “Most people have a decent sense of what is their normal baseline” when it comes to pooping, says Dr Keith Summa, assistant professor of gastroenterology and hepatology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “If there is a subjective sense of slowing down and being backed up, then I consider it constipation.”
Who gets travel constipation?
Lots of people! “These are very common issues,” says Dr David Poppers, professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health. “It happens to your friends, colleagues, neighbors, family, the flight crew, people at your hotel.”
While many travelers experience constipation, Poppers says it may be more likely for those with conditions such as celiac disease, chronic constipation or disorders of the gut-brain interaction (DGBIs) such as irritable bowel syndrome.
Why do we get constipated when we travel?
Dehydration. One of the most common causes of travel constipation is dehydration, says Toto.
This parchedness can be both voluntary and inadvertent. Whether it’s a road trip or a long flight in the window seat, people tend to restrict how much fluid they consume when they travel because they might not have easy access to a bathroom, Toto says.
Even if you aren’t purposely avoiding fluids, air travel can be particularly dehydrating because the air that circulates within a plane contains almost no moisture.
This dehydration can disrupt our usual bowel patterns. “One of the first places the body looks to reclaim missing water is in the urine and the stool,” Toto explains. When too much water is removed from our stool, it becomes hard and dry, making it difficult to pass.
Changes in diet. When we travel, we tend to eat differently than we would at home. “People tend to consume more processed foods than they normally might, and less high fiber foods, which can lead to constipation,” says Carroll. Additionally, he says, people tend to consume more alcohol and caffeine when they travel, both of which can be dehydrating and thus exacerbate constipation.
Decreased physical activity. Regular movement is essential to healthy bowel movements. Physical activity “sends signals to the intestinal tract to keep things moving”, explains Poppers. When people move less – maybe they are stuck on a plane or in a car, or they’re not doing their regular exercise routine – they are more likely to get stopped up. “Being more sedentary can really slow things down,” Poppers says.
Jet lag. Traveling across time zones can throw off our inner clock and disrupt our body’s natural rhythms, Summa says. “Your body’s clock becomes misaligned with that of the environment,” he explains. You are eating and sleeping at times your body doesn’t expect, and your rest and digest system is thrown off, resulting in constipation and other GI issues.
Anxiety. Travel often comes with a lot of anxiety. There is the stress of, say, getting to the airport on time, making sure you packed everything you need, or interacting with members of your extended family who have recently joined multi-level marketing schemes. These stressors can impact the gut “and manifest in constipation in some people”, Summa says.
What can we do to prevent travel constipation?
Hydrate. Since dehydration is one of the main causes of constipation, one of the best things you can do to prevent it is to stay well hydrated. Toto recommends drinking a lot of fluids in the days before your trip to ensure you’re fully hydrated when you embark.
Practice. For some, using a bathroom other than their own can be stressful. Summa says that for these people, it may be useful to do some practice runs beforehand. “Try using public bathrooms close to your house in the weeks leading up to the trip to get your body used to that and to allay some of the anxiety of being in a different environment,” he says.
Go! One of the biggest bathroom mistakes people make when traveling is not going when they need to, Toto says. Maybe you’re in a crowded hotel room or a small Airbnb and you’d rather hold it until no one’s around or you have more privacy. But that can just make constipation worse. “I always remind people: everyone poops,” Toto says.
How can you treat travel constipation?
Regular habits. If you haven’t prepared and you find yourself feeling constipated on a trip, start by trying to get back into a healthy routine. “Keep hydrated, maintain a high fiber diet and maintain as much activity as possible,” says Carroll.
Medication. If you’re getting enough water, fiber and movement and still need help, there are a number of over-the-counter constipation relief products that can help. Experts recommend medications like MiraLax or Dulcolax.
Know when to seek help. While travel constipation is extremely common, Poppers says it’s important to pay attention to your body’s reactions to ensure there is nothing more serious happening. If you start to notice a significant change to the pattern of your bowel movements – if they are noticeably bigger, smaller or more or less frequent – you may want to talk to a physician. Other red flags, Popper says, include blood in the stool, abdominal pain, and unintentional weight loss. “You may need additional work ups like blood tests, a direct evaluation, or a colonoscopy,” he says.
