Travel can be a major disruptor to your routine. Long days in transit, missed meals, unfamiliar food options, fatigue—it all adds up to extra stress. And while you don’t have to lose sleep over a little lost sleep, consistency is what keeps your training moving in the right direction.
The athletes who travel well don’t necessarily have higher stress tolerance—they simply take the time to prepare. A bit of planning upfront helps minimize avoidable stress so you can focus on the parts of the trip that matter. To help you do the same, we asked Blonyx athletes for the strategies they rely on to stay healthy, fuelled, and ready to train or race while on the road.
Whether you’re heading to a competition, visiting family, or taking a much-needed vacation, here’s how our athletes keep things steady before leaving, while packing, on travel days, and once they arrive.
Before You Leave: Preparation Makes Travel Easier
If you’re someone who usually packs the morning of your trip, doing a little prep earlier can go a long way. Travel magnifies small mistakes, and planning ahead helps cut down on decision fatigue when you’re tired, hungry, or navigating a new place.
This is the time to check your gear, dial in your nutrition, and make sure you have what you’ll need—plus a little extra. It’s also the moment to test anything you’re relying on while you’re away. Travel isn’t the time to try new supplements, new routines, or anything untested. If something throws off your stomach or affects your sleep, it’s better to discover that at home than thousands of kilometres from it.
Advice from Blonyx Athletes
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Pack a little extra of the essentials. “Always calculate your needs and bring more than you think you’ll need. You’ll never regret having too much, but you will regret running out when the only thing that would fit perfectly is the one you didn’t pack enough of.” – Benoît Boulanger, CrossFit Athlete and Registered Dietitian
- Minimize changes to routine. “Travelling can be very stressful, and making more changes can contribute to injuries and sickness. If possible, bring individually packed single-servings of your supplements to keep routines familiar.” – Wyatt Hunter, Competitive Olympic Weightlifter, 2023 Commonwealth Games Champion, and Coach
Packing Like an Athlete: Simple, Space-Saving, and Airport-Proof
Nobody wants to get held up at airport security for mysterious powders or deal with spilled containers in your bag. How you pack supplements can make travel days smoother and help you stay consistent with your routine. You can read more in our guide to Traveling with Supplements, but the main thing to know here is that a little prep goes a long way. Organizing and labeling liquids, powders, and pills before you leave reduces stress, avoids accidental spills, and keeps your essentials easy to access.
Advice from Blonyx Athletes
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Use daily pouches. “I pre-pack my supplements in little daily pouches before every trip. That way, I never miss a dose or end up digging through my bag at the airport. A little prep goes a long way when it comes to staying consistent!” – Mélanie Katcher, Elite Cyclist with Instinct Racing
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Stick to essentials. “On the road, I keep it simple. Only a few essentials—probiotics, Multivit+, and oregano oil. Beta-alanine and other build-up supplements stay home.” – Jean-Michel Lachance, Professional Cyclist and Coach
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Pack in original packaging when needed. “I bring what I need in the original packaging so border guards know exactly what they’re looking at—less stress, fewer questions.” – Lauren Fridman, Elite Track Cyclist and Biomechanist at Plantiga
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Small, portable servings. “I always pre-pack my Blonyx favorites: HMB+ Creatine, Beta Alanine, Hydra+, and Egg White Protein Isolate into little Ziploc bags so they’re ready to toss in my water bottle on the go. This keeps my routine dialed in and avoids TSA drama (I learned that the hard way when they confiscated my full Beta Alanine one time).” – Jen Dieter, 10x CrossFit Games Masters Athlete, 64kg World & National Record in Olympic Weightlifting, Physical Therapist
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Pack to avoid accidents. “The Beet It gels were tricky to pack, so I stuffed them into my water bottles to avoid compression or spillage in case any exploded. I put Regen+ in a plastic Tupperware—I could not fathom everything being BEET colour if it exploded lol.” – Graham Wood, Triathlete
Travel Days: Hydration, Familiar Fuel, and Flexibility
Travel days are often equal parts exciting and exhausting. They also rarely go perfectly to plan. Food options are hit-or-miss, schedules change, and sitting for hours can leave you feeling lethargic. While you can’t control the weather or whether flights are on time, a few key things that are in your control are staying hydrated, keeping your gut calm, eating in a way that feels familiar to your body, and adding a little movement. These go a long way toward how you feel at the end of the day.
Advice from Blonyx Athletes
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Prioritize hydration. “Travelling by plane often leads to dehydration, which not only impairs our performance but also makes us more susceptible to getting sick. I always carry some Blonyx Hydra+, as this helps me get natural electrolytes and a hint of flavour that keeps me hydrated on travel days. In addition to that, I carry my Blonyx Multivit+ and HMB+ Creatine in my carry-on to make sure I keep taking those with no interruptions for the maximum benefit.” – Joanie Caron, Canadian Olympic Cyclist, Founder and Head Coach of Altius Velo
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Keep fuel simple and familiar. “Travel days are always a little rough. I eat as clean as possible, and spinning out at the end of each travel day, if possible, helps reset my body.” – Orien Masey, Cyclist with Red Truck Racing
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Use clean, simple products. “Use products with clean ingredient lists (like Blonyx!) that you don't need to worry about bringing across borders.” – Shelagh Paton, Triathlete
Race Week & Recovery: Protect What You’ve Built
For those traveling for a competition, arrival shifts the focus from “getting through travel” to protecting the fitness you’ve built while away. Familiar routines, staying fueled, and scheduling time for recovery will help you settle in and perform without unnecessary stress.
Consistency is key—whether it’s carbs, protein, or hydration, sticking to what your body already knows makes a bigger difference than last-minute changes. Even if you’re traveling for fun or training rather than competition, keeping routines recognizable helps your body handle the extra load travel brings and protects the work you’ve already put in.
Advice from Blonyx Athletes
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Carbs and recovery first. “During races, I aim for 120g of carbs an hour, which I get from gels. I also have Blonyx water bottles with Hydra+ and some extra carb mix to stay on top of fueling. After the race, I have tart cherry juice and a meal within an hour.” – Orien Masey, Cyclist with Red Truck Racing
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Keep protein handy. “I rely on Egg White Protein Isolate when food options are limited to stay fueled and satisfied. It helps me recover even when I can’t access normal meals right away.” – Mélanie Katcher, Elite Cyclist with Instinct Racing
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Strategic supplement timing. “I love Creatine for jet lag. I usually double up to 10mg and notice the improvements.” – Rachelle Grace, Cyclist with Lotus Cycling Club
Key Takeaways
There’s no single “right” way to travel as an athlete—but most of our athletes share the same approach to protecting their training while they travel: limit avoidable stress, stay anchored to familiar habits, and control the simple things that have the biggest impact. Do that, and you set yourself up to arrive feeling prepared, steady, and ready to perform or train.
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A little preparation goes a long way. Small decisions made before you leave — checking gear, organizing supplements, planning basics — pay off when travel throws curveballs.
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Smart packing keeps things simple. Clear labels, smaller containers, and intentional organization prevent confusion, spills, and border-control hassles.
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Recovery starts early. For athletes competing or training on the road, refueling and decompressing right after effort helps prevent fatigue from stacking up.
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Focus on the controllables. Delays, food options, and schedules aren’t always up to you — but hydration, recovery, and supplement timing are. Handle those well, and the rest becomes manageable.
That’s all for this week! If you learned something new and are curious to know more, head over to the Blonyx Blog or our growing list of weekly research summaries where we help you further improve your athletic performance by keeping you up to date on the latest findings from the world of sports science.
– Train hard!
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