Tips and Essentials for Trips to Extremely Cold Destinations

Travelling to cold destinations is not for the faint hearted!

If you are travelling to a destination famed for cold temperatures, your travel preparation goes beyond throwing a few clothes into a suitcase and printing your tickets. For those used to urban conditions, the cold and what it may bring can come as a bit of a shock if you aren’t prepared. Thankfully, once you’ve followed helpful tips to prepare for it, you will find yourself enjoying the serenity of snow-capped mountains and a cool breeze.

Medicine for Altitude Sickness

The right medicine is an important component of being comfortable in an extremely cold destination. As cold temperatures imply high altitudes for travel in the subcontinent and some international destinations, you need to carry all the relevant medicines to offset and prevent altitude sickness symptoms, experienced as headaches, tiredness, nausea, dizziness, and shortness of breath, especially if you’ve ascended to high altitudes (10,000 feet/3,048 meters) quickly.

Allergy Medicine

Many people who have not experienced cold weathers are surprised when they find themselves allergic to the cold, and allergic responses include rashes, wheezing and fatigue. Antihistamines are therefore essential to pack – they’ll even keep you safe from exposure to allergens you don’t find in your normal environment.

Diet Tips for Cold Weather

While we tend to drink less water or drink dehydrating drinks like caffeine and alcohol in cold weathers, we need to ensure our water intake is normal. For this, soups and nourishing broths with minimal spice usage are ideal. These will also fill you up, reducing appetite and thus the weight gain associated with the winter. Instead of deep fried food, opt for grilled vegetables and meat. A mixture of nuts, raisins, and peanuts is also a healthy snack. If you’re opting for trekking, ensure you have had a sufficient amount of carbs to fuel your day.

Get Enough Sunlight in cold destinations!

Lack of sunlight can lead to SAD – a seasonal affective disorder that is incredibly common, and is linked to depression, experienced in the desire to eat and sleep more, avoid being social, and mood swings. To avoid SAD, keep your curtains open, indulge in a bit of sunbathing, and try to get some exercise instead of staying cooped up in your hotel room all day.

Are you Dressing Warm Enough?

While urban winters necessitate the use of layers, sub-zero temperatures will not only need a few warm layers, but also a thick coat made of fleece, wool or fur. This will not only give you an added layer of warmth, but also protect you from the snow or rain – you can just shed it, let it dry, and wear it while you have some level of safety from other clothes. It goes without saying that thermal underwear is essential for the winter but carry a few pairs that you can change regularly. Send it off to the laundry if you’ve run out, as skin irritations can result from sweat and dirt trapped in the thermal underwear.