Traveling with migraine can feel daunting, especially when trying to avoid the inevitable airplane headache. The excitement of a trip often comes with extensive planning and packing, ensuring all medications and supplements are accounted for, and arranging for head-friendly meals away from home. However, careful preparation can help reduce some of the typical triggers that arise during travel. Here’s how you can tackle these challenges and make your trips more enjoyable.
** While Migraine Strong writes about the latest in migraine treatments, this is not medical advice. We are patient educators and all information you read should be discussed with your doctor.
Plan Ahead to Prevent Travel Migraine Attacks
Creating a solid plan is essential when traveling with migraine, even though perfect plans don’t exist. Migraine often throws surprises at us, but planning ahead minimizes stress and reduces the likelihood of triggers. Start building your plan as soon as you book your trip, whether you’re flying or driving.
- Use Lists to Stay Organized: Consider travel length, your destination, and your companions when drafting your lists.
- Work Backwards from the Departure Date: Start with your departure day and plan backwards to determine when to start packing and order any necessary supplies. Getting your suitcase out a week early allows you to pack gradually and avoid last-minute stress. Don’t forget to include tasks like arranging pet care, turning off your home’s water, and setting the thermostat.
- Schedule Downtime After Arrival: If possible, build a recovery day into your itinerary. Many people, including myself, experience migraine attacks the day after traveling. Use this day to relax while others explore, or join in if you feel up to it.
Why Does Traveling Sometimes Reduce Migraine Attacks?
Many people notice fewer migraine attacks while traveling, which often sparks discussion. Why does this happen? The reasons vary but often include reduced stress from daily responsibilities, reduced screen time and the therapeutic effects of time with loved ones. For example, when I travel, I don’t have to answer the dreaded, “What’s for dinner?” question—restaurants handle that for me!
However, if you follow a migraine elimination diet, eating out may bring its own stressors. Later in this article, we’ll share strategies for dining out while managing your triggers.
I recently took a trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons with my husband. My migraine attacks definitely reduced during the week, even with all of the hiking and the change in time zones. A significant reduction in screen time probably also really helped.
Tips to Limit Migraine Triggers During Travel
Both flights and car rides pose challenges, but you can take steps to reduce the risk of migraine attacks.
1. Stay Hydrated
Travel dehydrates us—plane cabins and car air conditioning or heat exacerbate this. Dehydration is a common migraine trigger, so keep a refillable water bottle with you at all times. Choose one with measurement markings to track your intake.
While frequent bathroom stops or trips to the airplane bathroom may feel inconvenient, staying hydrated is worth the effort.
2. Choose Head-Friendly Foods
If you’re following a migraine elimination diet, strive for “good enough” rather than perfection. Pack snacks that align with your diet for car rides, and research restaurant options ahead of time. When dining at unfamiliar places, make the best choices you can and move forward with a positive attitude.
3. Protect Yourself from the Sun
Pack essentials like a wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen, and a sun shirt. Stay cool and drink plenty of water to replenish fluids. Sunglasses are also a must, especially when hiking, skiing or hanging at the beach.
4. Maintain a Sleep Routine
Headache specialists recommend a consistent sleep schedule. While slight deviations for activities like late dinners or movies are okay, avoid drastic changes. Pack earplugs and a sleep mask, to block noise and light.
5. Carry Medications and Emergency Supplies
Always keep a stocked emergency kit within reach. Include your preventive and acute medications, supplements, and any tools you use for managing attacks. Never pack essential medications in checked luggage—lost bags mean lost treatments.
Unexpected delays can cause all kinds of havoc. Whether stuck in a plane or in traffic, always have supplies to avoid the ‘hangry’ attack. Drinks and some safe crackers or granola bars can head off the impending ‘I skipped a meal’ attack.
Flight Tips: Prevent Airplane Headaches
Airplane headaches often result from cabin pressure and altitude changes. Consider these strategies to reduce your risk:
- Dexamethasone – Is a steroid that has been shown to be effective in preventing high altitude headache (1) A low dose (4mg) the day before, day of and day after flying can offer protection against airplane headaches or migraine attacks.
- Diamox (acetazolamide) – This prescription preventive medication is used also to treat altitude sickness. Taking Diamox prior to and during your flight may help you avoid a migraine attack. (1) If you want to learn more about how Diamox can help with pressure and weather related attacks, read our article on a migraine forecast.
- Acute medication – Headache specialists suggest premedicating prior to your flight if you are susceptible to airplane headaches or migraine attack during flights. Keep in mind that this goes towards your total for the week/month so if your are towards the chronic end of the migraine spectrum, use this option with that in mind. Ginger is always a good option as well and our article on ginger for migraine can give you the needed information. A decongestant like pseudoephedrine can help prevent an attack and can be taken prior to your flight as well. Check with your doctor to see if they recommend any of these options.
Essentials for the airplane headache emergency kit
- Emergency Kit – Always have your emergency kit packed and ready to go. All kits are a bit different but some helpful things to consider packing would include (Benadryl, prescription acute medications, ibuprofen, naproxen, Dramamine, valium, ginger, ear plugs, ear buds, sunglasses, migraine glasses, ice bag or empty Ziploc for emergency ice packs, eye mask for darkness etc.)
- Water Bottle – Take an empty refillable water bottle with you that you can fill in the airport (beyond security). Fighting dehydration is key during air travel to avoid headaches from flying or full migraine attacks. Stainless steel bottles won’t sweat and will keep water cold longer.
- Head Friendly Snacks – Choose some safe snacks for you to eat on the plane. Especially if there is a long delay on the tarmac.
- Benzodiazepine – A low dose of this prescription medication can be super helpful if you are traveling with vestibular migraine and are concerned about getting a vertigo attack while on an airplane. Ask your doctor about having this rescue medication on hand.
- Magnesium glycinate – An extra dose of magnesium (we like Pure Encapsulations) can be helpful at the start of an attack. Magnesium for migraine is commonly suggested as an evidence-based dietary supplement to reduce attacks. This is particularly true for those with vestibular migraine. Explore our supplement dispensary for a special discount for our readers.
- Blisslets – These acupressure bands provide relief from dizziness using pressure points in your wrists. (Get 15% off with code MIGRAINESTRONG15)
- Notes App – If you have difficulty communicating during an attack, add a few lines to your Notes app on your phone that you can point to and communicate with others. This could be as simple as ‘Having a migraine attack and can’t speak’, ‘Could you please get me a drink of water?’ Whatever you find could be helpful during an attack.
- If you are traveling with medications and supplements, make sure to check the FAA website for more information.
Essentials for flight comfort
- EarPlanes – These ear plugs help your ears compensate for the pressure in the airplane cabin. They help my ears stay unclogged and drown out extra noise in the cabin. There are two sizes, adult and children. My smaller ears feel better using the children size. These can be used for two flights.
- Mack’s Flightguard Air Pressure Earplugs – These earplugs work the same way as the EarPlanes, but they are washable and reusable. While these are only available in one size, and they are bigger than the children’s sized EarPlanes, I can wear these for flights and concerts. I have found them to be comfortable enough to wear for several hours.
- Sony MH1000XM4 Noise Cancellation Headphones – I like to pair the EarPlanes or Mack’s Earplugs with these over the ear headphones. These allow me to control what I listen to and block out any other noise from the plane. They fit over my ears entirely and are very comfortable without a lot of pressure on my head. These are a little pricey, but I like that they are comfortable and have an optimizer for adjusting to the change in pressure on an airplane. Another pair with great reviews are the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 noise cancelling headphones. They are less expensive and might be a better choice for the budget.
- Calm App/Headspace/Insight Timer – These are excellent for guided meditation or if you want to relax or get centered during your flight.
- Migraine Glasses – Having a pair of these glasses will help you to filter out the rays of sunlight or florescent light that you encounter in airports and on planes, as well as the blue light from devices like TV’s, laptops, phones and tablets. You can’t always control the window shades on a plane, so having a pair of migraine glasses can really save the day. Check out a list of migraine glasses in our Gift Guide.
Tips to avoid car travel migraine attacks
Most of the tips above also apply to traveling with migraine by car. A good pair of sunglasses are essential for car travel. For nausea, I find that never having an empty belly is the single most important thing for me and the kids. Empty bellies mean a greater chance of nausea on a car ride even when we don’t have twisting and turning roads.
Essentials For Car Comfort
- Ball Cap – This can be another type of hat so long as it can be pulled low to block out the sun. Have you ever driven through trees when the sun is shining through them and there is that strobe light effect going on? Ugh! Sunglasses can’t help this strobe effect. It must be blocked with a hat, hoodie or maybe a sleep mask…as long as you aren’t driving!!
- Blanket/Throw – If traveling in the winter (or summer depending on your travel companions), having a throw in the car is essential to keeping everyone happy. Especially if you don’t have dual climate controls.
- Pillow – In case you need a nap. Read our best pillow for migraine article if you are looking for a new one.
- Memory foam pillow – If you have vestibular migraine, sit on one of these pillows to help absorb extra movement and vibration.
- Plug adapter – This is great for using a heating pad on long drives.
- Magnesium roller balls – Peace Love Rally has some amazing magnesium roller balls. They help to relax my neck and shoulders on a long car ride. Can’t recommend these enough. My kids love them too. (10% off with code MIGRAINESTRONG)
- Cooler – To pack head friendly snacks and drinks.
- Plastic Container with Lid – This is for a nausea emergency in case you don’t have time to pull over. We have used this more than once for the kids. Keep it within easy reach. Trust me.
- Ginger chews – These ginger candies are wonderful for nausea.
Travel Snacks Ideas:
- Chips, crackers, pretzels, granola bars
- Cut up apples and pears
- Homemade pasta or chicken salads
- Cheese sticks, chunks of cheese
- Celery and carrot sticks
- Strawberries, grapes, cherries, blueberries
- Sunflower and Pumpkin Seeds
- Hardboiled Eggs
- Almond butter (Keto)
- Coconut butter (Keto)
- Olives, Jerky (Keto)
Arriving At Your Destination
Plan for comfort once you reach your destination. Use delivery services like Instacart to stock your accommodations with head-friendly groceries, so you don’t have to navigate unfamiliar stores while exhausted. Pack essentials like a heating pad, ice packs, or an Allay lamp to manage attacks during your stay.
Eating Out While Traveling
Check menus online before dining out, and have safe, standard orders ready. Options like plain burgers, baked potatoes, and steamed veggies work well. Skip sauces or dressings that might contain MSG. If hidden triggers worry you, approach meals with an open mind—stress over food can sometimes do more harm than a small dietary deviation.
Obviously, if you have reached the reintroduction phase of the diet, then you have many other options to choose from. These are just a few that we usually recommend. In general, stay away from soups and sauces which will usually have high levels of glutamate or MSG in them.
We hope you have found some good tips in this blog and have some amazing trips very soon. When you do, we hope you’ll come and tell us about it in out Private Facebook Group. We love to hear about your success stories!!
**The article is updated and refreshed from the original publication date of 12/16/2021.
References: