Episode 189: Traveling with Essential Oils

doTERRA: As summer days start coming closer, you might be dreaming of all the amazing summer vacations ahead. As you embark on your adventures, you might wonder how to bring your essential oils along. And today, we'll share our tips with you.

Welcome back to Essential Oil Solutions with doTERRA, the podcast where you'll hear exciting, useful, and simple everyday uses for essential oils from experts in the field. If you like what you hear today, rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen. We always appreciate hearing from you.

Today, we're excited to talk to Nicole Gibson about how to travel with essential oils. And remember, if you're interested in any of the products we talk about today, make sure to click on the link in the episode description. Nicole, thank you so much for being here with us today.

Nicole Gibson: Thank you for having me! I am so excited.

doTERRA: We are excited to talk about this topic because it is one that doesn't get covered very often sometimes. So my first question for you is, are essential oils allowed on a plane?

Nicole: They absolutely are allowed on a plane. So we still have to keep in mind that to travel with any kind of liquids, they want to make sure that you have bottles that are less than 3.4 ounces and that they all will fit inside of a Ziploc baggie.

So with that in mind, what I like to do is to take the most important oils that I think I might need while actually on the plane. And I put them into smaller drams just so that I can fit more in there, right? So I'm all about maximizing and getting as much as I possibly can. So if you feel like you can't fit all of your favorites into a quart size Ziploc baggie, along with other things you're traveling with, try using some little drams, and you can get more for your space that way.

doTERRA: I love that. And like you said, prioritizing what you need on the plane rather than everything is a great idea.

Nicole: Absolutely. So you can put almost as much as you want in your checked bags. So I actually have a hard shell case. So I always travel with all of my oils. I can't anticipate what might happen. So I'm like, “Oh, better safe than sorry. Let's take them all.”

So I have a hard shell case that I keep inside of my checked baggage, and then I just take the things that I think I might need on the plane along with me and that little carry-on bag.

doTERRA: Absolutely. And other than that liquid limit, are there any other restrictions that I should know about when it comes to putting essential oils into my carry-on?

Nicole: So it's kind of funny. There were there was a whole plane full of us after Convention, and the flight attendants were so kind and they were very, very sweet. But they did get over the intercom and they said, “Okay, doTERRA, we know that you're here and we love you, and we're so glad that you chose to fly with us. We would ask that you please choose one scent and all use the same one.” Because the mixture, it all is going to stay within the cabin of the plane. So I like to just kind of try to be aware and fly with kindness and not pull out ten different oils and open them up in the cabin.

So for me, I really appreciate using oils like Peppermint because the cabin pressure can sometimes just create an environment that isn't quite conducive to easy breathing. And so I like to use some Peppermint to just kind of support my respiratory system, especially when wearing a mask and things like that. It just makes the ride more pleasant.

And so just be cautious and maybe just even, you know, practice some kindness on the airplane itself by not opening up like ten different bottles.

doTERRA: Fly with kindness. I love that. I think that's perfect. On that point, can I bring a diffuser onto the plane if I want to have something diffusing, you know, maybe the Pilōt^® or something little. Is that allowed?

Nicole: To the best of my personal experiences, what I will say is that there are lots of really great little tiny diffusers that I see people using and carrying around with them within the airport.

I can't honestly say that I've ever seen anybody pull one out on the plane, nor would I recommend that personally. Again, when we're flying with kindness, we have to understand that not everybody is going to want to have the same experience that we do.

So while it might be technically allowed, I don't feel like it would be something that I would personally try, just because, like I said, all of the air within the airplane is being recirculated. They discourage anything that might cause problems with other people on the plane, so I think that would fall in that category.

doTERRA: Yeah. Now, Nicole, you mentioned earlier Peppermint is one of your favorites, your go-tos, for during a flight. What are some of the other products that you have to have during your flight?

Nicole: Oh, such a good question. So I always have a backpack filled with drops, so I have a dōTERRA Breathe^® Respiratory Drops that just kind of, you know, when you get that dry mouth in that dry cabin, it just does a good job. It's just something I can easily pop in my mouth, and it helps support that respiratory system.

I always take Ginger Drops in the event that there's some turbulence or something. It just kind of helps soothe and provide a little relief from any discomfort that you might feel. You know, so we want to try to support our bodies.

I always make sure that I take some of the Rose lotion with me because I haven't had anybody yet tell me that they hate the smell of that, right? And so, you know, it's really dry on airplanes, and it can really wreak havoc on your skin. So I like to use a little bit of Rose hand lotion.

And then I always make sure that, as far as oils go, that I keep some oils. So I love dōTERRA Balance^®. That's one of them. And I take an Adaptiv^®. And so I would say those are kind of like my must-have products and oils whenever I'm on an airplane flying.

doTERRA: And I think those all sound incredible. Now, my final question for you is, what about after the flight? You've gotten to your destination. What, I know you mentioned that you travel with most of your products in your checked bag, but if you had to pick, what are your top five products that you always have to travel with?

Nicole: Oh, my goodness. Okay, so supplements are number one. So I always travel with my supplements. I have my dōTERRA Lifelong Vitality Pack^®, my DigestZen TerraZyme^®, doTERRA On Guard+ ^™, and Turmeric. They go everywhere with me. Now I take all the supplements. I'm not going to lie. Like, I like to be in tip top shape when traveling. And that includes my immune health and, you know, all of those things. So I do take all of my supplements. That's a no brainer.

And then I also take all of my spa products. So I need my Veráge^® skin care. I take that with me. I love the new shampoo and conditioner travel size especially, so I take that with me whenever I'm traveling.

And then this is going to sound a little—so I always travel with a diffuser, but something that people may, I don't know, maybe I'm just a little bit weird in this, but I actually take a little spray bottle with some On Guard Cleaner Concentrate and water in it, so that when I get to my hotel I can spray things down and wipe them down and you know kind of keep things a little bit less chemical clean and a little more doTERRA clean, right? So those are the things I have to have for sure.

doTERRA: That all sounds amazing, and I never would have thought about the On Guard Cleaner Concentrate. I think that is a brilliant idea!

Nicole: Well, when you've walked into one too many hotel rooms, and you're breathing is automatically affected because of all the chemical cleaners, it's like, Ooh, do not leave home without your little spray bottle of cleaner concentrate. It's just like—just reuse one of your old On Guard Hand Sanitizer bottles and just refill it with a little bit of water and a little squirt of On Guard Cleaner Concentrate, and you’re set.

doTERRA: I love it. Nicole, you have absolutely taught me a few new tricks to use when I am travelling with my oils. And we really appreciate you coming on and sharing your expertise with us.

Nicole: Well, thank you for having me. I appreciate it.

doTERRA: Thanks for joining us and congratulations on living a healthier lifestyle with essential oils. If you want to try any of the products you learned about, click on the link in the episode description or find a Wellness Advocate near you to place an order today. And remember, if you liked what you heard today, rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen.