Travelling for a race can negatively impact your performance. PF&H Sports Scientist Chris Harris explains how to manage sleep, jet lag, hydration, and nutrition on the road...
"}},"slug":"how-travel-can-ruin-your-performance-and-what-you-can-do-about-it","blogTags":"Performance","featuredPost":false,"author":{"name":"Chris 'Minty' Harris","slug":"chris-harris","facebookHandle":null,"twitterHandle":null,"instagramHandle":"https://www.instagram.com/harriss_chriss/","linkedInProfile":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-harris-31b915130/","stravaProfile":"https://www.strava.com/athletes/7986372","bio":{"childMarkdownRemark":{"html":"Chris obtained a first-class honours degree in Sport and Exercise Science before passing his MSc in Sport and Exercise Physiology at Cardiff Metropolitan University with distinction.
\nA competitive triathlete and marathon runner himself, Chris has formerly worked as an Exercise Physiologist for sports’ National Governing Bodies and the NHS. As a Sports Scientist at PF&H, Chris provides in-depth evidence-based advice to elite and amateur athletes to help them nail their nutrition strategies for endurance sports.
\nAway from work, Chris ran a 2:40 debut marathon and has competed at both the IRONMAN® and IRONMAN 70.3® World Championships.
"}},"title":"Sports Scientist","headshot":{"file":{"url":"//images.ctfassets.net/428xzyjdw7rf/4S5w7kTEfuVWFoPqNIMtno/8a7a89f7df526b38a90a05d7933dcb86/Minty.webp"}}},"scientificallyReviewed":false,"image":{"resize":{"src":"//images.ctfassets.net/428xzyjdw7rf/2htJcLvvMAoTRKu8Zbpm6q/be9a6fada72fbed6e0e030088f34b899/Aidan_Asleep_blog_header._Credit_PF_H.webp?w=1200&h=630&q=70&fit=fill","width":1200,"height":630}},"socialMediaImage":null,"body":{"childMarkdownRemark":{"excerpt":"Travelling for sporting competitions has been part of human culture for millennia. As far back as the Mycenaean period (1600–1100 BC), athletes journeyed across…","html":"Travelling for sporting competitions has been part of human culture for millennia. As far back as the Mycenaean period (1600–1100 BC), athletes journeyed across Greece and neighboring lands to take part in funeral games - competitions held to honour fallen warriors.
\nAs roads improved and railways spread, communities began to travel to compete more regularly. Over the following centuries, weekend competitions often meant hours of travel by bike, train, or car for a chance to compete. Travel and sport have always gone hand in hand, and the challenges of getting to the start line have evolved alongside the sports themselves.
\nNowadays, sport is global. Whether you’re flying across continents for a world championship or driving a few hours for a regional race, the journey itself can quietly shape how you perform.
\nIn this article, I look at five ways travel can impact your performance and share strategies to help mitigate the negative effects of travel, so you can arrive at your destination ready to perform at your best...
\nJet lag isn’t just about feeling groggy after a long flight. It’s the physiological effect of your internal body clock being out of sync with your new environment following long-distance travel.
\nYour circadian rhythm influences your core body temperature, reaction time, coordination, strength, and even mood. Disrupting it can significantly impair training and racing outcomes - particularly when travelling east across the globe, which requires your body to 'shorten' its day (a harder adaptation than lengthening it when travelling west). This can occur even after relatively short travel distances.
\nIn 2016, a research study documented the effect on athletic performance hormonal markers when travelling from Connecticut to Los Angeles (3-hour time difference). Participants completed a variety of performance tests within 2 hours of arriving in LA following the 5-hour flight, including maximal effort counter-movement jumps, repeated sprints, push ups and Nordic hamstring curls, and blood and urine measures were also collected.
\nThe authors concluded that even after a single bout of travel, on average, jet lag of just 3 time zones resulted in:
\nThese metrics support the notion that travel (even relatively short) can significantly stress your body, which in the context of sports events, can impair performance.
\nSleep debt can also impair muscle glycogen restoration, which is essential for endurance athletes relying on steady energy availability. And crucially, the most restorative phases of sleep (REM and deep sleep) tend to be reduced when sleeping in unfamiliar environments. These stages are where most of your muscle repair, immune function, memory consolidation, and emotional regulation take place.
\nIf left unmanaged, sleep disruption becomes a silent stressor that accumulates and magnifies jet lag symptoms, reduces training quality, and undermines readiness on race day. A narrative review from 2021 by Walsh and colleagues found that published data on elite athletes’ self-reported sleep quality saw 50-78% experience poor sleep quality regularly, even *without* the added strain of travel.
\nFortunately, there are ways to protect sleep while on the road. One of the simplest is to try and prioritise sleep when travelling. This starts at the planning phase, and can be remembered throughout your travel.
\n\n\nI get my best sleep two nights before big races, because the night before doesn’t really count for me. It’s always disrupted with nerves and normally an early wake up. (Chris Myers, Pro Ultrarunner)
\n
This might also sound obvious, but kitting yourself up with some “sleep essentials” before you travel can make a big difference. Research has shown that just 90 minutes extra sleep for only 3 nights improved 1 hour cycling time trial performance by 3%. So, trying to win back sleep where you can may have a big impact on your race performance.
\nThis ‘sleep kit’ might include an eye mask to block unwanted light, earplugs to reduce noise or noise-cancelling headphones to play white noise. Choosing accommodation with blackout curtains, good sound insulation, and control over room temperature can make a big difference too.
\nEven the psychological comfort of a familiar pre-bed routine - listening to the same playlist, doing light stretching, or following a consistent wind-down process can help signal to your brain that it’s time to sleep, no matter where you are or what time of day it was where you’ve come from.
\nMuch to my partner’s amusement, I sleep with a black-out eye mask and ear plugs at home in my own bed every night, because I like to maintain this routine. So, when I do travel, my body knows it’s sleep time when I whip them out, and it’s easier to drift off.
\nIt’s also wise to minimise stimulant intake in the afternoon and evening - caffeine, large meals, and alcohol can all interfere with sleep architecture, even if they initially make you feel drowsy.
\nIn short, sleep during travel is fragile but not beyond your control. With some planning and self-awareness, you can protect this vital pillar of recovery, even in the most unfamiliar of environments.
\nAircraft cabins have notoriously low humidity - often drier than the Sahara. Combine that with reduced fluid intake (to avoid bathroom trips) and increased diuresis from mild altitude exposure, and many athletes arrive after air travel at their destination already mildly dehydrated.
\nEven mild dehydration, as little as 2% bodyweight loss, can lead to:
\nIt’s a common trap: you hydrate perfectly at home, but end up playing catch-up for the first 48 hours of your trip.
\nPro trail runner Dan Jones cited hydration as a high priority when preparing for long-haul travels from his native New Zealand in a 2024 Substack on Lessons from the Long Travel.
\nNutrition can be equally tricky to stay on top of when travelling. Airport food is often salty, processed, or lacking in carbs and protein - the opposite of what you need to recover and prepare for performance. On longer journeys, meal timing can also become inconsistent, throwing off energy levels and digestive rhythm.
\nAdd in the potential for:
\nThis is a recipe for low energy availability right when you need consistency.
\nIf you arrive at your destination under-fueled and dehydrated, it can take days to fully recover your normal training intensity or sharpness - especially in hot, humid, or altitude conditions.
\nFortunately, with a little planning, hydration and nutrition can remain a strong pillar of your performance, even when you’re en route.
\nBefore you go:
\nDuring travel:
\nOn arrival:
\n\n\nI only tend to bring foods that I know aren’t available everywhere I travel, and that are super important to my routine like Nutella for my breakfast! (Ellie Salthouse, Pro Triathlete)
\n
Beyond disrupted sleep and jet lag, travel can introduce you to environments that your body simply isn’t ready for. Altitude, temperature, humidity, air quality, and even terrain underfoot can place extra physiological stress on an athlete who’s already dealing with travel fatigue. This is especially true for endurance sports, where environmental conditions can directly impact core body temperature regulation, hydration status, and aerobic efficiency.
\nIt’s worth making sure your body is prepared for the environment you’re travelling to before setting off, as the effects of travel can be further exacerbated by the environment.
\nSo, what can you do about it?
\nThe most effective strategy, regardless of the type of environment stress, is to arrive early enough to adapt. That’s not always realistic, but even a few extra days in a new environment can give your body time to start adjusting and reduce the physiological shock. If early arrival isn’t possible, try simulating the expected conditions at home beforehand. Whether that means running in extra layers, using a heat chamber or sauna, sleeping in a hypoxic tent, or training at different times of day to mimic sunlight and temperature changes.
\nListening to your body and adjusting expectations is essential, especially early in the trip. That includes being patient with how you feel during sessions and possibly increasing hydration and fueling proactively to compensate for the increased environmental load.
\nIn short, every location brings a different physiological challenge. And while you can’t always train for the exact conditions ahead of time, knowing what to expect and giving your body time and support to adjust, could make a big difference.
\nWhat often flies under the radar is the mental and emotional load that comes with simply getting from point A to point B. And while it might not show up in your heart rate or blood tests, the strain of logistics, uncertainty, and routine disruption can quietly chip away at your race readiness.
\nThe days before a big event are ideally spent winding down: letting the body recover, staying mentally sharp, and sticking to familiar routines. But in reality, those final 48-72 hours are often filled with to-do lists, airport queues, language barriers, and “Where’s my running shoes?” moments. The result? You're using up energy - cognitive, emotional, and physical - on things that aren’t your race.
\nEven small disruptions add up. A delayed flight, a missed meal, the stress of navigating public transport in an unfamiliar place combine to increase cognitive load, reduce your capacity to adapt to other stressors (like jet lag or heat), and can leave you feeling flat before you’ve even reached the start line.
\nAnd it’s not just solo travel. If you’re with a team, a coach, or even a supportive partner, you may still feel the weight of other people’s needs or schedules. Social dynamics, shared decision-making, or just trying to stay polite while you’re exhausted can all add an extra layer of stress, especially for introverted athletes who rely on quiet time to mentally reset.
\nAll of this matters. Research shows that mental fatigue can impair physical performance by increasing perceived effort and reducing endurance capacity.
\nHow do you deal with it?
\nIt starts with acknowledging that logistical stress is real stress. Planning your travel with the same intent you bring to your training by giving yourself buffer time, researching your destination, even rehearsing your routine, can all go a long way. Reducing uncertainty helps reduce the mental load.
\nHaving some systems in place helps too. Checklists for your kit (made far in advance, not the night before travel), a few go-to meals or snacks, travel habits that you’ve tested in training - these small anchors can make unfamiliar environments feel a bit more like home. If you can reduce the number of decisions you need to make, you preserve the mental energy for the ones that count like how to pace the first few miles, or when to fuel during the race.
\nAnd sometimes, it’s the intangible stuff that matters most: booking accommodation that has been recommended by friends or reviewed by previous guests as calm and quiet, carving out space in your day to switch off, or sticking to your usual pre-bed routine even if everything else feels new.
\n\n\nI make sure my taper accounts for pre-race stressors like travel and routine disruption. I don’t need to force any last-minute training when I’m stressed about a delayed flight or late arrival, I let that take up my stress allowance for the day and move on. If my mind’s calm, my body follows. (Kyle Smith, Pro Triathlete)
\n
Performance isn’t just about physiology. It’s also about attention, confidence, and headspace, so when your brain is constantly in ‘problem-solving mode’, there’s less room for all of that. The goal isn’t to make travel stress-free (it rarely is), but to make it manageable, so that by the time you’re standing on the start line, your body’s not the only thing that’s ready - your mind is too.
\nLanding isn’t the end of the journey, it’s the beginning of your performance window. How you handle the first 24-48 hours post-travel can shape how your body rebounds to carry the weight of the trip.
\nEven if you’ve followed every jet lag hack, stayed well-hydrated, and arrived early, your body still needs time to adjust. How you spend the time post-travel can either help restore rhythm, or further compound the stress you’ve just put yourself through.
\nThe first rule? Don’t rush into “making up for lost time.”
\nMany athletes feel pressure to jump straight into a key session after arrival, especially if training time has been limited by travel. But this can backfire. Your cardiovascular, neuromuscular, digestive, and even cognitive systems are likely operating at suboptimal levels after a long journey, particularly if you've crossed time zones, changed climates, or arrived somewhere unfamiliar.
\nInstead, think of the first 24-48 hours after arriving as a decompression zone. You’re not training hard. You’re settling in. You’re signalling to your body and brain: “We're safe, we're here, let’s start adapting.”
\n5 recovery strategies on arrival
\n1. Get moving, but gently. A short jog, walk, light spin, mobility routine or some yoga is ideal. You want to stimulate circulation and reduce stiffness without creating additional fatigue.
\n2. Time your movement with the local day. Exercise helps reset your circadian rhythm, especially if done in daylight. It will also bring along the well-established supports for digestion, hydration regulation and mood.
\n3. Stick to your normal fueling plan as soon as possible. Even if your appetite feels off, start syncing meals with local time, and choose familiar, gut-friendly foods if possible.
\n4. Front-load recovery tools. Compression garments, cold water immersion (even a cold shower), foam rolling or massage can help your body shift from 'travel mode' into recovery mode. Don’t wait until you’re feeling the niggles from long sitting or being still for hours on end, intervene early.
\n5. Sleep early, not often. While naps are tempting, especially after a red-eye flight or long-haul journey, keep them short (ideally under 30 minutes) and avoid them late in the day. The goal is to normalise your sleep-wake cycle as quickly as possible.
\nI remember landing on the Big Island of Kona, Hawaii for the IRONMAN® World Championships 2022 and as soon as I landed, I treated the rest of the day like an active recovery day. It wasn’t about hitting numbers, I was just helping my body settle in. That first walk or spin was more mental than physical as I just wanted to move, but it also told my body that I’d arrived. It was really tough as it seemed everywhere I looked there was someone smashing intervals or race reps, so I felt like I was missing something.
\nIt’s not just physical
\nRecovery on arrival also includes giving yourself space to mentally downshift. Even a smooth travel day involves decisions, adjustments, and sensory overload. Take time to get familiar with your surroundings, scout local training areas, and re-centre. Put your phone away for a bit. Breathe.
\nA calm mind accelerates recovery. Some people may benefit from doing some breathwork, journaling, or just sitting in a quiet café and watching the world go by. Others might want to take a walk or listen to a good podcast. It’s less about tools, and more about intention.
\nWhat not to do:
\nExample of a post-travel routine: Arrival day after a long-haul flight (with 2–3 days until race)
\nThe time between landing and lining up is more than just filler. Build margin into your schedule, respect what your body’s just been through, and recover with purpose. Because if you get this part right, everything else is more likely to fall into place when it matters.
\nWhether you're racing across the country or halfway around the world, travel doesn't have to compromise your performance. With the right strategies: planning, hydration, sleep, and recovery, you can arrive fresh, focused, and ready to compete.
\nGot a race coming up that involves travel? Book a free 1-1 video consultation for personalised hydration and fueling strategies to help you perform at your best, wherever your start line.
\n