I have spent the better part of the last three years traveling extensively for business, travel can be hard on your body, and especially on your skin. Dehydration from airplanes, changing climates, changing elevations, lack of sleep and jetlag can all wreak havoc on our appearance. I have found that maintaining a good skincare routine is essential to combating the stresses of travel.

The causes of skin dehydration when traveling are multi-factorial. If you fly, the airplane cabin is significantly lower humidity than life on the ground, unless you live in an arid area of the world. Our homes are usually 30-60% humidity (or more if you live in a humid climate) and the inside of an airplane can be less than 10-20% humidity. This can quickly lead to dehydration of the skin even on a short flight. Longer flights of six hours or more can really take their toll on the skin. I used to arrive at my destinations with parched, sagging skin, and it could take days to recover. Now, I prepare ahead of time and exit the plane - no matter how long the flight - with dewy, plump and glowing skin, and you can too!

Skin dehydration from air travel can be made worse by our beverage choices in air. Alcohol and caffeine can rob our bodies of much needed water while in flight, as both act as diuretics in our bodies and cause us to lose more water. That, coupled with the increased loss of water from evaporation from our skin, can pack a real punch and cause us to land looking a bit like a prune! Trust me, it’s real. I’ve heard recommendations that when traveling by air, one should drink one glass of water to match any other alcohol or caffeinated beverage consumption. This seems like good advice to me.

Recently, on a trip to Arizona, I experienced dry skin like I have never had before. Being born and plagued with oily skin my entire life, I am not used to needing a lot of moisturizers to keep my skin feeling normal. But on this trip, I felt what it must be like to have dry skin, as I layered on my serums, creams and my skin drank it all up. I was struck by how uncomfortable it can be to have dry skin - tight, itchy, cracked and dull. Applying the VOLANTÉ Skincare Radiant Youth Firming Crème made my skin feel instantly soft and cool, with hydration that lasted all day. My skin glowed and was visibly firmed.

I like a simple routine when I travel and don’t like to take a lot of product with me on the road. I always want to hydrate my skin, and exfoliation is equally important as all of the stress put on our skin when we travel can slow down our own natural exfoliation. I also want to always use a firming product even when I travel in order to maintain the skin-lifting benefits of topical products that contain firming peptides as air travel and jetlag can leave your skin sagging.

The VOLANTÉ Skincare Trio is the perfect solution for travel. It contains three TSA-friendly essentials in convenient compact tubes. Packed with peptides to hydrate and firm, exfoliants to polish your stressed out skin, and 7VITAE® to nourish and brighten your skin, this trio is a travel essential for the weary traveler on the go. The Luxurious Daily Cleanser is the bomb, effortlessly removing all makeup and grime from the day, while the Intensive Repairing Serum hydrates, firms and gently exfoliates my skin before bed. In the morning, the Revitalizing Day Lotion hydrates, firms and brightens the skin, and extra antioxidants protect my skin throughout the day, no matter the climate or where my travels takes me.

I’ve also found that the ritual of cleansing and nurturing my skin while on the road - with the same products that I use at home -can really make me feel more at home while away, The routine act of caring for my skin is one way to take a piece of home with me on the road, and the familiar smell and feel of my favorite products can really help me feel comfortable and refreshed, no matter the climate or time zone. And, facing the day with glowing, fresh skin is always a great place to start.