(METRO) – The holiday season is always a busy time of year for the travel industry, and 2025 figures to be no exception. A November report from CNN indicated that the aviation analytics firm Cirium reported that passenger booking on major airlines for Thanksgiving were up by 2.22 percent from a year earlier, when holiday travel reached a record high.

Traveling is indeed a key component of the holiday season for millions of people, and long lines at airports, crowded train stations and trains, and even heavily trafficked roadways are among the challenges such individuals must navigate as they aim to spend time with loved ones between late November and the first week of January. Finding ways to stay healthy while traveling is another challenge such individuals face. While that can be difficult, travelers can look to various strategies to stay healthy when taking to the rails, roads or friendly skies this holiday season.

· Take some creature comforts to ensure a good night’s rest. The Clayton Sleep Institute reports that as much as 80 percent of travelers report sleeping worse while traveling than they do at home. Jet lag, general weariness and unique sleeping environments can compromise travelers’ ability to get sufficient and quality rest while away from home. When possible, taking some creature comforts along, such as the pillow you sleep on at home, can facilitate better rest on the road. That can promote a healthier holiday season, as the Mayo Clinic notes people who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to get sick after exposure to a virus, including the common cold.

· Do some homework on nutrition. Healthy food and the holiday season are not exactly synonymous, and it’s easy to overindulge in unhealthy fare like baked goods when visiting loved ones between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. It’s also more difficult to eat healthy when traveling, regardless of the time of year. Some pre-travel homework can help travelers find restaurants that offer healthy fare on the road to their destination and locate restaurants with nutritious foods once they arrive. Travelers also can pack healthy snacks to enjoy during their travels.

· Stay somewhere you can exercise. Many hotels now feature on-site fitness facilities and/or swimming pools so guests can exercise during their stay. Travelers can book stays in these facilities rather than staying in hotels with no such offerings or in loved ones’ apartments. Some hotels may include access to a local fitness facility with each booking in lieu of an on-site exercise room. Travelers who want to stay healthy while on the road can take advantage of these offerings during their stay.

· Take something along to calm the stress. Even the most seasoned travelers can succumb to travel-related stress, especially during the busy holiday travel season. Take along an engaging book, a tablet pre-loaded with films and television shows, a smartphone with a full array of podcasts to listen to, or additional items that might help you remain calm should a stressful situation arise during your travels. Stress can compromise the immune system, so having a distraction during travel delays can help people get through their holiday travels in a healthy way.

Staying healthy when traveling during the holiday season can come down to some simple planning.