Travelling with PCOS: Diet, Exercise & Self-Care During Your Vacation
What is PCOS
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a condition that affects millions of women worldwide, yet often feels like it’s a lonely journey, with many ladies unsure of how to live with the symptoms.
At least I have my twin sister to navigate this 15 year long PCOS journey with me & to have made a conscious effort in 2024 to take control of our lives and not let it define and confine us!
PCOS is a hormonal disorder that can cause a variety of symptoms, including irregular periods, weight gain, acne, hair thinning, and difficulty managing emotions. It can also lead to insulin resistance and other health complications.
The condition is complex, with no one-size-fits-all solution, but there are many ways to manage it and live a fulfilling life.
Although we are twins, our PCOS symptoms do differ slightly but our blood results will say that we are very much identical.
For us, PCOS has been a rollercoaster of trial and error. We’ve had to learn how to listen to our bodies, adapt our lifestyles, and embrace a journey of self-discovery. Here, we’ll walk you through some of the key areas we’ve focused on and how we have learnt to adapt our travel and lifestyle while having PCOS.
**If you think you could have PCOS too, we suggest you discuss these concerns with your gynaecologist – send us an email / Instagram message if you’d like a referral.
Before PCOS: Navigating Health and Wellness
We used to be lean, provincial & club hockey players, with no health concerns (besides period inconsistencies), so when the weight started piling on, it was very upsetting & confusing.
During school, we used to live on bread – toasted cheese sandwiches in the pan – that melted cheese oozing over the sides. Our friends knew us for eating cheese toasties after school.
Lauren used to have her favourite chocolate milkshake whenever we went out during our school days and we never had weight issues, because we played so many sports and were so active that we ran off all those calories.
Work life after being a student also changes, and you put all your time and energy into your new position as you want to make a good name for yourself. With the stress and overwhelming workload, you put your health to the side and the rest feels like a blur.
Our Path to Wellness with PCOS
Doctor to doctor, gynie to gynie, dietician to dietician. It took us years to find our team of specialists to support our journey. So if this is you, don’t give up just yet!
In 2009 (at the age of 17), we were both diagnosed with PCOS, given a booklet of printed notes, prescribed birth control and told it was going to be tough having children in the future… We were young and not thinking of having kids, our weight was our main concern as we lived a very healthy lifestyle & we began to hibernate from the world because of our insecurities and low mental wellbeing.
Since finding out about our PCOS, it has been a real struggle for us in knowing what works for our bodies – what to eat, what not to eat, when to eat, what exercises to do, you get the drift.
Out of curiosity, we discussed alternative medications such as GLP1 medications / Ozempic with our endocrinologist. Bear in mind, this was in 2022, when this medication was not commonly known by the public, as it is now in 2025 and a highly popular medication for women with PCOS. We opted against it, as our stubborn selves wanted to try all natural routes first.
It seemed impossible, but we were determined to try and not allow PCOS to take control of our lives any longer than it already had.
For those feeling adventurous and have more time to explore South Africa and Africa, get some inspiration from our blogs below.
Perhaps considering a 5 day trip to the Victoria Falls, or a trip up South Africa’s West Coast to Langebaan? I am sure you have heard of Churchhaven and Kraal Baai, two spectacular beaches inside the West Coast National Park. For those who are time restricted, you can base yourself in Langebaan and do day trips from there.
Two PCOS Decisions That Changed Our Lives
Fast forward to 2024, where we made the best decisions thus far, to choose to get help.
Our two best health decisions that we made in 2024:
1.) Work with a professional nutritionist that understands and specialises in PCOS
- We came across our nutritionist on Instagram because she went viral (thanks to Instagram and its algorithms for sending her our way!)
2.) Speaking to a professional counsellor
- After chatting to a colleague, it felt as if we were drowning mentally / was stuck & really needed the support of a psychologist.
It is extremely important to recognize that you have an issue and that you want to work and become a better version of yourself. We were not happy in our bodies and knew that we wanted to seek professional help to improve ourselves.
Find out more about us
Read more about our travel stories and the reason behind why we started our travel blog.
Travelling with PCOS and its restrictions
Our travel blog idea came about in 2019, while living in Sweden, where we had just started seeing our Endocrinologist who was going to help us get back on track with our health and weight.
We always had a great passion for travel, but found ourselves struggling to find clothes that fitted us or clothes that we felt comfortable in.
During our time in Sweden, we walked a lot due to public transport, which actually turns out not to be a bad thing.
We found that walking is one of the best exercises for women with PCOS and getting those daily steps in is SO important. Your body will thank you!
Living on a budget meant that we had to cut out all the luxuries in life. We didn’t go out to eat at restaurants because it was so expensive, especially with Lauren spending her Rands, the conversion rate was not so nice to her! But it was a blessing in disguise.
Friday’s would be our “treat” day where Julia would buy a packet of candy from the shops and we would enjoy that together.
It wasn’t always easy having PCOS and a travel blog
There were many months where we didn’t travel and do anything because we weren’t in a good space mentally, emotionally and overall health.
We found it really difficult taking pictures of ourselves because we lacked so much self confidence and didn’t like being in pictures.
While writing this blog post, I am so proud of us for all the fabulous photos we took of both of us together and looking happy and on our healing journey.
Local travel is easier, as you know what you can eat and where to buy the groceries that you need to make healthy meals.
Our Tips for Travelling with PCOS
Our first “big” trip since starting our health journey was the best!
Because we were planned, organised and prepped.
We recently travelled to the Kruger National Park and followed these steps to stay on track with our meal plan. Planning is SO important to making sure you stick to your goal.
Here are our best travelling tips with PCOS.
Car hire:
- Yes, we know car hire does get pricey, but I’d rather have this than go 10 steps back in my health journey. Drive to the shops to get your own whole foods & not rely on others / eat what they have/ opt for the fast food takeaways.
- Leave when you want to (for those who know us, know we need max sleep hours to function).
Meal prep:
- Making sure that we had self catering accommodation was a non negotiable for us. Have a look at air bnb’s prior to your travel dates to secure the best accommodation type that works for your needs.
- We break up our week into 2 big meal prep days. When in the Kruger National Park, I knew the period was going to be busy, so on our chill day, I spent hours making our breakfast pancakes & froze them.
- We love our breakfast pancakes, as they sustain us and allow us to maintain good glucose levels throughout the day.
- If we have 1 high carb / sugar breakfast, it ruins our sugars & the day. (We are creatures of habit and have been eating our pancakes for a full year straight! – they’re that good.)
Water intake:
- Make sure to have your hydro water bottle with you. I have the “Earth Warrior” one which keeps my water cool all day!
- 2l of water per day is our goal – you need to keep hydrated.
3pm snack:
- Future life lite bars are so yummy and an amazing protein snack for being on the go.
- We always have a protein and a fruit as a snack around 3pm EVERY day. And yes, we will take our snack even if we have plans with friends.
- A big no to eating fruit on its own – naturally, sugars will spike your insulin.
- We knew we’d be in the Kruger National Park in 40 degree Celsius weather, so yogurt as a snack was not going to work lol.
- Eating a 3pm snack that includes protein and a fruit, will keep you fuller for longer and prevent you from going for the unhealthy carb snack options such as chips.
Cooler bag:
- We pack our food and snacks in our cooler bag. Don’t feel shy about this. I’d rather carry my coolerbag than eat warm food. No thank you.
Foods from airports / planes / hotels:
- We stick to eating our plan, as we can track the contents in our food.
- For example, on our flight to KMIA, we were given croissants, a sugary muffin, and fudge.
- We had our pancakes packed in our cooler bag hand luggage, and opted to eat our yummy pancakes over a sugar filled breakfast.
- We took the airline breakfast and gave it to workers at the shopping centre. The old us would not want to waste, so we compromised here!
Eating out:
- Yes, you are allowed to eat out and live your life.
- If you’re out for dinner, order first so you don’t feel obliged to order what others are eating. Have a look at the menu before deciding on your healthy meal.
- Order envy is not cool.
- If you are hungry before going out to the restaurant, make sure to have a healthy snack (like biltong) to avoid diving right into all the “bad” but good tasting things.
- Be mindful of what your plate looks like – make sure there are vegetables, protein (we don’t eat carbs at dinner), swap out chips for sweet potato chips for example.
- Monitor the drinks – drinks are calories but you can have them in moderation. For example: Replace the sugar tonic for sugar free tonics.
Boundaries:
- Travelling with friends is not for the faint hearted. Make sure you discuss your travel plan before booking anything. You need to both be on the same page about what your travel purposes are. One friend might have big plans on drinking every night, when the other might want early nights and a vacation full of sun tanning and relaxation.
- Do what you need to do for your own body and don’t worry about what others will think.
- We are so blessed to have friends who understand our journey. There is nothing worse than having people guilt trip you into eating what you usually wouldn’t eat.
- If that is the case and your friends don’t understand or respect your health journey, you need to get new friends. (kidding, but not kidding) lol
Gym/ walking:
- Make sure to get your steps in / plan your day around exercising.
- Even if it’s a 30 min room workout.
- Short walk after meals is also highly recommended.
- Bottom line, make the time.
- Get right back into your gym routine when you return home.
Don’t let anything (PCOS) hold you from fulfilling your travel dreams
For so long we always blamed everything else but ourselves for PCOS and how it altered our lives so much.
Having lived with PCOS for over 15 years now, we have only recently come to learn and navigate the challenges that come with PCOS.
Don’t allow it to take over your life, you need to take charge and control of the ship and do all the things that you aspired to in life.
We are really pleased with our overall health and wellbeing journey which started in February 2024.
It hasn’t been easy, but it definitely has been worth it.
If you are a travel lover like us, book the flight, take the road trip and head off two that adventure you have been dreaming about. Remember to wear the bikini while you are at it 😀
We are super grateful for the lessons that we have learnt on our health and wellness journey and hope to inspire you to travel no matter your circumstances.
Your travel plans can be altered around your vacation.
Make sure to use our PCOS travel tips and advice and have the best adventure!
***This blog is our learnt information over the years that we would like to share with others.
Our story is to enlighten you and make you feel a part of a community of like-minded women on a wellness journey. Please note that this is in no way intended to give medical advice.
Please seek professional help if you feel you could have symptoms of PCOS.
Comment on this blog if you’d like to hear more about this topic.
Follow us on Instagram to see where we are off two wander next 🙂
off two wander
Lauren and Julia are twin sisters from Cape Town, South Africa, sharing their travel adventures & showcasing what South Africa and other countries have to offer. They are passionate about travel, wildlife, conservation, being surrounded by nature & holistic well-being. They are both currently working fully remotely - Lauren is a travel guru - her previous industry, before moving over to digital marketing. Julia is a qualified teacher and is currently working for a digital agency too! Lauren does the travel logistics and web development, where Julia does the travel blogging & finances (if it wasn’t for Julia, Lauren would be on holiday all the time). Their travel blog covers anything from travel tips, guides & to do’s, wine farm spots & them visiting their favourite coffee shops (they are both creatures of habit, so you’ll find them obsessing over the good coffee cafes).