Is it finally time for a vacation? If you’re trying to sneak one last trip in before school begins again, or you have a trip planned this fall, is your body travel-ready? Whether it’s a plane, a train, or a bus that’s taking you to your destination, chances are you’ll be sitting for hours on end. Your body is meant to be in motion. Sitting in one position for hours at a time isn’t good for any part of your body, but it’s especially hard on your back. If you’re traveling in the next few weeks, follow these tips to prevent travel-related back pain.

Make a Chiropractor Appointment Before your Trip

First thing’s first: before you head out on your trip, try to get in to your chiropractor for some chiropractic care. Doing so will help correct any current misalignments and can help prevent travel-related back pain. If you suffer from back problems like low back stiffness or sciatica, do some deep stretches before your trip. Movement will reduce that tension and stiffness.

Scheduling an appointment post-vacation isn’t a bad idea either.

Protect Your Posture

Even someone with the best intentions and the best posture at the start of the trip is prone to slouching the longer the trip goes on and the longer they must keep still. The lumbar spine isn’t supported when we slouch, and our slouching pattern can set a new posture in our bodies. This misalignment puts further stress on both the joints and muscles. Do your best to maintain good posture—sit up straight, lengthen your spine, shoulders back, feet flat on the floor—but also bring lumbar support to protect your lower back. A small travel pillow or even a rolled-up blanket does the trick. Simply place it between your seat and your low back. To prevent neck pain, bring along a travel pillow for the neck, too.

Get Moving

You can’t really get up and move much on a bus or plane, and you can’t do it at all in a car, but “motion is lotion for your body,” so any type of movement is helpful. Change your sitting or standing position every thirty minutes, move around and stretch once per hour if possible, and do these sitting stretches.

Wear Comfortable Clothing

Your travel outfit should be chosen with comfort in mind. Tight pants, pencil skirts, and shapewear can restrict hip movement and cause you to slouch. Another study even showed that it’s not just skinny jeans that can lead to back pain, but also oversized hoods and heavy statement jewelry. Skip those when you’re traveling, and when you have to carry your heavy overnight bags, choose a roller case or carry the bag close to your body with good lifting posture.

It’s also always a good idea to wear supportive footwear, too.

Empty Your Pockets

Do you keep a wallet in your back pocket? Doing so can put your hips in an unbalanced position with one hip higher than the other. Empty your back pockets before you hop in the car.

There’s no doubt that traveling can worsen back pain. On top of lack of movement, stress and dehydration can make it worse. But, if you follow our tips and schedule a chiropractic care visit beforehand, you can prevent some of those issues.