When you spend just as much time traveling to events as you do training for them, you learn a thing or two about how to pack a bag. From nutrition while flying to race day fuel, Erika Ackerlund shares her tips for packing for performance when traveling internationally.
Packing for an international race trip can be a daunting task. Especially if, like me, you race triathlons and have three sports to pack for as well. My name is Erika Ackerlund, and I've been globe-trotting for a couple of years now to race across the World Triathlon Championship Series.
My quest to make a US Olympic team has taken me around the world and back many, many times. In the first three months of my 2026 race season, I've already logged 100 hours of airborne flight time just getting to races. Somehow, traveling is both my favorite and least favorite part of the gig at the same time. Even after years of it, I still take my time packing to make sure I'm maximizing the race opportunities. Thanks to The Feed, it's a bit easier!
I'll give you a longer breakdown momentarily, but I could write about packing for international races in one word: melatonin. I fully believe that sleep is the most crucial part of staying healthy and prepared to race amidst traveling. You won't catch me on a plane or in a hotel room without Thorne Melaton-3. I take this before sleeping on a plane, every night at the hotel leading up to race day, and again if I wake up in the middle of the night with jet lag.
I know many people try to alter their sleep schedule ahead of time to match the time zone they are flying to. Personally, I've found travel often takes longer than expected, and it's better to be more rested than less. Because of that, I take every opportunity for a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep. I'll also generally book the latest departure time available for a long-haul flight to maximize my chances of sleeping through it.
On The Flight
When flying, I've got a quick list of essentials for my carry-on backpack. And know that all these tips are coming from just another economy seat flyer like yourself. For sleeping, I carry an eye mask and earplugs along with my melatonin. For compression, I have a pair of Pressio Compression Socks that I wear on every long haul. For hydration, I bring a water bottle with a twist-off lid (so that I'm not drinking from a nozzle touching everything on the plane) and Precision Fuel and Hydration Electrolyte Tablets PH 1000 to pop in my bottle. For fueling, I'll generally bring Peanut Butter and Chocolate Skratch Labs Energy Bar Sports Fuel or Lemon Blueberry Vafels Liege Vafels in case I get hungry mid-flight. And finally, I'll pack Thorne Zinc Picolinate along with my masks and hand sanitizer to minimize the risk of sickness. With all of that, and a couple of years of practice, I often manage some halfway decent rest during the flights.
Once You Arrive
Once you make it to the race site, days become fun but also full. I have a couple of checklist packing items to stay on top of race prep amidst the excitement of being somewhere new. I'll bring resistance bands in my suitcase so that I can activate with in the hotel gym during my first couple of days post-travel. This routine has helped me feel stacked and mobile throughout my body, leading into the race.
I also make sure to bring Salted Watermelon Clif Blocks Energy Chews and Horchata Skratch Labs Recovery Sport Drink Mix. These are easy items to keep on me during the days so that I never get caught hungry pre or post training sessions in the lead-up to a race. Lately, I've been trying to arrive four nights ahead of international competitions. This seems to be just enough time to balance recovery from travel with minimizing time in an unknown environment.
Race Day
And finally, it's race day!! After a couple of races of scrambling to find things like gels internationally, I bring all my race nutrition from home. For me, this means oatmeal packets for my pre-race meal. I always struggle to choke down that final meal before a race, so I keep it very simple: oatmeal packets and depending on what I find in the grocery I might add honey, banana, soy milk, or a spoonful of peanut butter.
Then I'll have Salted Watermelon Clif Blocks Energy Chews and Cherry Lime Gu Roctaine Energy Gels for my final carb top-ups while at the race site. During the race, I generally take Precision Fuel Carb and Electrolyte Drink Mix and Apple SIS GO Isotonic Energy Gels.
Post-race fueling still counts, so I'll have a couple scoops of Horchata Skratch Labs Recovery Sport Drink Mix that I can add to a water bottle before I get back to my hotel room. International racing presents unique challenges, but proper nutrition and a detailed plan help set the stage for a successful trip and race day.
