It’s travel season again! Whether you’re heading on a long road trip or flying across the world, earthing while travelling, or grounding once you arrive can make a real difference.
Grounding on the road or on a plane helps release static build-up, reduces travel stress, and can ease aches that come from sitting for long stretches. It’s also a gentle way to support jet lag recovery and arrive feeling more balanced. Here are a few ways to stay grounded and feel your best on your next holiday.
Table of contents
- 1. a) How to Ground Yourself in a Car
- 1. b) How to Ground Yourself in a Plane
- 2. Rebalance After Arrival
- 3. Grounding while Camping or in a Caravan
- 4. Earthing in a Hotel Rooms Overseas (Earthed & Non Earthed)
- 5. Keep it Simple
1. How to Ground Yourself in a Car or on a Plane
Sitting in a car or plane is a lot more tiring than sitting on a sofa. That’s partly because when we are travelling our bodies are subject to constant vibrations and micro-movements (against the seat) that create static electricity. The build-up of static electricity can contribute to travel fatigue, aches, and pains. So grounding while traveling helps reduce this, and calms your nervous system to offset travel stress naturally.
This ‘Relative’ grounding allows your body to gently release these static charges by ‘grounding’ your body to the larger metal body of the vehicle. Note: this is not the same as earthing, where free electrons travel from the earth’s surface into your body. The chassis of the car or plane acts as a relative ‘ground’ to release static electricity from your body and is sometimes referred to as a “zero field”. Avoiding static build-up is valuable for reducing fatigue and travel aches.
On the road:
Use a Better Earthing Auto Seat Pad to connect to your car’s metal frame. Many drivers report less fatigue and fewer aches after long drives, according to an informal study by the Earthing Institute. Many long-distance drivers report benefits, including a Sydney bus driver who noticed a big difference after using one on daily shifts.
On your next road trip, fit your car with a Better Earthing auto seat pad and see if you notice less fatigue or general aches.
How to Ground Yourself in a Car with an Earthing Mat
Place the car seat grounding mat on the seat with the snap connection towards the back. Snap connect the cord and attach it to your car’s metal frame (on an unpainted metal part under the seat) to discharge static electricity.
In the air:
Relative grounding on a plane is easy. You can discharge static build-up while seated in a plane by making conductive contact with the metal seat frame in front or below you with your bare heel or foot (or via thin cotton socks with a little body weight against the metal). This creates a“zero field zone” relative to the aircraft, helping stabilise body voltage and reducing muscle tension. Frequent flyers find that grounding this way can ease travel stress and support faster jet lag recovery once they land.
For deeper grounding, connect your Grounding cord to a small earthing product (like a band, wrap or chair mat) to the metal frame using an alligator clip or sticky tape.
2. Rebalance After Arrival with a Barefoot Walk
A short barefoot walk is one of the easiest ways to reconnect with the earth after travel. Spend 20-30 minutes barefoot walking or standing on the grass or at the beach. This helps your body reset its circadian rhythm naturally and may support jet lag recovery.
There are no studies yet on earthing and jet lag. But there are many anecdotal reports.
If the weather allows, make grounding part of your arrival routine. A short barefoot walk in a park or by the beach can leave you feeling more clear-headed, energised, and ready to enjoy your trip.
3. Stay Grounded While Camping or Caravanning
Camping naturally connects you to the outdoors, but not always to the earth itself, especially if you wear shoes all day.
A simple way to ground while walking is by adding Erthe Earthing Shoe Straps to your runners or hiking shoes. You’ll likely notice more subtle energy and fewer aches after your walks.
When you return to your tent or caravan for a rest, you can earth there too using an indoor earthing product (such as an Grounding mat).
For a Powered Campsite that is Earthed
When you connect the electrical power cable to your caravan, all your indoor sockets will be earthed (In Australia and New Zealand, as all electrical cables are earthed). You then connect your indoor product to any the van’s socket as you would at home. For a non-powered site, use a grounding rod to earth (or metal tent peg).
Simply push the 40cm metal grounding rod into the soil, attach the outdoor lead, connect an alligator clip to the lead’s other end, and clip to the Vans outside power outlet’s Earth Pin (see image below) Then all your caravan’s indoor sockets are earthed, and you are ready to relax with the earth’s health-enhancing free electrons flowing through to you.
For best results if dry conditions, pour a few litres of water on the soil around your grounding rod.
For Camping in a Tent
Use our outdoor grounding rod kit as above, and connect your indoor lead and product (Pillow case, Fabric mat, Sheet etc) to the outdoor cord. You can connect two or more products with a 2-way splitter or 4-way splitter box. (You can also DIY your own outdoor cord, using a metal tent peg and wire connected to our indoor earthing cord)
Now you can sleep in the great outdoors with the fresh air, the stars above, PLUS the earth’s electron and antioxidant energy flowing to you.
4. Earthing Yourself in Hotels Overseas
Grounding overnight can help you reset your sleep-wake cycle. All the more reason to ground yourself at your holiday destination.
For Earthed power outlets
You just need a regular travel adaptor with a proper metal earth pin to connect your Australian Earthing Adapter.
Important: We find the universal type with the round earthing pin hole (on the right) DO NOT have a reliable earth connection to the flat Australian Earth Pin. The simple travel adaptor (on the left) with the familiar Australian power point look is reliable.
We also sell earthing adapters for UK, Europe, USA and parts of Asia (see pictures below).
Better Earthing Adapter for UK, HK
Better Earthing Earthing Adapter for Europe, Indonesia
Better Earthing Adapter for USA, Canada
For NON-Earthed Power Points
Luckily, most metal taps and water pipes are earthed as they connect directly to the earth or soil outside.
To ground this way:
- Use an alligator clip or sticky tape to attach the metal end of your earthing lead securely to a metal tap, cold water inlet pipe, or central water heaters.
- Make sure you have a good metal-to-metal connection (to a NON painted metal part).
- If needed, use a 10m extension lead to reach the tap.
You can also confirm that the tap or metal pipe is conductive for earthing using an autorange multimeter, like our lightweight compact model. Using our multimeter guide, earth the meter lead to the tap (as you would ground to our earthing adapter), check that your body volts drop when you touch the tap. Watch the video below for a demonstration.
Both the metal pipes and the water inside them are conductive; and they conduct free electrons from the earth. Even if a part of the water piping is plastic, the water inside will carry the conductive earthing connection.
When setting up, the most important thing is to make good metal-to-metal contact between the metal end of your earthing lead and the metal tap or metal pipe underneath the tap (under the sink). Use an alligator clip or sticky tape to press the metal end of the lead against the metal tap or metal pipe. Do not use blue tack, as it does not maintain a secure connection. If you need extra length for your earthing lead to reach the tap, we have a 10m extension lead (and splitters to connect more products).
5. Keep Earthing Simple Wherever You Go
Even when you’re on the move, grounding doesn’t need to be complicated. Pack a few lightweight essentials, like an earthing band, wrap, pillow case, or mat, and you’ll be able to connect wherever your travels take you. These small daily grounding habits can help ease travel fatigue, reduce stress, and support better sleep during and after long journeys
