Traveling is stressful and uncomfortable.

Any business or holiday traveler can relate to a day that involves a 30 minute ride from their home or hotel to the airport, followed by a several hours on a plane and an hour long plus ride to your destination from the airport. And this is just one half of the trip!

Travelers can easily spend over a full day sitting for one round-trip!

Regardless if you travel in first class or the most comfortable car, it’s inevitable to avoid the pressure and forces applied to your body while sitting. Prolonged sitting can result in restricted blood flow – primarily to the lower half of your body, which can leave you sore, with back pain and swollen legs. Additionally, those traveling in confined quarters typically have no room to stand up or stretch during their travel, which only adds to the discomfort.

Percussive massage therapy may be a possible solution.

According to medical studies on athletic performance, muscle recovery and injury prevention, vibration and massage have been shown to increase blood flow and reduce muscle stiffness. In addition to many other benefits of massage, percussive massage may be the relief you need the next time you travel.

However, you probably can’t afford to bring a massage therapist on the plane with you every time you travel.

The Solution

Insert percussion massage guns. These devices have gained popularity among professional athletes and have become a staple in their pre-and post-game routines for warm-up and recovery. The devices use a combination of high frequency amplitude and torque to provide a deeper, longer lasting muscle treatment. 

The main players in the percussion massage gun game are the TheraGun G3PRO, Hyperice Hypervolt, and TimTam Power Massager V1.5.

Massage gun treatment can lead to improved muscular blood flow, which could assist in offsetting the effects of prolonged sitting on a plane, train or car (or office) for prolonged periods of time. As a frequent traveler who owns one of these devices, my experience is that, quite simply, they work! First, the positives of the devices, which are too numerous to list here entirely.

Travel Positives

Generally speaking, travelers in particular will appreciate the design, build quality, battery life and size of these devices.

All three devices are well-built and can withstand regular use. The devices all come with rechargeable ion batteries and have battery lives that lasts between 45-55 minutes each – plenty of life for several uses during a trip.

They are all offer adjustable heads with varying tips to target different areas of discomfort. With the adjustable head, it allows the user to massage nearly 90% of their body by themselves – perfect for the solo traveler!

Additionally, lithium ion batteries with less than 100 watt hours are safe to bring in your carry-on or checked bag, according to the TSA. These devices aren’t too bulky either. They all weigh in at right around or under 3 pounds and the dimensions are small enough (about the size of a power drill) that they can easily fit into a backpack, duffel bag or suitcase. A few of them even come with their own carrying case!

However, there are a few downsides with each of these devices. These downsides are varying dependent upon the device, but readers will need to do their own research before selecting which one would be best for their situation.

Travel Negatives

First, the price point of these devices is several hundred dollars. TimTam is on the lowest end, but the TheraGun can be in excess of a half thousand dollars. At that price, they may be out of your reach if you’re an occasional traveler. Additionally, the devices are also a bit on the louder side so they can be a bit awkward to use in public spaces. Hypervolt is the quietest of the three. The positive of these issues is that these companies are aware of these drawbacks and are working toward improvements. Both TheraGun and TimTam have quieter models in the works, which will inevitably drive the price of the other devices down! TimTam has already seen a reduction in price of their older model, which is currently a very effective device.

Should You Buy Before You Fly?

Our conclusion? If it works for you, it’s worth the price. With so many different brands and models on the market today, you should be able to find a device that suits your needs. If you are in the market for a low budget solution, consider TimTam or the TheraGun liv. However, if you are willing to foot the bill for more features, accessories and capabilities, consider the TheraGun G3Pro or the Hyperice Hypervolt.