You’ve packed your bags. Triple-checked your boarding pass. Maybe even remembered your neck pillow. But here’s the thing most travelers forget — or flat-out ignore — before they ever leave the house:
Water.
Not just “maybe I’ll grab a bottle at the gate” water. We’re talking about a real, intentional hydration plan. Because whether you’re flying across the country, road-tripping through the Rockies, or navigating a packed conference schedule, your body is losing water faster than you realize — and the consequences go well beyond feeling a little thirsty.
Let’s start with air travel, since that’s where the science gets really eye-opening.
Airplane cabins maintain humidity levels between 10 and 20 percent. For context, the Sahara Desert averages around 25 percent. That means you’re sitting in conditions drier than the desert for hours at a time. Your body responds by losing approximately eight ounces of water per hour just from normal breathing — before you factor in the dry air pulling moisture from your skin, eyes, and nasal passages.
According to the CDC, aircraft cabin air typically registers between 10 and 20 percent relative humidity, which contributes to dryness of the mucous membranes, fatigue, and increased susceptibility to airborne illness. The Airline Pilots Association reports that lower oxygen pressure in pressurized cabins accelerates fluid loss, and that passengers should aim for roughly two quarts of water every 24 hours during travel days.
The effects of even mild dehydration — which can start with a loss of just 1.5 percent of your body’s water — include headaches, fatigue, brain fog, muscle cramps, irritability, and that vague “I just don’t feel right” feeling that so many travelers chalk up to jet lag. In reality, a lot of what we blame on time zone changes is simply our bodies running dry.
Road trips are their own dehydration trap. Long hours behind the wheel — often in climate-controlled air that dries you out almost as efficiently as a cabin — combined with the temptation to skip water stops because you don’t want to add another 15 minutes to the drive. Conference travel? You’re walking convention floors, sitting in back-to-back sessions, and relying on coffee to keep you sharp. And if you’re visiting Colorado — or if you live here and already know this — the high altitude and low humidity mean your body needs even more water than it would at sea level.
The bottom line: whenever your normal routine is disrupted, your hydration habits tend to be the first casualty. And the quality of the water you’re drinking matters, too.
When you’re dehydrated and finally get your hands on water, it should be something your body actually wants to drink — not flat, chlorinated, or tasting faintly of plastic. Airport water fountain refill stations are convenient, but the water quality depends entirely on the local municipal supply. And the generic bottled water in most terminal shops? It’s often filtered tap water that’s been stripped of natural minerals and sold back to you at a premium.
Natural spring water is different. It carries a naturally occurring mineral profile — calcium, magnesium, potassium, and electrolytes — that your body is built to absorb. At Eldorado Natural Spring Water, our water rises under natural artesian pressure from a protected source deep beneath the Colorado Rockies, carrying those minerals intact without chlorination, fluoridation, or chemical treatment. It’s not processed. It’s not manufactured. It’s just water the way nature intended it — and it tastes like it, too. There’s a reason Eldorado has been recognized multiple times as the best-tasting water in the world at the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting.
Here’s the good news: staying hydrated with truly great water while traveling is easier than you might think.
This might be the best-kept hydration secret in air travel: you can bring a frozen water bottle through TSA security. It’s not a hack, not a loophole — it’s official TSA policy. According to the TSA, “Frozen liquid items are allowed through the checkpoint as long as they are frozen solid when presented for screening.” The bottle can be any size. It just needs to be completely solid when you get to the X-ray belt.
So the night before your flight, pop a bottle of Eldorado Natural Spring Water in the freezer. In the morning, pack it in your carry-on. By the time you’re settled at your gate, it’s already starting to thaw into the cleanest, most refreshing sip you’ll have all day — and you’ll have ice-cold natural spring water for your entire flight without paying airport prices or settling for whatever the beverage cart has to offer.
Pro tip: If your drive to the airport is long enough that the bottle might partially melt, wrap it in an insulated bag or toss it in a small cooler. If there’s any liquid at the bottom at screening, it has to meet the 3-1-1 rule. Frozen solid = no restrictions.
Flying out of Denver International Airport? You're in luck. Eldorado Natural Spring Water is now carried at locations throughout DIA, so you can grab a bottle (or a few) after you clear security. Look for us at:
It's the same award-winning, naturally sourced spring water we've been bottling from Eldorado Springs for over 40 years — right there in the terminal when you need it most. It's a small upgrade that makes a real difference, especially on those early-morning departures when you haven't had time to hydrate properly.
For road trips, stock your cooler with cases of Eldorado bottles before you hit the highway. We offer convenient sizes — from half-liter to 1.5-liter bottles — that are easy to pack and even easier to grab without pulling over. Having great water within arm’s reach makes it far more likely you’ll actually drink enough throughout the drive. And unlike gas station water that’s been sitting in a warm stockroom, you’ll have genuinely cold, genuinely delicious spring water the whole way.
This one sounds simple, but it makes a bigger difference than most people realize. If you’re already dehydrated when you step on the plane, the cabin environment just makes it worse. Health experts recommend starting to hydrate the day before you travel — small, consistent sips throughout the day rather than chugging a large volume right before departure. If you’re an Eldorado home delivery customer, you’ve already got a head start. Just be intentional about it the day before a trip.
We get it — an airport coffee or a celebratory cocktail at the start of vacation feels like tradition. But caffeine and alcohol are both diuretics, meaning they accelerate fluid loss at exactly the time your body can least afford it. Enjoy them if you want, but not as substitutes for water. A good rule of thumb: match every cup of coffee or alcoholic drink with an equal amount of water. Your body — and your arrival energy level — will thank you.
Traveling within Colorado or the region? Eldorado is available at Whole Foods, King Soopers, Safeway, Sprouts, Natural Grocers, Walmart, and other retailers across the Rocky Mountain region. Visiting friends or family on the Front Range? Have a case delivered right to your door (or theirs) through our home delivery service. We deliver from Fort Collins to Pueblo, and everywhere in between. Nothing says “I’m a thoughtful guest” like showing up with the best water in the world.
Traveling should be exciting, not exhausting. And while you can’t control flight delays, traffic jams, or hotel pillows, you can control how well you hydrate along the way. A little planning goes a long way — and when the water you’re drinking is naturally pure, mineral-rich, and genuinely delicious, you’re not just staying hydrated. You’re traveling better.
Freeze a bottle. Grab one at DIA. Pack a cooler. And start every trip the way you’d want to finish it: refreshed, energized, and feeling like yourself.