When paying attention to your nutrition, traveling can be challenging.
We all travel away from home at some point – visiting family, going on vacation, traveling for work, attending a wedding, going on a college visit or reunion, or hitting the road by car or hopping on a flight to a remote destination or a big city.
Your accommodations could be a tent, hotel, house, resort or RV.
Traveling presents unique nutritional challenges.
Regardless of the trip, you won’t have access to your normal systems and routines for food prep and meals. However, you can create travel “go to” strategies when you’re away from home.
The biggest point I want to make is that eating out is not your only option.
Think about where you are.
Do the people who live there ONLY eat at restaurants?
Of course not!
How do the local residents get their food? Thinking outside the box and considering all your options is where we’re going.
Environments to consider when traveling:
1) Accommodations: Most accommodations will have at least a small refrigerator and microwave. This opens up a lot of possibilities. If you have a full kitchen available – score!
2) Access to grocery stores: Do you have a car? If not, is there a market or grocery store within walking or Uber distance? Farmer’s markets are great places to learn more about and sample local foods.
3) Time: How many days are you traveling for? How many meals do you need to plan? How busy is your travel schedule? Plan ahead.
If possible, set yourself up to have certain resources you want available.
If you have access to a grocery store, some go to items include: rotisserie chicken, egg bites, microwavable rice, veggies, yogurt, sushi, protein shakes, and much more.
Don’t want to eat in your hotel room?
Bring your food to a park or beach and have a picnic instead.
At the airport, bring an empty water bottle through security and then fill it with water. If you need to, pack some of your favorite snacks.
You can usually find hard boiled eggs at the newsstand-type places. Look for food stands that allow you to build a burrito bowl or salad. This allows you to have more control of the ingredients and calories.
(Side note – do you need to eat at the airport or are you just bored?)
Does the hotel you’re staying at offer continental breakfast?
They usually offer decent options like hard boiled eggs, omelettes, yogurt, and fruit.
Be aware that the offerings of bagels, muffins, and pastries are very calorie dense. Take advantage of other options.
Another important point…hydrate!
Try to drink as much water as possible while traveling. Keep your water bottle filled. If filtered water isn’t available, buy a case of bottled water at the beginning of the trip.
Does being away mean you’ll be drinking alcohol every night, or do you need to drink every night?
What would be reasonable alcohol consumption for your trip, and for your goals?
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying don’t eat out often. That’s an important part of traveling – sampling the local culture and cuisine.
You’re traveling and you want to enjoy yourself.
However, think about the duration of your stay and how many meals you will be eating.
Don’t use being away from home as an excuse to indulge every meal.
It can also be an opportunity to continue making progress towards your goals in a reasonable and sustainable way while making the most of your time at your destination.