Travel is of paramount importance to families during the summer. Finally, time to relax, enjoy each other’s company and take a break from the rigmarole of everyday routine.
No school, no work, just fun in the sun!
Despite the care-free attitude summer holiday and travel gives us, finding healthy food while traveling can prove to be a rigorous task.
You take such care throughout the year to plan healthy eating for your family, so how can you continue the trend when you are on the road?
Start by allowing yourself a bit of guilt-free leeway. You can try your best but do not stress or feel guilty if there are days where fast food and a couple of margaritas by the pool get the best of you. Guilt ads stress to the mixture which attacks your adrenal system and leaves you worse off.
So enjoy!
Secondly, do your best. There are easy ways to mitigate the amount of unhealthy food consumed, which not only keeps your body healthy it also helps keep the bank account healthy.
Start by researching ahead of time where the local markets and healthy restaurants are, and plan your routes accordingly. You will probably find some places that inspire you that you are keen to experience!
Feel free to ask the locals where the healthy, fresh spots are. They will be able to direct you to places you may otherwise never find, and you will get a real feel of the local culture as well!
If you are traveling by car pack a cooler with snacks; that way you avoid spending so much on the gas station munchies. Pack sandwiches, granola bars, fruit, seeds, nuts, dark chocolate, salads and dried fruit.
Stay hydrated! Drink lots of water while you are driving, flying, hiking, biking, swimming, dancing, however you are moving.
Traveling by air? Bring an empty water bottle in your carry-on luggage and fill it at a fountain once you go through security – or have the flight staff fill it for you on the plane. This will be a cost savings as you won’t need to purchase bottled water. Those $3.67 water bottle purchases add up quickly for a single person, not to mention a family. Also you can find water bottles that filter the water for you, which is an added bonus if you want to go the extra step to ensure you are drinking cleaner water.
Last summer Well and Good NYC published an article titled: How to eat healthy on the road, in the airport, and at the beach.
They also had some similar tips. Author Jared Koch from Founder and CEO of Clean Plates mentioned to pack breakfast food as the first meal of the day is so important. He suggested packets of oatmeal, and almonds, which can be made quite easily, even in a hotel room, with hot water and a paper cup (or you can pack dishes if you are really serious).
The article also suggested bringing vitamins along. They are easy to pack and will keep everyone’s immune systems strong.
Mostly, don’t be afraid to be curious and explore the environment, not just settle for the first restaurant you set your sights on. By packing small snacks, you can curb the hunger pangs while you hunt for the diamond in the rough!
Enjoy your travels this summer! Be safe and have fun!
Docere Wellness Centre 
Just got done with a long road trip where at one point, unhealthy eating landed my travel partner in the ER (with an ulcer that probably already existed)! We started out smart with produce, vitamins, and lots of water, but got lazy as time went on. I’m glad to see a post like this to hopefully help people avoid the mistakes we made!
Hi Kendra. Thanks for the comment! I am sorry to hear about your partner’s ER experience. Hospital visits can be stressful, especially while traveling. Hope all is well and thanks again for your note 🙂