It’s no secret that maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle while traveling is perhaps one of the biggest hardships to overcome. When I first started working as a flight attendant, I would constantly feel sick and bloated from consuming so much sodium and preservatives in airplane and airport food. I also lost out on a lot of money from constantly eating out on layovers or in airports and easily consumed 3 to 4 times the amount of calories and fat. It didn’t take me long to realize that if I wanted to maintain my health and energy for a career in travel, I needed to make some better nutritional habits happen fast.
Let me tell you, the struggle to finding and eating healthy food on the go is REAL. Luckily, with a little preparation and knowledge, maintaining nutritional health while traveling IS possible. I’m spilling all my nutritional secrets to you in order to share a few helpful ways to add the health and energy back into your traveling self.
The biggest thing I’ve learned is that nutritional health starts with making a healthy lifestyle a PRIORITY.
Haven’t you heard? Farmer’s markets are the new IN!
I’m not going to tell you it’s easy to pass up an inexpensive fast food meal when you are starving and running through the airport. I still have days where I break down for that temptingly quick and yummy burger and fries combo too. I’m also not here to tell you that it’s going to be easy to pass up gorging on all the delectable fried appetizers and heavy entrees during a business dinner. What I can tell you is that being mentally and physically prepared is the number one defense for making unhealthy and damaging food choices while traveling.
Side Note: If I am on a vacation I am all for splurging on the good stuff. One of the greatest and perhaps necessary things about traveling to a new place is experiencing the food culture there. To me, a major part of learning about a place and the people in it are by sharing in their food culture and way of life.
If you think I’m going to pass up on this lobster roll from the East Coast, you’re crazy!
With all things though, there is a balance. Eating out for every meal and making poor food decisions every time can really dent any wellness efforts you have made and will discourage you from continuing any healthy regiments you have already put in place.
Below you’ll find a list of tricks I live by on a daily basis that can be used by anyone with a goal to maintain generally nutritious and healthy eating habits through any kind of travel.
BYOF – bring your own food.
One of the best things I did for myself was invest in a quality lunch box*. It turns out that packing your own food is super easy once you get the hang of it. Not to mention it saves you an insane amount of money since airport and hotels mark up their food prices significantly (ever wonder why that fast food meal was five dollars more than normal?) It also turns out you can bring all kinds of fresh food through airport security. Check out the TSA guidelines for what foods you can carry on here: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/food
*I use the E-Bags Crew Cooler because it has a single zip out insulated liner that never leaks and keeps food cold for an entire day. I can easily fit three days worth of meals in it and it slides right onto the handle of my roller bag.
PRO TIP: freeze any Tupperware meals overnight so they keep cold for longer during your commute. Bring a few freezer bags to fill with ice at the soda machines in the airport after you get through security to keep items cool and fresh before arriving at your hotel. If you are driving, you can easily refill ice bags up at a gas station soda machine, or can purchase an electric cooler to make car travel a breeze. If you are staying at a hotel, call ahead to make sure they have refrigerator access and a microwave to heat up any hot meals.
Always have healthy snacks available.
Who says healthy snacks have to be boring?
If bringing meals for the week isn’t sustainable, try packing a small lunch bag of healthy snacks and breakfast food items to keep you on track. Check out the list below for some of my favorite healthy snack and breakfast options I try and keep on hand:
- pre-sliced vegetables and mini sealed hummus cups
- healthy energy bars (watch for sugar in these!)
- whole fruit such as bananas, apples, or grapes.
- oatmeal packets
- nuts
- tuna or chicken salad and healthy crackers
- hard boiled eggs
- DIY protein box (grilled chicken pieces, fruits, eggs, cheese, crackers)
- greek yogurt
- avocados
- powdered protein shake mixes
Don’t eat or drink it just because it’s there.
It’s chicken…that’s totally healthy…right?
Many airlines offer free snacks and beverages these days. If you fly first class or have status and access to the lounges, you have even more temptations with all you can eat buffets or unlimited drink packages. Try and remember in these situations to only eat if you are truly hungry. Again, being prepared with healthy snacks on hand can help you avoid tough situations and can fill you up before you ever get to the snack bar. Stay hydrated with water and drink sparingly! Altitude is your friend on this one since flying makes your alcohol tolerance levels much lower. This means you don’t need to consume nearly as many cocktails to feel the same effect. Less drinks = less calories!
Stray away from any sugary beverages.
If you tend to drink soda or sugary beverages when they are easily available, being on the road or in the air means avoiding some serious temptation. Instead of ordering a soda or juice, try opting for club soda with citrus, black coffee, or tea. You can also bring your own tea and ask for hot water in the airport or on the plane. If you are driving, you can grab hot water from the gas station for free. It’s the perfect way to still have a beverage with some flavor without damaging your sugar intake for the day. Make sure to always carry an empty water bottle to keep full during travel as well. Air travel can be seriously dehydrating so keeping hydrated with water is a great defense against making unhealthy drink choices.
If you have to eat out, go local.
Vegan never looked so good at Raw Love in Tulum, MX!
Use Eatwellguide.org to find local farm-to-table and sustainable restaurants near you. They even give you suggestions for local farmers markets or local organic grocers in the area! This is a great option for anyone who has to host or eat out at business lunches or dinners during the week. Pop in a quick suggestion to your coworkers or clients for any of the restaurants on the website near you to make selecting healthy and organic meals a breeze.
Utilize grocery stores such as whole foods when on the road for meals – expand your options and get the food straight from the source for a reasonable price. I love hitting up the build your own salad or food bars because I can pick exactly what I like and know exactly what’s in it. Many grocery stores nowadays offer spaces for eating and relaxing, which also make great spaces for working lunches. Sorry Starbucks, maybe next time!
Start restaurant meals out with a soup or salad.
Traditional Vietnamese salad FTW!
Rather than diving into a 1,000 calorie packed fried appetizer right away or waiting until your meal arrives to scarf it all down, try ordering a seasonal salad with a healthy dressing option or the soup of the day (avoid cream based) to start your meal. Starting a meal with a more balanced option can help decrease your appetite and make it less likely for you to overindulge when the food comes. And hey, if you still finish your entire entrée, at least you consumed some healthy nutrients in the process!
Treat your workweek, like a workweek.
Try and maintain a normal eating routine if you are traveling for work during the week, and give yourself the weekends to do a little splurging. Even if you are going to be eating out every meal, try and order simple meals prepared in a healthy way like you would make during a workweek at home. If I know I am going to be gone for the week and I have one long exciting layover, I usually give myself a cheat meal out to enjoy there and eat the rest of my meals I bring from home. It’s totally okay to give yourself a little slack when you are traveling for work here and there, just make sure you do so sparingly.
Stay on track.
Traveling can seriously throw off any kind of routine, which can make fitting in that workout or meal plan seem far-fetched. I found that keeping a daily journal, like the panda planner, really helps me stay on track with workouts and helps me hold myself accountable on what I eat. Start each morning planning out your meals and scheduling out some time for physical activity. Just a quick 20 minutes of an at home workout in your hotel room can do wonders for your energy levels! Hold yourself accountable and reward yourself for a good week with a new workout outfit!
Don’t Stress.
Easier said than done, I know. Unfortunately stress is a big trigger for weight gain and travel is most certainly stressful. Try and start your days away from home or travel days out with some stretching, a quick yoga routine, or some deep breathing. Go with the flow as much as you can and give yourself tons of extra time to get to where you need to be. Don’t sweat the small stuff. If you have to go for that McDonald’s breakfast sandwich or glass of wine at dinner, don’t beat yourself up about it! Just let it go and remind your self to make up for it on your next meal.
Have any great tricks to staying healthy on the road of your own? Feel free to share them in the comments below!
