I live to travel and eat clean. Can the two coexist? Absolutely. After years of backpacking and teaching around the globe I’ve compiled a few of my top tips for eating healthy, raw and vegan on the road (or in the air!).
1.) Plan Ahead: If you know where your adventure will take you do as much research up front as possible. Search online platforms like Happycow.net, Tripadvisor.com, or tried and true google for restaurants, health food stores, farmers markets, and even farms.
When I toured Europe last May through London, Barcelona, Berlin and Amsterdam it was a breeze to find raw, vegan, and vegetarian restaurants. Or health food stores, where I could buy produce and create my own meal. In my Fit and Raw Travel Series I outlined how Barcelona had fabulous world renowned farmers markets packed to the rafters with fruit from all over the EU, while London and Amsterdam offered several gourmet raw restaurants and cafes.
I also made a point to connect with the raw food communities in each city through meetup.com. I emailed members a few days out to ask questions and plan a meeting. The locals have the best advice, plus it never hurts to have more like minded friends who will support you on your health journey!
2.) Pack Your Own and Don’t Forget Superfoods: Head to the bulk section of your grocery store and create your own trail mix, toss in some nori sheets, pack a cooler full of fruits and veggies, saurkraut, hummus, avocados and nut butters. Greens are probably the most challenging item to keep fresh and find in far off places, so carrying a green powder like Health Force Nutritionals Vitamineral Green fills the void. If only we could all travel with a GE fridge, and celebrity chef like the guys of Freshpedition.com!
I always have a few pieces of fruit (apple, orange, banana), chia seeds and Vitamineral green in my carry on. When all else fails you can make chia seed pudding with water in an airline cup.
3.) Strap On Your Tool Belt: Whether you are backpacking through Australia or road tripping across Central America there are a few key tools that make healthy eating on the go easy.
- Swiss Army knife or kitchen knife with blade cover
- Magic bullet/Nutri Bullet- mini blender for green smoothies.
- Foldable cutting board
- Vegetable Peeler- to cut off skins of conventional produce.
- Water Filters- buy the drop in charcoal filters for your reusable bottle.
4.) Avoid Junk Food Hot Spots: Remember that you decide where to stop. Set out with the intention to only take pit stops at grocery stores or healthy restaurants along your path. Chat with your travel companions and make a game plan. It’s much easier to travel with like minds and people who respect your choices.
5.) Hydrate: Drinking enough water is vital when flying and traveling across time zones. When we sit for long periods of time our energy, blood and fluids stagnate. Water helps flush and cleanse from head toe. Pop in a water filter and you’re good to go.
6.) Avoid Mindless Snacking: There’s something about the open road and snacking. You are so busy chatting, sightseeing or perhaps bored out of your mind, and end up with your hand in the trail mix all day. Pack your snacks in the trunk so you are forced to stop and pull over to reach them. If hunger isn’t the problem, eating is not the answer. Going for a few hours without food isn’t going to kill you. Take it as an opportunity to meditate and clear your mind.
7.) Don’t Worry Be Happy: Traveling is a blast and healthy eating doesn’t need to put a damper on your fun. Take your well deserved down time to explore, sleep, and get your mind off food. Our lives and travels do not need to revolve around food and tasting everything on a foreign menu.
How do you eat healthy while traveling? What are your top tips? Check out Freshpedition.com for more fresh tips from GE.
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Discloser: Compensation was provided by GE via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of GE.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Nice article Amber! I’ve been traveling lately and it’s bee hard for me to eat healthy. Next time I’ll definitely prepare beforehand with snacks and know healthy hotspots before ping on the road. But of course I’ll indulge myself in some local unhealthy goodies from time to time
Steve- haha you crack me up. When in Rome eh?
Hah, love the advice of packing up the cutting board and the magic bullet. I can certainly resonate with this post from the other side of the table (pardon the pun)
I traveled extensively for 18 months across the US and Europe on business, mostly staying in hotels located near airports and/or spending hours camped out in airline lounges, terminals. It was a huge challenge to eat healthy and especially veg/vegan during this time. Europe was way easier than the US. Probably some interesting cultural differences for a start. I found that in the UK, France etc most people have tiny fridges, which means they often shop everyday for meals. Therefore it was easy to find a market or grocery store that had prepped veggies etc. France was amazing for this, with small markets in every town or city neighborhood. The grocery shopping in the UK is light years ahead of North America in terms of quality and many stores like Waitrose, have so much gluten free, organic, vegan already prepared.
The US (and Canada) sadly, was a big challenge unless you are in mainstream cities like SF, NYC etc. I was camped out in a airport Hilton hotel on a project that last months and the only restaurant in the hotel was a “sports bar,” so you get an idea of the type of food they served. Around the hotel was nothing but Applebees, McDonalds, the usual suspects. I actually ended up eating sushi nearly every night as that was the only good alternative. Airports aren’t much better either (and don’t get me started about on board food…. Quizno’s.. seriously?)
In general, if I’m on vacation then I have way more time to explore and buy on the fly plus I tend to be more right downtown or somewhere near a farmers markets. However, when I’,m traveling on business, and the “business hotels near the airport” I end up being stuck in, it’s a complete headache.
Conrad- I couldn’t agree more. I find the US incredibly difficult to eat healthy. Go figure! No wonder obesity and diabetes are epidemic. I absolutely adore everything about European life. From the markets and endless walking, to the cultural diversity and stunning architecture… I must go back soon. The business hotels near the airport can definitely be a drag. Do you prep and bring food with you for those flights or make take a cab to a grocery store? I typically would get a cab to go stock up. Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
Hi Amber,
If I travel now, I ALWAYS rent a car if I am out of the city. Then I can at least have some freedom to drive to a store.
Re. flying, on a recent trip to London from the East Coast I actually ordered one of the “special meals” mainly because you get your meal before everyone else! Typically they will have a snack (which I avoid) and then that means by dinner I am starving. I took bag of carrots etc and of course those came with the odd stares. I mean, these days, who wants to be sat next to someone on a plane for 7 hours who eats raw carrots! The shock of it!
Cross USA is worse due to the length of flight. Not long enough for an actual meal but long enough were you need to bring something to eat. Plus most airlines will avoid feeding you all together if they can. On my last flight from LA to New York (on United) we took off from LAX at around 11pm and as soon as we were airborne they closed all the lights (figured everyone would be asleep) and didn’t even come round with water or drinks. We landed at LGA early enough for them not to serve any breakfast (not even drinks)
My strategy now is to pack a survival ration pack wherever I go. Usually protein bars, vegan snacks, almonds etc things not fresh so they don’t spoil. Most airports, the food courts close up around 9pm so if you’re delayed, there’s nothing to get food anywhere. I was on the road for 33 weeks the year of 2010 so I had plenty of practice and hunger episodes to learn fast!!
Hi Amber,
Traveling and being healthy can be difficult. You offer some really great tips.
For many years I really battled with this. The thing is that when I eat a lot of junk food my body feels it and it soon impacts my mood. So over the period of a week I would find myself becoming more and more disgruntled when I travelled. I finally became aware of this and started planning ahead.
Probably the biggest thing I did was incorporate an exercise routine into my travels. This made a huge difference. I also found that running is a great way to gain an understanding of the geography of a location. I enjoy it so much now, that it is the first thing I do after I drop my things off at a hotel.
I really like how you talk about planning ahead. Sometimes being healthy can be hard work, but it isn’t near as hard as some people make it out to be. With a little preplanning it is very feasible
. Good post.
Izzy- yes yes. I always say, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Like you said eating junk ruins your travels. Traveling is so much fun! We can’t let food get in the way of once in a lifetime experiences. I always plan activities into my travels as well. Good food and activities are a must. Thanks so much for sharing your experience.
Nuts are definitely the go-to option for me.
I only really get into trouble if I let myself get ravenously hungry.
Nice post!