Eating While Traveling
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
I got a question last week about how I eat when I travel & how I plan for that. Of course, it gave me another reason to share more pictures of my 35 year friend reunion! I told you I have plenty of pics to share with you!!! AND, for my blogger friends that hate my Photoshop love, none of the pics have been altered with that WONDERFUL program! 
So, first off, I don't really do road trips, meaning that we take off & are on the road traveling for hours and/or days at end so take that into account. If you want to see some suggestions about what to do when you hit the road, Mary asked her readers since she was hitting the road. Check out her post and the suggestions in her comments.
I do some of those things in her comments for shorter trips like when I was in Colorado. I always had some almonds with me. I had a protein bar & some healthy bread with me too. That one day, we had a whole cooler of food to go with us. Terri, the planning person she is had clean water bottles for all of us when we arrived so that every road trip, we all had our own water bottle!!! GO TERRI! I also knew where we were headed so I was not worried, well except for a bathroom!!! Hey, I am 52! That is a cute pic of our mode of transportation & Terri, the smiling driver, below!
When my mom was ill & I was traveling to UCLA a lot, I had a small cooler I packed with my food. That is one of the best suggestions I can offer up for the road trips. We are all different in what we do & don't like to eat so pick your favs & load up the cooler! You can always change out the ice along the way if it is a long road trip!
Now, when I travel by air - meaning I head out to one location & then stay there, it is pretty much the same thing. My carry on bag is filled with food I prefer & can survive the flight. I bring protein powder, the healthy breads I prefer, protein bars (both bought & homemade), almonds, cut up veggies or baby carrots & anything else I can get in there. I bring some of these things as ya never know if you can find your favorite bread, protein, protein bars where you are headed so....
On a "real vacation", we have owned a timeshare since 1982 so we always have a nice place to stay & they have full kitchens. So, I bring some of my own food plus we shop there & can make all of our own meals. They also have coolers available too so we pack up a cooler for all our road trips wherever we are staying. My hubby is less picky than me so he may eat out more than I do!
If we are headed to say, visit the kids, we always stay in a hotel that has a microwave & mini fridge. Again, I bring lots of my own stuff BUT I also have the kids house if I want to make some chicken & other food & then I have my mini fridge to store it in. For those that don't have a family house to cook in, you can always buy healthier food & store it in the fridge so you have it available. You can also pack some collapsible mini coolers in your luggage & have those available for road trips. There is always ice at a hotel, gas station, mini mart & more! Heck, you can break down & buy something cheap where you are just to have a cooler & pass it on to another group or family when you leave. We have done that too!
Where there is a will, there is a way! It is not that hard to do some of this. You just have to PLAN!!!
OK, pass on some of your tips for eating & traveling!!!!
I got a question last week about how I eat when I travel & how I plan for that. Of course, it gave me another reason to share more pictures of my 35 year friend reunion! I told you I have plenty of pics to share with you!!! AND, for my blogger friends that hate my Photoshop love, none of the pics have been altered with that WONDERFUL program! So, first off, I don't really do road trips, meaning that we take off & are on the road traveling for hours and/or days at end so take that into account. If you want to see some suggestions about what to do when you hit the road, Mary asked her readers since she was hitting the road. Check out her post and the suggestions in her comments.
I do some of those things in her comments for shorter trips like when I was in Colorado. I always had some almonds with me. I had a protein bar & some healthy bread with me too. That one day, we had a whole cooler of food to go with us. Terri, the planning person she is had clean water bottles for all of us when we arrived so that every road trip, we all had our own water bottle!!! GO TERRI! I also knew where we were headed so I was not worried, well except for a bathroom!!! Hey, I am 52!
That is a cute pic of our mode of transportation & Terri, the smiling driver, below!When my mom was ill & I was traveling to UCLA a lot, I had a small cooler I packed with my food. That is one of the best suggestions I can offer up for the road trips. We are all different in what we do & don't like to eat so pick your favs & load up the cooler! You can always change out the ice along the way if it is a long road trip!
Now, when I travel by air - meaning I head out to one location & then stay there, it is pretty much the same thing. My carry on bag is filled with food I prefer & can survive the flight. I bring protein powder, the healthy breads I prefer, protein bars (both bought & homemade), almonds, cut up veggies or baby carrots & anything else I can get in there. I bring some of these things as ya never know if you can find your favorite bread, protein, protein bars where you are headed so....
On a "real vacation", we have owned a timeshare since 1982 so we always have a nice place to stay & they have full kitchens. So, I bring some of my own food plus we shop there & can make all of our own meals. They also have coolers available too so we pack up a cooler for all our road trips wherever we are staying. My hubby is less picky than me so he may eat out more than I do!
If we are headed to say, visit the kids, we always stay in a hotel that has a microwave & mini fridge. Again, I bring lots of my own stuff BUT I also have the kids house if I want to make some chicken & other food & then I have my mini fridge to store it in. For those that don't have a family house to cook in, you can always buy healthier food & store it in the fridge so you have it available. You can also pack some collapsible mini coolers in your luggage & have those available for road trips. There is always ice at a hotel, gas station, mini mart & more! Heck, you can break down & buy something cheap where you are just to have a cooler & pass it on to another group or family when you leave. We have done that too!
Where there is a will, there is a way! It is not that hard to do some of this. You just have to PLAN!!!
OK, pass on some of your tips for eating & traveling!!!!
Posted by truth2beingfit at 5/10/2010 9:00 PM 
Categories: Tips, Travel Tips
Tags: challenges food protein bars planning protein powder A Merry Life Tips travel
Categories: Tips, Travel Tips
Tags: challenges food protein bars planning protein powder A Merry Life Tips travel
I depend on jerky when I travel. It's protein rich, has a shelf life of 6,000 years, and never melts in the sun like a protein bar. Yes, jerky is high in sodium,but when traveling, it's a good trade off for portability, and a long shelf life. Before I travel anywhere, I stock up on jerky -- it's the main stay of any good road trip or long flight.
Reply to this
The key for me is my Livestrong, Daily Plate on my iPhone. I log everything I eat! Just because I go on vacation, doesn't mean my maintenance goals do also.
Look up the restaurants online before you go to them and buy the things you do at home to keep with you.
~Sheri
www.themotivationalgirl.com
Reply to this
Jody,
Great suggestions!! Especially as I am headed out of town for a couple of days! I like to bring the protein bars and maybe some crackers. Water bottles are almost always with us (my wife is great about making sure EVERYONE has one packed!).
Reply to this
Im with you. for me when Im traveling NOT for fun (hello last weekend)Ijust plan and am set.
if its a vacation?
I take a full on break and DONT PLAN
Ive found that for me shaking things up even if its junkier food for a bit really helps my metabolism stay reved.
that said, I vaycay only 2-3 times a year
Reply to this
Two words - be prepared!
Reply to this
I understand how health and fitness can be a challenge while traveling. Really, though, for me once I decided that it could be dealt with by planning ahead, and making smart available choices, it became a non issue.
Reply to this
Great tips and ideas as always. And love the pic! Were you guys pretending to hitch hike? LOL
Reply to this
I'm totally stealing the idea to use a collapsible cooler. What a great idea. I wouldn't have thought of that, but it makes sense. I am too cheap to buy a $3.00 bottle of water on vacation. Problem solved!
Reply to this
Jody, you are so organized! I let my diet plan slip when traveling to a degree. I do bring or buy my fav salad dressing and usually get salads at fast food joints..I know, but that is all I can plan for. Maybe next time I will try some of your tips! TY
Reply to this
When I travel, I try to eat as close to my normal diet as possible, not just for weight maintenance but because sudden dietary changes can mess up your digestion, putting a real crimp in a fun vacation.
For a road trip, I pack a cooler with things like hummus, yogurt, goat cheese, fruit and veggies, and at every town or city with a decent store, I re-stock. I make breakfast bread and granola bars to take with me, and I pack a bag with snack foods and emergency foods like whole-grain crackers, Clif bars, raisins, and nuts. Instant soup or microwavable soup is an essential because invariably my husband and I will wander into some tiny town late at night when all the eateries are closed.
At restaurants, I typically eat what I would eat at home. The exception is when we go out to a really *nice* place with white tablecloths and a chef. Then I eat whatever sounds good.
Tip for anyone traveling West Texas or Eastern New Mexico with someone who's not on your dietary wavelength: K-Bob's. They're in many of the smaller towns (where you're not going to find gourmet food, anyway) and they have a huge soup/salad bar where you can fill your plate while your less judicious friend/family member loads up on burgers and fries.
Reply to this