Healthy Eating Tips for Travel

My family travels a lot. We love it. We love to experience new places, new people, new cultures and of course, new food! I am fine with letting loose a bit on our dietary lifestyle, but I still find it important to know how to eat healthy on the road. These healthy eating tips really help my family stay on track most of the time!

I am not 100% strict on this by any stretch and totally believe in the 80/20 rule but we feel so much better when we eat real food that coming back to ‘real life' is an easier transition if we have eaten good food.

It can be difficult to stick to a healthy eating plan when you are traveling but with a little preparation and practice, it becomes second nature! You can still enjoy your vacation but your digestion will thank you when you return!

I pair these healthy eating tips with other healthy lifestyle tips such as using essential oils for travel, for jet lag, getting adequate sleep and exercise. I want to be able to enjoy our trips and feel great while exploring!

Healthy Eating Tips for Travel

Pack snacks

The first of several healthy eating tips when traveling is to pack snacks. Packing healthy road trip snacks is easy and inexpensive!

If you are traveling by car, you can bring a cooler and really load up on the snacks. If you are traveling by air, you can still bring plenty of snacks just might be slightly more limited by liquid allotments and space.

Some of my favorite healthy snacks to bring when traveling (plane or car) are:

hard boiled eggs
cheese sticks
fruit
veggies with mini hummus cups
nuts
dried fruit
beef sticks
sandwiches
nut butter packets

Grocery shop

Depending on what type of trip you are going on, grocery shopping is always a good idea. Most hotels now have refrigerators in them which can be convenient for your healthy snacks. Even if it is just for keeping some breakfast foods, snacks and drinks, it is still helpful!

We often keep fruit, veggies, eggs, yogurt, kombucha, cheese, fermented veggies and some other healthy treats in the fridge at a hotel. We like to eat a nice, wholesome breakfast and take some snacks for the day!

One of the things I enjoy about travel is eating at new restaurants, so personally, I wouldn't want to eat all of my meals in the hotel room but that is an option for those who like to do that! Get a hotel room with a kitchenette or VRBO with a full kitchen. You will have total control over what you eat and will save a lot of money to boot!

Health Food Stores

Depending on where you are traveling, you may be able to find interesting health food stores or farm stores in the area. We have found some real gems on our travels. It is fun to explore small, local health shops and I always find some new flavor of kombucha or interesting prepared salad in these places!

Farmers Markets

Check out farmers' markets in the area you are traveling. Not only are they full of delicious, in season foods, but they can be a great way to explore the community and culture!

Hotel Breakfasts (Beware!)

Many hotels have a breakfast buffet and often it is included in the cost of the room. While this can seem like a cost savings, beware. Usually the buffets are full of overly sweetened yogurts, pastries and questionable breakfast meats. Whenever I partake in these buffets, I always feel gross afterwards.

Before committing to the hotel breakfast, check out what they serve. Do they let you order off a menu? Can you have eggs cooked to order? Use your best judgement but often times we bring our breakfast from our fridge down to the lobby area to enjoy a cup of coffee while we eat and plan our day!

Order Wisely at Restaurants

Part of the fun, for my family, of travel is exploring new restaurants! We like to enjoy ourselves and usually don't worry too much about ‘real food' at this point. But…if we are eating out twice a day (lunch and dinner), I like to be more mindful at one of those meals. My digestion, my mind, my body just doesn't like it when I eat too much garbage.

I try to order a good salad with protein for lunch and then enjoy trying new things at dinner! This doesn't always happen, but it is something I strive for.