How to Stay Healthy While Traveling

Staying healthy while away from home can be incredibly challenging. Your gym schedule gets thrown out the window, the local grocery stores are filled with a totally different set of foods than you’re used to and you don’t always have a kitchen to cook up nutritious recipes or do meal prep.

So how do you keep from losing all of your progress while still enjoying your travels? Here are a few of my top tips for staying healthy while traveling.

1. Plan Ahead

If you’ve ever planned a day trip that turned out to be much longer than anticipated, you may have found yourself with a growling stomach and limited options apart from hitting the drive-through or grabbing some sugary snacks from the gas station. And if you’re anything like me, you may not think totally clearly when your blood sugar starts dipping too low and healthy eating is likely the last thing on your mind.

Planning ahead by bringing simple, healthy snacks or meals on the go is a great way to stay on track. My favorite easy snacks are fruits, veggies with portable peanut butter cups or a handful of almonds. Sandwiches are an easy portable meal as well–you can simply pack up your favorite ingredients like cheese, meat and veggies and enjoy it while you’re on the go.

2. Go Grocery Shopping

For some reason, many people believe that traveling means eating out at every single meal. This couldn’t be farther from the truth; in fact, hitting the grocery store instead of eating at restaurants multiple times per day can benefit both your wallet and your waistline.

A few of my fave healthy eating must-haves to grab at the store on your next vacation include:

• Whole wheat bread, pita bread or wraps
• Canned fish (sardines, tuna, anchovies, etc)
• Fruits (apples, bananas, oranges, peaches, etc)
• Raw veggies (celery, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, etc)
• Sauces and condiments (nut butters, hummus, pesto, etc)
• Cheese (Babybel, string cheese, etc)

3. Get in the Kitchen

Let’s face it: hotels are not generally conducive to healthy eating. Besides a tiny mini bar (typically loaded with sugary drinks and unhealthy junk), most hotels offer little for those looking to stay in shape while traveling.

If possible, opt for a hotel with a kitchenette that allows for some light meal prep so that you don’t need to constantly eat out or order in. Alternatively, you can also look for apartments or check websites like Airbnb, which typically have a shared kitchen and access to just about everything that you need to prepare a few healthy meals during your stay.

4. Bring Workout Clothes

Exercise may be the last thing on your mind if you’ll only be gone for a few days. However, if you’ll be traveling for an extended period of time, you may be able to squeeze in a few workouts between all your sightseeing.

While you may or may not have access to a hotel gym or workout facilities during your travel, there are plenty of opportunities to get in some physical activity. Running, swimming, using exercise equipment at the park or even running through a few workout videos can help you stay active and keep up with your regular routine, even while on the road.

5. Walk More

One of my favorite ways to get to know a new city is to walk through it. Sure, it’s easier and more convenient to take a train, cab or car from point A to point B, but walking instead is a great way to bump up your physical activity and burn off some extra calories without putting in tons of extra effort.

Bonus: not only does walking help you get in more activity and stay in shape, but it can also save some extra cash! With train tickets typically costing $2-3 a pop, opting to walk instead can help you stick to your budget so you have a little extra pocket change to grab a souvenir or two instead!

6. Enjoy!

Sure, it can get easy to get fixated on maintaining your diet year-round, even while traveling. However, one of the best parts about traveling is trying new things, eating interesting foods and building amazing memories that you can look back on for years to come. So if you decide to indulge in a few croissants during your stay in France, relax! It’s okay to enjoy–everything can fit into a healthy diet in moderation.

Other Tips?

Have you traveled recently and picked up some easy travel hacks that you use while on the go? I’d love to hear! Drop me a comment below and let me know your tips for staying healthy while traveling.