7 Practical Healthy Travel Secrets

Looking for some healthy travel tips? Here are the top 7 secrets for practical yet healthy travel.

Often we think it’s a choice between having a fun vacation and enjoying yourself, or sticking to your healthy lifestyle. Let me share 7 secrets for healthy travel with you, as a registered dietitian who travels a ton and simply a gal who wants to feel ALIVE not deprived. If you follow me on instagram, @sarahgracemeck, you know I’m traveling around A LOT. But it’s all about finding ways to still do the things that make you feel your best AND still have a great time!

The Healthy Travel Podcast (for my audio friends):

But here are my 7 practical, healthy travel secrets to help you continue to feel your best, yet enjoy your time away too. Because as you may see on instagram, you know I’m ALL about making this a realistic lifestyle through sustainable, practical nutrition. Don’t let your health and fitness become your life or chain you down, let your healthy lifestyle ENABLE you to live the life you want to.

Top 7 Secrets for Healthy Travel

1. Above all: Moderation, Portion Control and Avoiding Overeating for healthy travel

   1. You don’t always have control over the type of foods (and if it’s an infrequent vacation, you deserve to treat yourself to not typical “nutritious foods”!), so the biggest way I ENJOY myself, not feel deprived, but still feel my best is simply to avoid overeating. Focus on the things you truly love and eating smaller portions of that.
   2. Buffets: Make 1 plate and sit down. Only after sitting and talking for awhile after that first plate, should you get back up if you’re truly hungry still.
   3. Don’t just eat everything just because. Be picky. Allow yourself the GREAT stuff, and skip out on the “ehhh it’s okay” stuff. 
   4. For desserts, savor the first few bites, and don’t feel like you have to finish it just because it’s there. I typically only split desserts with my husband so that I have natural portion control 😛 

2. Focus on within-day movement through active daytime activities

   1. Hiking, walking, outside tours
   2. Walking to restaurants versus driving
   3. Playing a game on the beach vs sitting
   4. Anything to get your body moving throughout the day while gone! How many steps can you get in?!

3. Stay Sickness Free

   1. Get enough sleep
   2. Hydrate! Bring an empty water bottle you can refill once through security
   3. Wipe down travel surfaces with wipes (I use chemical free Thieves ones, you can get here)
   4. Roll Thieves on feet every night (in the starter kit here)
   5. High vitamin C and Zinc foods
   6. Take supplements, especially vitamin C & zinc containing ones! (more on that below)
      1. I bring Super C by Young Living, and Ningxia Juice! Mineralessence will also help you get your key minerals in. All can be purchased here.

4. Pack Healthy Travel Snacks

   1. Protein powder packets
   2. Roasted edamame and chickpeas
   3. Nuts & Dried Fruit / Trail Mix
   4. Protein Bars
   5. BetterStevia for coffee drinks

5. Stay on routine (and regular) by bringing normal supplements

   1. Probiotics to stay regular: I use Life 9 that I talk about here.
   2. Ningxia Juice: You can order here as a retail customer or member!
   3. Oils for hormonal health, gut health, stress, immunity, and sleep assistance
      1. I make DIY rollers and spray bottles for sleep, stress, energy, intimacy, and more!
      2. Oil Case and portable diffuser for traveling with oils: right here.
      3. Oils I bring: (you can start your journey with them right here!)
         1. Hormonal Support: sclaressence, endoflex, lady sclareol, dragon time
         2. Digestion: digize, peppermint
         3. Relaxation: stress away, peace & calming, lavender
         4. **See this insta post for my travel essentials too!

6. Pick a couple days if a long trip to do a structured workout still

   1. look ahead at hotel gyms or just plan to do a body-weight HIIT one!
   2. I break down how to plan your own workouts and weekly nutrition in my mini course right here.

7. Eating Out Best Practices for Healthy Travel

   1. Still try to have a good source of protein at each meal
   2. If drinking alcohol, on average try to lower the carbohydrates in the food portion of the meal by having a veggie and protein dense meal. Every once in awhile, have that pasta and wine and #allthecarbs 🙂
   3. Simple is always best. With the extra sauces and creams and sides, come a lot of typically unnecessary sugar and processed ingredients. With traveling a ton, I try to order a simple lean protein with a veggie side, and then usually have a couple bites of whatever good sides my hubby gets 😛 
   4. Want dessert? Take a few first bites, and then ask yourself if you REALLY need the rest. If not, push it away.
   5. A very infrequent occasion? JUST ENJOY YOURSELF. No one meal will ruin anything.

Overall — Don’t overthink this whole healthy travel thing, and make sure to still have fun! Try to put eating on the backburner and make the trip about the people and the activities. Use food to fuel your days, and every once in awhile for your tummy’s dessert spot happiness 🙂 Food is our fuel, so don’t think you should deprive yourself! But keep it in that place, and focus your time on activities that involve movement, not tons of food places.

Remember… Staying mentally healthy is EQUALLY as important if not more than staying physically active and eating nutritiously when it comes to healthy travel. And if you’re in the deprivation, restrictive mindset of “I CAN’T have ______”, that’s not allowing your healthy life to enable and empower you, it’s chaining you down. STAY FREE. Let’s thrive in life by making this a lifestyle! Want to make this healthy eating thing a lifestyle? Click here.