Eating Healthfully While Travelling

I love to travel, and lucky for me I do a bit of travelling with my work – but even more fun is holidaying in new countries and exploring new cultures. So how do you keep to a healthy diet while you are on the road (or in the air!)?

I know there are some 100% raw foodists who have written books on the subject of travelling and staying raw – so I’m not going to go down that path – but I would like to offer some tips for those who would prefer to eat healthfully while travelling, even if not aiming for that 100% thing.

I know I certainly don’t and I’m not ashamed to admit that. Those who know me or read my site regularly will know that I am not a 100% anything! I eat a mainly raw, mainly vegan, mainly organic diet, and that’s the most definition I will give to what I eat. One of the pleasures of travelling is sampling the local cuisine – I know I couldn’t have gone to Paris without eating croissants and creme brulee – but you can still enjoy these occasional indulgences and sample the local flavours without completely sacrificing your healthy diet.

I am currently enjoying an amazing holiday on the Hawaiin island of Kauai and this is what I did. Before I left home I bought several pre-packaged dehydrated snacks such as trail mix, nuts and dehydrated fruit & crackers and packed those in my carry on luggage with some fresh fruit.  I had a flight from the Gold Coast to Sydney, a several hour wait, and then a ten hour flight from Sydney to Honolulu and then a third flight to Kauai. Major Aussie airports are great because they all have a Boost Juice in them, so that was my first stop in Sydney!

The snacks were all I needed throughout the travelling, along with bottled water, (no needing to eat that processed plane food!) and once I arrived on Kauai, the first questions I asked were “Where is your health food store, and where can I find your organic or farmers markets?” Within minutes I had the answer to both of those questions – and I have found in most places that I’ve travelled to – those two places are usually not that hard to find.

Of course different countries have different laws about what food you can bring into their country, so if you can take some superfoods and dehydrated goods with you – all the better – but farmers markets are a great source of what is fresh, locally produced and in season; and in health food stores you can often find dry goods and bulk foods.

Whenever I travel I try and stay in serviced apartments rather than hotel rooms, so that I have a kitchen to use. I will do my best to make sure that the kitchen has a blender – I can live without most other kitchen equipment, but a blender is a must! If they don’t have one, depending on how long the trip is for, I will either take one in my luggage – or buy a cheap one when I get there. Hand held blenders can be great for travelling, and that way you can always have a green smoothie at the very least!

Eating simply can be a bonus when travelling – it is less expensive than eating out in restaurants all the time, you get to sample local produce, and you have more energy and feel more alive when eating this way – all the better to make the most of your travelling!

Leisa