For the first time in 1 1/2 years, I traveled last week! My husband and I went to the Newport Folk Festival (an annual tradition!), Maine, and then Colorado. And while I love traveling, especially now, it’s easy to start to feel not-so-great physically – eating out a lot, sleeping in an unfamiliar space, and just generally being out of your normal daily routine can add up to feeling… off.
Over the years, I’ve narrowed my travel routine down to a few of the most important habits; the simple daily practices that make me feel best without being too regimented ;)) or taking too much time away from the actual vacation. Here they are:
1. Food
If possible, I try to book a hotel room that has a mini-fridge. At some point early in the trip, I go to the grocery store and buy a few simple items for easy hotel breakfasts and snacks. Here are a few of my go-tos:
Breakfast. Yogurt and granola is my usual. It’s simple, not too heavy, but still filling. Easily found, quality yogurt brands include Siggi’s and Stonyfield Organic. For granola, I look for brands with recognizable ingredients and opt for the option lowest in sugar.
Purely Elizabeth, Bear Naked, and Love Crunch are great if you can find one of those. Alternatively, a simple trail mix with some nuts and dried fruit is good in yogurt too! I’ll sometimes add a sliced banana to the yogurt bowl if I’m hungry enough.
Snacks.
- nuts and dried fruit
- fresh fruit
- grass-fed jerky (Lorissa’s Kitchen, Country Archer, Think Jerky, and Chomps are the most easily found grass-fed options)
- bars (Epic Bars, Larabars, RXBARs are my favorite real-food options)
- hardboiled eggs (pre-hardboiled) are great for the mini-fridge
Beverages. If I’m in a location where I have access to a Target or Whole Foods (or another well-stocked grocery store), I’ll buy either Suja Uber Greens, Evolution Essential Greens or Green Devotion, or Urban Remedy green juice – I opt for the blends with just greens and no fruit (I prefer to eat fruit in its whole form to avoid blood sugar spikes). I’ll also sometimes buy kombucha for the mini-fridge – I love exploring local kombucha brands and kombucha promotes healthy digestion, which often can use a little extra support while traveling.
Lunch & Dinner. I like to be flexible for lunch and dinner to try new restaurants, local specialties, and recommended spots.
2. Supplements
I used to pack a TON of supplements every time I traveled but over the years I’ve seriously simplified my supplement regimen in preference to whole foods (working on a whole post about this ;). That being said, there are a few that I take almost daily while traveling:
- Women’s Multivitamin. My go-to food-based multivitamin is this one from MegaFood.
- Probiotic. At home, I prefer to get probiotics from whole foods (sauerkraut, yogurt, kombucha), but while traveling and my digestive system needs a little boost I take Microbiome Labs MegaSporeBiotic.
- Psyllium Husk. Since I’m likely not eating quite as many vegetables while on the road, I take psyllium husk in water first thing every morning (more on the importance of soluble fiber in this post and how it helped clear up my skin in this post!). I like Organic India Psyllium Husk (not powder).
3. Exercise
I used to get stressed about not exercising while traveling but I changed my mindset around that a few years ago and it’s seriously been life-changing. Personally, I would rather explore the local area outside over working out inside for an hour. So instead of checking out local yoga studios or gyms (of course, if that’s your thing, go for it!), I prefer to focus on walking and/or hiking every day. That way, I can explore new areas and see new things and get a great low-impact workout in (PS low-impact = tons of health benefits without raising your cortisol levels ✌🏼).
If there is time in the morning, I’ll do a quick low-impact bodyweight workout, yoga, Pilates, and/or stretching depending on the schedule and my mood. I always travel with this Manduka lightweight yoga mat, which folds (!), and use The Pilates Class or Melissa Wood Health apps to find 15-20 minute workouts that don’t require any equipment.
4. Water
Drinking enough water while traveling is the simplest but possibly the most important habit. Admittedly it’s annoying to have to pee a lot while on the road, but hydration is SO important to feeling good (healthy digestion, better sleep, and basically every other function of the body ;).
As a general rule of thumb, drink half your body weight (lbs) in ounces of water every day. If you drink coffee or alcohol, drink even more than that baseline. I aim for three (32 oz) bottles of water a day – I use this Hydroflask.
And that’s it! A little structure with a lot of flexibility to try new things. What habits are non-negotiable for you while traveling? Let me know in the comments below!
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Sher says
Darryl’s Bars and Go Pure portable water purifier are also good to take on the road.
Ally says
I’ve never tried those bars – thanks for sharing!