An Action Plan for Eating Great while Traveling

We can all get into good habits while we are in our regular routine at home. We have our favorite grocery stores where we purchase the foods that help us stay healthy, fit and losing any extra pounds. However, when going on a trip people can choose to keep making good choices while their schedule and everything else changes.

You can keep to a healthy diet if you plan ahead and stick to the decision to eat the very best that you can. You can eat good food, maintain or even lose weight and have a great time on a trip.

Eating while Traveling

A simple action plan can make any way you travel a good way to eat healthfully:

By Airplane - Bringing along a few healthy snacks is always a good idea, because people who are overly hungry rarely make good choices when they finally do get to eat. Besides your own snacks, airlines offer fruit juices and simple snacks that are not high in sugar or fat. Most airlines do not serve complete meals while in flight, but for extended flights you can select the healthiest option available when you purchase your ticket before hand.

Your layover can be a dangerous time to eat right. For one reason or another we tend to feel extra hungry in airports and often crack to our fattening desires. Avoid the pastry shops and ice cream. Go instead for a grilled chicken or salmon dinner with cooked vegetable sides or a nice fresh salad. These meals do exist within airports and can equally as delicious.

By Car - When you travel by car, you can bring a cooler with excellent "good-for-you" snacks that you love. Take the effort and plan ahead to have celery sticks, sandwiches and such that you can munch on to stay awake while you are driving. Otherwise, you can make good choices even at convenient stores. You can pick up water, tea and juice instead of sodas or cappuccinos. Snacks can be fruit, whole grain crackers, cheese and dry roasted nuts.

Destination Choices

When you reach your destination or when passing by a town in the car, stop at delis for bargains as well as nutritious and delicious food. At any place you eat, pick the low-fat cheeses and cold-cuts for sandwiches or fill up on hot and cooked vegetable sides. Going out to eat can be one of the biggest tests of your willpower on vacation, as there are so many tempting options available in restaurants. Doing a little research into the restaurant you choose is important. You can easily find a menu online to determine which of them will offer healthy options. Also, reading reviews from other travelers with the same healthy desires can be extremely helpful. I recently found a great site while looking at reviews for Las Vegas hotels that had reviews for the restaurants in the surrounding area on top of the amenities offered at the hotel. This made it so much easier to maintain my healthy lifestyle not only within my hotel but outside of it as well.

Above all, don’t forget to move. There’s so much to see and do on vacation, and you don’t want to miss anything. Walk as much as possible, take extra steps by parking far away from your destination and do walking tours instead of bus tours.

By following these tips, you can come home happy, rested and most importantly, healthy.

Cole Millen, is an avid traveler and foodie who never forgets that life's best memories are made through real life apprehension of legitimate "experiences." Follow his blog at Cole’s Mill.