Preventing the holiday travel food hangover blues

Here are 10 Travel Tips for a Healthy Holiday:

Pack your sneakers 

Call ahead to see if your hotel has a gym or pool. They can also help you find something close by.  Check in with your gym they may have a partnership with some place local. Check out community sites and blogs for a place for running, walking or hiking. Remember your camera for the site-seeing! Never fear if all that doesn’t work, pick an audio, DVD or YouTube video to take with you.

Bring a stainless steel water bottle and add some citrus

So many places now are equiped with water fountains to help you stay hydrated. This is important as we are often in different climates and can forget to stay hydrated. Adding citrus is not only cleansing, it also helps you stay hydrated. Crossing the border or can’t take fresh fruit with you? Try a citrus essential oil, just one drop will do.

Pack healthy snacks and a meal when you can

Food in airports tends to be very high in sodium, sugar and is loaded with preservatives. And those hotel breakfasts are definitely sugar and carbohydrates.

Planning some better snacks to bring along helps to remove the need to search for a healthy option and giving in to temptations. I love to pack dried berries, raw nuts, seeds, veggies and fruits. Don’t forget to prepare for those snacks and sweet cravings! You can pre-make some fruit chips, dried fruit, kale chips and some homemade chocolates. Can’t bring it with you? Find out where the closest grocery and health food stores are and plan in a stop on the way

My favorite thing to pack? Oatmeal! It’s a simple and healthy way to start my day and easy to make with a kettle and mug.

Bring a small blender

A simple way to make your own breakfast or lunch. There are so many light weight choices available now. Calling ahead to the hotel to ask them to empty the mini bar fridge will help to remove those snacks we all regret and leave room for you to keep your food fresh.

Call ahead to restaurants to ask about options to modify dishes to be healthier

Take a look at the menu online and have a plan ready. Calling ahead helps to prevent that uncomfortable feeling that can be associated with asking in person. Usually you can replace sides with a steamed vegetable or salad. Worse case you can always ask for a salad with some olive oil and a lemon for a quick dressing. Or ask for the chef to prepare a plant-based vegetarian main dish.

Read a book connected to your goals

What we are reading can have a big impact on our daily thoughts and choices. Prevent that boredom driven overeating by bringing a book to keep you inspired and motivated!

Bring herbal tea

Tea is an easy way to curb your appetite. I love to bring green tea to help with hunger. Ginger for anxiety and upset tummies, peppermint and chamomile to help with sleep.

Pack your pillow, eye mask and ear plugs

There is nothing worse than not getting the rest you need. Hotel beds can feel more like home with your own pillow. Earplugs and your eye mask can be a life saver on a flight or when you have noisy hotel neighbors. Loss of sleep significantly reduces our immune system, builds our anxiety and lowers our alertness. Add that to the stresses of travel results in needing a vacation to recover.

Research before arriving

I just love the Internet to help with travel. Using restaurant apps like Yelp will help to find restaurants with healthy options. Or you can look more specifically to your dietary preferences and restrictions by calling the local business association or chamber of commerce for those hidden gems.

Have fun!

Everyday we make choices and some we will inevitably regret. When we add negative self talk we compound the impact on our body, mind and soul. So remember to be kind to yourself!