I love to travel. I love the ritual of packing my suitcase, organizing my books and electronics for my carry-on, the early morning drive to the airport, and the long walk to the gate. I love it because the practice of these steps is all in preparation to fly away and discover somewhere new. It is the magic of travel that somehow transforms these mundane tasks into symbols of escape.

Not all travel is escapism, of course. Many of us travel on business and it is this journey I found myself on most recently with back-to-back work trips to Washington, DC and Las Vegas, NV. I am grateful for the opportunity to discover a new city, but travelling now also poses real challenges for healthy eating, and even more so while on business trips in which meals and restaurants are often selected by others (in Vegas, the team selected a restaurant called ‘Flour and Barley’ for lunch, where even the waiter wondered what I was doing there). With each new trip however, I discover new tips and tricks to make healthy eating on the road easier. Although I haven’t yet created a perfect regimen for eating on-the-go, the following rules offer a good start:

1. Stack Your Suitcase

   

   An airports is not a Mecca for healthy eating (with fast food chains galore) and in-flight menus can be even worse (processed everything) – so I come prepared. I bring lots of paleo snacks to sustain me for the journey including apple slices, mini carrots, raisins or dried goji berries and mixed nuts. If I’m in a pinch, I can usually find an airport vender selling fruit cups (freshness not guaranteed). During long layovers, there are generally a few restaurants to choose from, though I am always weary of this option, especially the further away I get from hyper health conscious cities that are accustomed to modified orders and allergy-free requests. At some airport restaurants I’ve had my request of “sorry, I’m allergic to everything” honoured, but not so at others. These types of experiences leave me feeling anxious that the waitress or chef either won’t understand, or won’t care, to make the necessary modifications. It can be quite frustrating to work so hard to eat properly and avoid all allergens, just to have it undermined by a meal out. It won’t always be possible to avoid such inevitabilities as having to eat dinner on route, but the more safe snacks I can bring to cushion the journey, the better.

2. Find a Grocery StoreIf I’m going to be anywhere longer than a day, my first priority is to find out which grocery stores are nearby. When I discovered that Whole Foods was less than a 20 minute walk from my hotel in DC, I was elated. Even though I arrived to my hotel at 9:30PM, I immediately tossed my bags down in my hotel room and set out on foot (in -10°C no less) to find it. It was well worth the journey to stock up on fresh fruit, precut organic veggies, and almond milk for my morning coffee. There were also a few items I discovered that they don’t have at the Whole Foods back home, including a PaleoKrunch grainless granola (ah-mazing) and a raw organic nut bar. My foraging efforts paid off the next morning as I snacked on fruit while I got ready and stocked my purse with food for the day’s conference (especially given that the buffet lunch was sandwiches on wheat bread, crisps and soda – not GF approved, let alone Paleo). A second trip to Whole Foods the next night was enough to supplement and sustain me for the whole trip and reduce any anxiety that I might find myself without anything to eat.
3. Take the Safe BetOne thing that I discovered while travelling, and was especially reinforced in DC, was that it is better to take the safe bet (and be sure to avoid all allergens) than to try and replicate the meals I have at home if there is at least a moderate chance of cross-contamination or direct allergen contact. It is for this reason that sometimes it’s easier to buy the GF Vegan cereal to eat in my hotel room than risk eating at a restaurant where the waiter looks perplexed when I list off my allergies. I’ve accepted that I may eat a few more grains while travelling than I would normally consume (and with it some unfriendly oils or unwanted additives), but that it is a better alternative than unwittingly eating gluten or dairy.

   

   This also means that my diet isn’t full of as much good nutrition as it normally is (like tons of green, leafy vegetables), but it is par for the course when travelling as I also cannot eat all organic meat, vegetables and fruit as I normally do or take all my supplements and fermented foods. It’s certainly not ideal, but the reality is that ideal conditions generally don’t exist while on the road. I’m hopeful that I will continue to find better ways of eating on-the-go (and even more hopeful that better options will become available as market demands shift), but for now the best I can do is to mitigate the risks as much as possible.

4. Move Your Body & Rest Your MindTravel can throw all of us out of our routines and business travel can especially encourage some unhealthy habits (think drinks at the bar and burgers from room service). One of the most beneficial things you can do while away from home (as it is while at home) is to move your body. Many hotels offer fitness centres (the DC hotel had a ‘sculpting room’ that inspired much laughter), but it also helps just to get outside and walk. In exploring DC, I walked 2 ½ hours to see the sights after a long day at the conference. I was a bit sore and tired afterwards, but it got my blood flowing and my heart pumping – which was exactly what I needed. The Las Vegas Strip offered a similar opportunity to explore, and although the flashing neon lights made the environment less serene, the objective was the same.
   It is equally as important to give your mind a break. Turn off all the electronic devices (the tablet, the 2 cell phones, and the ipod) and simply unplug and unwind. In DC, the hotel provided a yoga mat which I loved (a few moments of zen with ‘downward dog’ and seated meditation), though I wish I had utilized it more. If nothing else, the faux fur throw at the end of the bed was the perfect thing to cuddle up with at night and forget the swirling politics of the world outside my window.
   
   

As wonderful as travelling is, there is nothing quite like touching back down at home, especially in beautiful Vancouver. The first night that I was able to prepare dinner in my own kitchen was a dream. The ritual of cutting the yams, steaming the broccoli and baking the organic chicken was therapeutic. The power of knowing every ingredient and controlling every spice and oil was divine. The truth is, I love travel and I love nutrition – and certainly the old adage of ‘eat well, travel often’ rings true for me as I seek to marry these two passions of mine.