Why Healthy and Affordable Travel Is Easier Than You Think
Keep these snacks on hand along with plenty of water.
It’s difficult enough to try and maintain a balanced diet on a tight budget, especially as college students. Between homework, classes, and the occasional college parties, there seems to be little time and money left over to dedicate to healthy meals, leaving us grabbing for the quickest cheapest grab-and-go meals. It is possible, but it can take some work and effort to design your own healthy habits.
Healthy and Affordable Travel
Now, traveling can become a whole new story. Paying for flights and housing on top of being in a new city can make the health pursuit that much more difficult. Obviously you want to indulge in your destination’s cuisine, but you also want to make sure you have enough food for the day AND enough money for other activities.
My time in New York always presents these difficulties: I get here with a set amount of money, a list of places I want to try, and a completely open schedule that normally fills up with last minute endeavors (aka expenses). Luckily over the time I’ve been traveling on my own, I’ve found some helpful strategies to keep me in check and rarely without food or water.
Pre-pack with Snacks
Before taking off or embarking on a road trip, make sure that you hit up a grocery store beforehand. Having a reservoir of food will help you avoid making unhealthy trips to highway fast food joints, paying for overpriced items at the airport, and going with food for a long time. By getting in some food during travel time, you’ll also avoid binging heavily on foods that may not be the best choice, but seem the most feeling. Unless, however, you want to stuff your face right as you arrive at your destination.
Stock Up On Water
Dehydration can put a major damper on your travel plans. Not having water available to you and not wanting to drink tap water can leave you thirsty and uncomfortable. Having headaches, dry mouths, dizziness, and dry skin can ruin your day quickly.
Stock up on water before traveling and immediately when you get to your destination. Buying gallon jugs are a cheap and easy way to keep water readily available to you. Remember to carry around a water bottle everywhere you go to help avoid paying for soft drinks and high-priced brand water.
Pre-make Meals If Possible
This may not work for those traveling on planes, but bringing those prepped meals bring your healthy habits with you instead of abandoning them at home. Going out and splurging on a couple meals on vacation can be fun and generally pretty harmless, but eating every single meal out can be a bit much.
Buying breakfast, lunch, and dinner out for even 2 days can wipe out your bank account and leave you feeling sluggish and less than optimum by being outside of your normal routine. Meal prepping can help you stay on track, even when you’re away from home.
Bring Food With You
Snack bars, protein bars, and trail mixes are great when on the go. Traveling is full of unexpected events, and healthy food can out of reach. Having a sustainable snack with you at all times can save you from grabbing unhealthy snacks like pretzels and sugary blended drinks. Instead of hitting up a local Starbucks for a frappachino, you can instead sip on that water of yours and munch on a protein-rich bar. In the end, you’ll be saving calories and dollar bills, leaving you full and able to go spend your money on things other than food.
Maintaining healthy habits on the go can be tricky, but making small adjustments to your travel routine can help you stay on track with your diet and eliminate the stress of trying to find food in a place that you aren’t familiar with. Staying stocked up on food and water prior to and while traveling will prevent hunger at inconvenient times and save money,
