If you look at my Instagram, in my fridge, my purse or my shopping cart you’d quickly learn that I have a “thing” for Perfect Bars. Ok, let’s face it, I’m a little obsessed. After discovering that Perfect Bars are packed with 20 different superfoods like chia, alfalfa, rose hip and so many more (you can see the full list and their benefits here) they went from “oh those are tasty” to my life line when I was on the road for two weeks over the holidays. Because of that experience, I was inspired to share some of my best tips for traveling healthy.
Snack Strategically
How many times has this happened to you while traveling: you rush out the door, not realizing how hungry you are, but when you get to the airport or are stuck in the car you’re starving. At that point the only choices are Fatty McFryers and Sugar Shack and you feel trapped. Either you order what they claim is a salad and get a pile of wet leaves covered in something they claim is dressing or you go whole-hog and get an extra serving full of regret and feeling tired and bloated the rest of the day. Trust me I’ve totally been there.
Which is why I now am the queen of packing my own snacks. If I’m never too hangry, I can make smarter decisions that work for me. On my most recent road trip, every couple of days, I’d look for the closest Whole Foods and stock up on Perfect Bars, green juices, greek yogurt and some fresh fruit for the long drives ahead. Having my own delicious, healthy options helped make avoiding Sugar Shack much easier.
Drink Your Greens
In a perfect world, you’d be able to get in all your servings of greens between your 3 main meals. However, on the road that’s usually somewhere between idealistic and near impossible. That’s when green juices come to the rescue. No, they don’t have all the fiber of fresh greens but they’re way better than that sketchy energy drink or having no greens at all.
Look for green juices that have no added sugar, primarily vegetables and less than 20g of sugar for the whole bottle (ideally less that 12g).
Stay Hydrated
One of my first instincts when I’m in the car for a long stretch, or I’m doing a long day of traveling, is not to drink anything. I hate stopping to pee so I let myself get way too dehydrated. Wrong. Whether you’re on the road or in the air, your body still needs water, especially if you’ve had a lot of caffeine. A couple extra pee breaks won’t kill you. Plus they’re a great excuse to move your legs.
Remember “better” is more important than “perfect”
At the end of the day I have to remind myself “don’t try to be perfect, just try to be better.” If you can avoid mindless snacking or meals full of franken-food then you’re on the right track. There’s no sense in beating yourself up if you’re not able to eat as healthfully as you do at home. Plus don’t forget to enjoy the sites, sounds and flavors of wherever your destination is! Oh and of course, always pack snacks (you know the perfect snack that’s always in my bag.)
For this post, I was given product from Perfect Bar, however, as always all thoughts and opinions are completely my own.
Your Turn:
- What are your go-to healthy travel tips?
- What snacks do you always pack?
I have to get better at packing snacks while traveling, either I don’t pack enough or I don’t pack the right kinds of snacks. I love protein bars and fruit as a snack but I can only eat so many snacks. Sometimes I’d rather have a salad for a snack because that keeps me full. I’d love to try those Perfect Bars, they look delicious!
Very true. You gotta do what works for you. Packing a meal might make more sense if snacking doesn’t leave you satisfied in the end.
When I’m doing long day trips like the 6 hr drive back to my college town, I like to pack a lunch like I’m going to work, but even bigger. Something about sitting in the car makes me so hungry so I usually eat that pretty quickly and that have backup snacks so I don’t have to get something that I don’t even enjoy at a fast food place or gas station.
That’s really smart! For those long trips having a good meal is great so you don’t feel like you have to graze all day. Yes! It’s crazy I’m way more hungry when I travel than when I workout.
I am so guilty of trying not to drink anything on road trips because I don’t like to be the one that slows us down with a bathroom break. But you’re right! Staying hydrated is way more important. In my gigantic purse I swear I have like 2 apples in there right now haha. I also love Lara Bars and KIND Bars. I have never tried Perfect Bars but I’ve heard so many good things about them!
Haha my purse is a mini pantry most days because apparently I’m always ready for disaster to strike (aka hunger). As an efficiency nut, I love being able to not stop, but I just remind myself that it’s no big deal if I’m 5 minutes later than google said I’d be.
I always pack along snack bars, usually Larabars, for easy snacking on the go. I definitely slack on water consumption while on the road, even though in the long run, a few extra breaks are no big deal and a great excuse to get out of the car and move. You definitely have me intrigued with these Perfect Bars — need to check ’em out!
I think you’ll really dig ’em! If you try them let me know 😀
I always try to pack my own go to snacks like an apple and a squeeze pack of peanut butter or sunflower butter, a banana with the same, or carrots and hummus, and lots of water, so I have no-fridge-necessary emergency supplies. Although my travel companions deplore my many breaks, I dehydrate so easily as well!
All excellent snackage. Haters gonna hate cuz pee’ers gotta pee
I have never tried Perfect Bars! They look and sound terrific though! Thanks for sharing your tips 🙂
If you love nut butter you’ll love these.
Yep I pretty much bring more snacks than anything when I travel. And I pretty much always eat everything LOL. I love that ‘drink your greens’ – great tips!
Hellz yeah. Snack packers for the win!
I never leave home without snack and bottle of water. I mean, NEVER. My go-to things are banana and handful of nuts.
Nanners + nuts = life
I love your tip about staying hydrated! I am huge on this, I’ve found myself snacking less from boredom too when I keep myself hydrated!
Travel boredom snacking is soo real especially in the car when you feel like you’re trapped. Unless you’re mindful about it, it can be so easy to do.
I love that you shared that BETTER is more important than perfect. That’s so important for me to remember because i can tend to get too wrapped up in one too many sweets, or one too many burgers, and it takes me out of being grateful to God in all things and just makes things miserable.
So true, and when you’re not focused on perfect making a mistake isn’t the end of the world, which means you can get back to better faster! <3 Thanks for stopping by Emily, your comments are always so lovely and thoughtful.
ugh i absolutely LOVE perfect bar! i haven’t had one in forever due to them being a little pricey but every time i buy them i’m always like “oh these are so worth it” haha! photos are gorgeous in this post too <3
Thank you Julianna. Yeah they can definitely add up quickly but that first bite is so worth it!
Long car rides and air travel have been my specialty these past few years. So I had to learn pretty quickly that a salad from the Sheetz gas station was not going to cut it while on the road. Nothing in the salads look as appetizing as those darn ad pics.
Homemade snacks, thrown together sandwiches, and my favorite packaged bars definitely started becoming a must-have on every trip.
And totally right about staying hydrated! The extra stops are great for moving.
Yes! Love a good homemade sammy for the road – it’s great when you’re going for the long haul and can’t survive on snacks alone.