It just takes a little extra planning to make healthier choices when traveling. This post is sponsored by FAGE; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
I’m pretty used to traveling by now.
My husband’s job had us traveling once a week somewhere for a year. We traveled through Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. It was definitely fun, and incredible to see so many different parts of our beautiful country. I also travel often for work. I recently went to Los Angeles, Portland, New York, and Seattle, and I will be going to Maui in April.
But trying to make healthier choices when traveling? That is not easy.
I just started a brand new workout program and meal plan, and had to spend four days in a hotel in the middle of it.
This made me want to share my best tips with you on how to make healthier choices when traveling and on-the-go. Whether you’re on a vacation or traveling for work, it’s easy to stick to nutritious eating and exercise with a little planning.
For this post, I teamed up with one of my absolute favorite yogurt brands, FAGE. I always have their Greek yogurt in my fridge, ready to be blended into protein-packed smoothies or eaten with a bit of Superfood Granola on top for breakfast.
And when thinking about how to make healthier choices when traveling, nutritious and convenient on-the-go food first comes to mind. FAGE Total 2% Split Cups are perfect for this. While FAGE split cups come in three different fat options (whole, 0%, and 2%), I like the 2% for a few reasons. A bit of healthy fat is always welcome in my diet, and FAGE Total 2% Split Cups provide more protein than sugar!
The FAGE Total 2% Split Cups come in 11 delicious fruit flavors. I personally love the Peach and the Strawberry. They make a perfect quick breakfast, snack, or dessert! I like to pack them and bring them with me on a hike, or stash them in my hotel’s fridge for when I’m craving something sweet (and don’t want to raid the candy machine!). These rich and creamy all-natural Greek yogurt and fruit cups contain only 120 calories in the peach 2% flavor, 11 grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein. See where FAGE Total 2% Split Cups are sold near you.
These delicious little yogurt cups saved me when traveling recently and inspired me to create this list of 5 Easy Ways to Make Healthier Choices When Traveling.
5 Easy Ways to Make Healthier Choices When Traveling
BYOF (Bring Your Own Food)
Most hotels provide a small fridge in your room, if not a small kitchenette (even better). If your hotel does have a fridge, stock it with healthy essentials to keep you fueled during your trip. When I travel, I like to meal prep at least my breakfast and lunch, if not every meal. (Tip: check ahead of time if your hotel has a microwave.) I pack healthy mason jar salads, quinoa salads, fruit, hard-boiled eggs, and FAGE yogurts. I’ll also bring my protein powders for post-workout, plenty of healthy snacks (think: nuts, dried fruit, granola, veggies and hummus), and kombucha.
Get Moving
Just because you’re traveling, doesn’t mean your daily movement needs to stop! Stay on top of your fitness and get moving. Most hotels have gyms, which you can take advantage of. I now follow a streaming service of at-home workouts so I can do them anywhere that has WiFi. But one of my favorite ways to get moving is by foot. Explore the town or city you’re in by taking a long walk, hike, or traveling by foot to your destinations.
Plan, Plan, Plan
You have to plan ahead to make healthier choices when traveling. Whether you’re meal prepping and planning your meals or planning your workouts, if you don’t plan ahead you will set yourself up to fail. One of the most important times to plan ahead is when going out to eat. Do your research and choose a restaurant with a seasonal menu and healthier offerings. There’s so many amazing hyper-local, healthier restaurants that you won’t feel like you’re missing out. When someone else chooses the restaurant, I like to give the menu a look before I go. I usually stick to ordering lean proteins (salmon or chicken), swapping fries for a salad, or asking for a smaller portion of mashed potatoes and extra veggies, etc. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or ask for substitutions. If a restaurant serves me a gigantic portion, I will save half of it to-go and eat it for lunch the next day.
Don’t Forget Hydration
Staying hydrated is just as important as eating healthy. I often forget to drink as much water when I am traveling. To remind myself, I buy a huge case of bottled water and keep how many bottles I should drink for the day on the desk or nightstand in the hotel room. If it’s the end of the night and there’s still 2 bottles left, I know I didn’t drink enough! Drinking plenty of water will help you ease cravings and is especially important if you’re on a long flight.
Stick to a Routine
Having a routine, like one I would follow at home, helps me make healthier choices when traveling. I try to stick to a regular sleep schedule and not stay up too late at night. I’ll get up in the morning and exercise just like I would at home. I will squeeze in yoga and try to find a fun and unique local class (yoga with goats, anyone?!). I will head to complimentary breakfast in the morning so that I can see other people and wake up a bit, but choose healthy options such as fruit or granola (and of course coffee). And I will end my night with 10 minutes of meditation. I almost always have to work, even when I’m on vacation, so I usually choose a hip local coffee shop with healthy food options or a local juice bar to do so.
I hope that you’ve enjoyed these Easy Ways to Make Healthier Choices When Traveling! What are your favorite tips for staying healthy on-the-go? Let us know in the comments below. And be sure to check out FAGE Total 2% Split Cups and see how they can fit in your balanced diet.
I’ve been eating FAGE for a long time now and this post just reinforces how great and delicious it is! 🙂
It is hard to stick with the routine of you are not determined. Your tips are so helpful, I really need to make healthy choices.
First time to hear about this brand but it looks yummy! I would love to try the Strawberry variant!
It is not always easy to make healthy choices, especially when you are on the go. My daughter will pack yogurt and fruit when she has class. I love that she is making such mindful food choices.
i love fage….. well used to when I used to love and over-do frozen yogurt lol . Its so good!
These are such great tips! I do love me some yogurt.
Fage is a very good brand, I love their yogurts alone or with oatmeal.
Yogurt is always a wonderful choice. I don’t think I have tried this brand yet. I know it’s in stores, so I’ll make sure to grab a couple the next time I’m shopping.
These are great tips, I find it so hard to stay on track when I’m traveling. So, these will definitely come in handy.
It can be so easy not to make healthy choices when you are travelling, I’ve found I often let myself get dehydrated as well which isn’t good for me at all.
I always bring my own food when traveling, too. I love Fage because it has a high protein count and tastes great. I usually keep a tub of yogurt in the hotel fridge when traveling. It keeps me from hitting the snack machine.
We recently swapped out sour cream permanently and replaced it with Fage plain Greek yogurt. I used to make fun of my friend who did that because I thought it was weird. Turns out it’s absolutely delicious! It’s mild and creamy and not super tart like you’d imagine.
Me too, Rachel! I’ve been using Fage Greek yogurt in place of sour cream forever now. I love it on Chili!
Fage is my favorite too! It’s my breakfast every Thursday morning because i have such an early day. But I should put it into a smoothie to change it up a bit, like you suggested
Absolutely Angela! I love it in smoothies and also just simply taking the split cups to-go. Easy and healthy!