Whether it’s for vacation or work, traveling has always been really exciting for me. I’m actually on a flight to Portland, OR right now heading to a 3-day intensive Barre 3 instructor training. I think it was the thrill of stepping out of everyday life and doing something different, visiting a new place, and making new friends that had me so excited last night I could hardly sleep.

With all the excitement going on there are also challenges to traveling. One of the biggest is the lack of quality food at the airport. Most of what you find is highly processed with hidden salt, sugar, and MSG – a horrible combination for anyone who is wanting to remain or become healthy and sexy. Even the options that seem healthy probably have unhealthy preservatives and other ingredients that you might not have normally considered.

If you’re like me, you want to save your food and money splurges for some well deserving local restaurants once you’ve reached your destination.

Here are my top 7 favorite travel foods that will have you leaving the airport without bloat, guilt, or strained credit cards.

• Trail Mix – Whether you make your own or buy some, there are endless varieties to make the pickiest eater satisfied
• Roasted Seaweed Strips – For those who haven’t tried these I know you are turning up your nose I used to be a sceptic, but now this is one of my favorite treats. With only 35 calories a package, these snacks are high in minerals, a good serving of greens, and they satisfy my salty cravings (these are my favorite).
• Fruit and raw veggies – Always good things to bring. Just make sure you wash and dry them at home and place them in a ziploc bag, so they are ready to eat.
• Justin’s Almond Butter – These individual packs of almond butter come in a few flavors. You can bring your own fruit or you can always buy a banana or an apple at the airport for around a $1 to make a yummy snack.
• Dark Chocolate – Cocoa is the superfood that is in dark chocolate. The higher the cacao content the better it is for you. Generally, try to stay above 70%, (and if you want to go the extra mile, get chocolate with a fair trade stamp like these to promote better social and environment standards).
• Sandwiches/wraps – A lot of people don’t think about this one. When you’re going across the country, like I am today, it takes you all day to get there, and you will want something with a little bit of substance when it gets to be early afternoon. Just like packing your lunch, you can bring a sandwich or wrap in your carry-on. Remember, it still has to go through the x-ray machine so if you want to wrap it before you put it in your ziplock bag I suggest using parchment or wax paper, because aluminum foil isn’t received very well in the x-ray machine. Note- if you have something that needs to be kept a little cooler then you can always bring mini ice pack (these are convenient) or even a small cooler with you.
• Bars – In general, I usually have a protein bar with me at all times, but especially when traveling. Here are the bars I’ve been digging lately: KIND Bars, Grab The Gold Bars, and Quest Bars.

Bonus tip: Water Bottle – You can’t take liquids through the check point, however you can bring your reusable water bottle empty and fill it up when you get inside. You can fill it up in the food area or at the water fountain. It’s important to drink plenty of hydrating liquids while traveling and using your reusable bottle (my latest obsession) will save you at least $3 every time you fill it up.

• ---

   

  I officially made it to Portland. Not only did my preparation save me from overpriced poor food choices, but it also allowed me to be stress free when getting to my connecting flight in Dallas. It was nice to bypass the long food lines and leisurely eat when everyone else was in a mad stressful rush.

  Now I’m off to explore a fabulous new city and I look forward to finding a great dinner spot that is worth every penny of the delicious food I’ve been hearing about.

  Let me know if you have any favorite travel foods or tips that I didn’t mention in the comments below. I always like new ideas to switch things up and I have a trip to San Diego coming up that I just might have to get more creative with.