Everyone should experience the thrill of traveling, no matter if it is a trip for pleasure or for business. A trip to a neighboring state can be just as exciting as European adventure. There is always a new discovery to be made, a new point of view to be had, and new foods to try during your travels. The leisure of travel can sometimes stress out the traveler if the goal is to maintain a raw food diet on the road.
It’s too easy to abandon your diet while traveling. Whether you are limiting carbs, avoiding sugar, or abstaining from grains, these restrictions seem to fade away at the sight of fattening temptations at local restaurants, new snacks in convenience stores, or some packaged item that you “just have to try.” Even if your travels consist of driving three hours to the coast for a weekend getaway, you are likely to abandon your diet. It may even start in the car ride to your destination! People think of vacation or travel as an excuse to eat things that they don’t normally eat. That’s typically half the fun!
But what happens when you are on the road and on a raw foods diet, adhering to one of our cleanses, for example? A quick stop at a fast food restaurant isn’t in the cards, and raw vegan restaurants are not as readily available as you might think. It’s hard to maintain a raw foods diet while traveling, especially if you don’t think outside the box. There’s no need to dramatize the experience because it can be done, so long as you employ the following tips.
Plan Ahead
A raw vegan should always have the mindset of planning ahead, no matter where in the world they are. If your travels consist of a long road trip, fill your cooler lots of water, cut up fruit, carrot sticks, a salad or two, homemade dressing, and raw almond butter. Before you even leave on your trip, take the time to research whether or not any raw food restaurants exist in your destination. Additionally, locate the nearest grocery store to where you are staying because that is one place that will always save you, no matter where you travel. Stock up on produce at the grocery store! If you have to travel on a plane for a long time, contact the airline ahead of time to see if they can accommodate your dietary needs with a fruit or vegetable plate, for instance.
Save Space For Tools
You may need to reserve some space in your suitcase for a few kitchen accessories to ease your raw food experience while traveling. Pack some meal prep containers, a vegetable peeler, some travel cutlery, raw protein powder, or dressing containers. You may also want to consider packing some raw nuts, dried fruit (free of sugars and preservatives), or herbal teas. You can always ask a coffee shop for hot water to steep your tea in. When you don’t make the diet easy on yourself, you are more likely to cheat. Convenience is everything!
Stay Hydrated
You don’t have to bring gallons of water, but we do encourage bringing a stainless steel water bottle, or any travel water bottle. Refill your water bottle in the airport before your flight, or purchase a good quality bottle of water in the airport. If you are driving to your destination, bring some bottles of alkaline water, fresh lemons, and cucumbers so you can make detox waters.
Request A Kitchenette
When you don’t have an area or tools to prepare your food, sticking to the raw foods diet becomes more difficult. If you plan on staying in a hotel, request a kitchenette if it is possible and the cost isn’t astronomical. With a kitchenette at your disposal, you’ll be able to easily prepare salads, smoothies, and more. Don’t forget that grocery stores often carry zucchini noodles!
There’s Always A Way To Eat Raw
There may come a time during your travels when you burn through all of your snacks, groceries, and you are in an area without a grocery store. In this moment, you may think that the only option is to abandon everything and cheat on your diet. You are only cheating yourself out of positive results if you cheat. We know your will is stronger than that! Many places serve salads, and you can always ask for olive oil and fresh lemons to dress the salad. There are also smoothie places, where you can request smoothies are solely made from fruits, vegetables, and water.
Don’t think that traveling means that your raw food journey has to end. You just need to plan accordingly.
