I just got back from a really wonderful trip with my kids to DisneyWorld and as we flew back I was reflecting on the trip – as we all often do after time away from our routines – with so many thoughts. I wanted to get back home after a week away but also – I wanted to stay, I wanted to travel somewhere else, I wanted to continue the vacation mode in as many ways as possible…BUT life, ya know!?

I also reflected on food a little bit more than normal which has led me to write about it (and here we are). I was thinking about my personal relationship with food and where I am with my health today, and how happy I am to have this healthy balance that allowed me to not worry about what I was eating and how it might make me feel later that day. Past trips left me aching to walk thanks to massive joint pain to having constant bloating, pain, and discomfort in my gut. I was so relieved to have none of that on this trip.

That is what this post is about today. My hope is sharing my 7 ways to stay healthy while on vacation will help you eat well on vacation too (and really all the time) so that you can always enjoy your vacations. My ideas might surprise you. Well, if you know me, maybe not. You tell me when you are done reading this 🙂

The List

Don’t stress.

This is vacation after all and even while traveling things are bound to happen. Except that and learn to just roll with it (I am told I do this very well. If you are opposite of me maybe that is a goal to work on this year 🤗). Stress can affect your entire body from joint pain, increased inflammation, lowered immune defense, constipation, bloating, and even making it difficult to concentrate. Develop your plan, go with it while staying flexible, and enjoy your time away!
Don’t neglect sleep.

This one can be tricky but working on optimizing a consistent sleep pattern will be key in keeping your body on a healthy routine while traveling and during every day life.
Do some kind of movement every day – yes even while on vacation.

While we were away on this specific trip we walked a lot! Which ultimately means the movement part was easy for us. However, there are those vacations where (and I completely understand) you want to do absolutely nothing but sit, unwind, drink your wine, and relax. A-ok! BUT may I suggest finding 30 minutes a day for a gentle walk or even some yoga. You do not have to go into full-on cardio mode for the movement to be beneficial for your health.
Don’t neglect water.

You may know by now I am a huge drinking water fan and talk about it a lot. That is because water is essential, yes even on vacation. Who knew?! That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy other things but keeping up with your water intake will help in keeping your gut and you very happy. If having a water tracker to help with this might benefit you, I highly suggest the app called Plant Nanny.
Don’t neglect the fun treats.

I did some heavy research ahead of this trip knowing full well I would want to enjoy something but with my intolerance to dairy I needed guidance on finding something. I made a list of the possible treats I would enjoy eating if I came across them. I found some of them and enjoyed them and passed on others after realizing I wasn’t really in the mood at that moment. Enjoy your vacation and don’t stress (remember tip #1) about eating the fun treats.
Do a little research at home.

This one is piggy backing right off the last tip about researching. This is very important especially if you have certain foods you don’t eat like me. We booked a few restaurants ahead of time after I looked over the menu and found something the three of us would enjoy at those specific restaurants. The planning ahead part acts just like it does at home. I know for myself that having a flexible plan means I know what meals are coming up and how to plan the rest of my day. If food restrictions aren’t something you need to pay attention to this tip might not be as important. However, if you are concerned about that, don’t be shy to ask questions, do research, and plan ahead of your trip.
Do eat exactly as you do at home.

I saved the (in my opinion) best tip for last because this one is key for so many reasons. Other than a few more pieces of bread, I pretty much ate on this trip as I do at home. This is key for me (and I hope my clients and future clients learn this too) in keeping my digestive system working properly. My meals were plant-focused; I ordered groceries once we landed (and delivered to the hotel…thank you Instacart!) and we had breakfast in our room every day. That meant oatmeal with fruit, nuts, and seeds, and some hard- boiled eggs on the side. For lunches, we brought snacks with us and purchased a few things here and there like the mickey pretzel or french fries while watching a parade. Dinner was our biggest meal every day and what we ate depended on where we were but we kept a wide variety of foods (on purpose – we didn’t want to eat french fries every single day), focused on veggies and high fiber foods like beans, rice, and full salads.

Left to right: My youngest daughter and I eating potato pancakes in Germany at the World Showcase in Epcot center, the one and only mickey pretzel I had and wishing I would have had one more at some point, and finally one of our dinner meals at Boma restaurant inside Animal Kingdom Lodge which was an amazing buffet and very allergy-friendly!

Do you already do these things while on vacation?

You don’t have to do all of these ideas but these are the things I noticed on this trip that made a huge positive impact on the way I felt while on vacation. I don’t know about you but if I spent a lot of money to get somewhere I want to enjoy it as much as I can while continuing to eat the fun treats here and there.

In closing, this is the reason for wanting to share all of this info: How many times have you either heard or maybe yourself said ‘I am on vacation, what I eat doesn’t matter!” or “I am on vacation, I don’t care if I go overboard”. This type of behavior is normal and I don’t want to make anyone feel like I am judging them – far from that – but I want to bring awareness to the fact that just because it is vacation mode, it does not mean your health-focused goals have to go out the window. With practice and patience, you can get there.