5 Great Travel Snacks You Need To Pack
Heal your relationship with nutrition and traveling with these protein-packed health travel snacks!
Everyone needs a vacation every once in a while, right? It’s true - even us Type A, high performers who never seem to take a break. Honestly, we’re the type of people who need it the most!
Traveling is one of my FAVORITE things to do, but at one point of my fitness journey, it used to stress me out. As a former athlete obsessed with perfection, the idea of vacation would give me so much stress and anxiety. In my mind, vacation used to be a literal free-for-all when it came to my health and nutrition and then when I’d get back, I’d have such a hard time falling back into my healthy habits because I felt like I already “ruined” them on vacation. Sound familiar?
Breaking this cycle and healing the relationship between your health and vacation start with flexibility. In other words: You don’t have to be perfect.
One of the keys to moving towards this mindset is super simple and it all has to do with packing a little something extra in your carry on: The right snacks! Set yourself up for success by packing healthy travel snacks the will keep you full and power you through busy travel days.
Keep reading to learn my top 5 snack picks that powered me through my trip to Europe and why they work so well for women who are committed to their health but really just need a vacation.
5 Healthy (and delicious) Travel Snacks I never forget to pack
These snacks will power you through your next trip while helping you maintain good digestion. I’ve included two specific protein bars, a poultry-based jerky, a nut option, and my favorite electrolytes. Let’s dive in!
Misfit Protein Bars
Ok first up on the list are Misfit Protein bars. I personally like the Caramel Fudge flavor. These plant-based protein bars are perfect for long travel days. They’re also the perfect snacks to keep your from getting hangry if you have late dinner reservations (Why do people in Europe eat dinner so late!?) Here are the details:
Protein: 15 grams
Sugar: Only 1 gram(!)
Why I Love Them: Full of good, plant-based ingredients. Nothing icky.
GoMacro Protein Bars
Next up we have my other favorite protein bars: GoMacro! GoMacro Bars have a great mix of protein, carbs, sugar, and fat. I love these for when I get hungry between meals on active travel days.
Protein: 11 grams
Carbs: 36 grams
Fat: 11 grams
Sugar: 11 grams
Why I Love Them: These have decent ingredients and A LOT of flavors! The mix of macros make it like a mini-meal in your bag.
Turkey or Chicken Jerky
I also love to travel with turkey Jerky or Chicken Jerky. Look, I’m a big jerky girl, but going for poultry-based jerky sticks is so much better for you because it’s a leaner source of protein than beef! These are low carb, low calorie, and high protein. My favorite brand is Chomps.
For the details, I’m going to use the Chomps Original Turkey Jerky:
Protein: 12 grams
Sugar: 0 grams!!!
Why I Love Them: These tiny jerky sticks fit easily in any bag and are great for a late afternoon snack.
Dry Roasted and Salted Almonds
You knew there was going to be a Trader Joe’s item on this list, right? Next up are their Dry Roasted & Salted Almonds. Sure, they do’t have to be the Trader Joe’s brand, but these are the ones I like the most. This snack is perfect for traveling because it the fat content can give you a lot of energy for those long travel days.
Protein: 6 grams
Fat: 16 grams
Sugar: 1 gram
Why I Love Them: These are an easy hotel room snack and easy to pack. They also give you fiber, which is great for keeping things moving (iykyk)
LMNT Electrolytes
The last go-to travel snack that will help prepare you to maintain your healthy eating habits on your next vacation is electrolytes. Staying hydrated, especially when traveling, is SO important. I love these for active trips where I know I’ll be sweating more like summer in Europe or even snowboarding in the winter. The LMNT brand packs a lot of flavor without any artificial sweeteners or high sugar content.
Sodium: 1000mg
Potassium: 200mg
Why I Love Them: These little packs are so easy to fit into my carry on and my purse while I’m out and about
Bonus content: how to get out of the vacation mindset trap
Healing the relationship between your health progress and travel goes deeper than just being prepared with the right snacks.
If you’re still feeling like the constant eating out and at random times totally derails any progress you’ve made, I want you to get out of this mindset trap!
Here’s 3 things you can do to learn how to travel again without anxiety about food or reversing your fitness progress:
Track Your Food
Yep, you heard me. I want you to track your food for a period of time with a balanced approach.
Trust me -This helped me learn the nutritional value of a lot of foods I ate. It also helped me figure out the quantities I needed to eat to feel and look my best. Let me be clear: I do not want you obsessing over calories!
I teach this method inside of Liv Your Fit Coaching, so if you need more guidance, consider applying!
Intuitive eating
Once your confident with tracking, you can become more intuitive. This means you’ll just know what foods to choose without tracking because you’ll have a strong foundational knowledge about what is in everything you’re eating.
Make Empowered Decisions Around Food
Instead of restricting when traveling, choose balance by eating high protein meals when out and choosing to treat yourself once a day on a treat that you truly love. Pick something that is special to the place you’re traveling or something you don’t get to have often! on’t get to have often! I promise you, it won’t derail your progress and it will make you feel empowered in my food choices!
Enhance Your Life
I’m here to remind you that fitness and healthy nutrition habits should enhance your life, and not restrict it. This goes for when you’re in your day-to-day groove and for when you’re vacation.
My nutrition coaching in Liv Your Fit takes this approach. Ready to learn how to build the body of your dreams while living an unrestricted life? Sign up for a nutrition audit today!
