Eating Healthily AND Cheaply on Travel Days
So it’s been brought to my attention that people like to hear how I live an epic life for less outside of the Matrix, so in addition to sharing digital marketing hacks and emotional insights on this blog, I will also be sharing ways in which I afford my jet setting lifestyle.
Full transparency - my income ranges between $1000 and $2500 per month depending on the month. That’s the nature of freelance. For a lot of people who are living and working in “wealthy” countries, that is not a whole lot of money. But, I make it work.
And now I wanna share my tips with you so that you can feel empowered to make it work as well. Because the reality is that you don’t need to be a Kardashian to travel the world nor do you need to eat bread rolls and canned tuna for your entire trip (fun fact: I did this on a trip to Italy in my 20s and had AWFUL stomach problems the entire time. Luckily I know a bit more about nutrition now. LOL).
In this post, I will be covering one topic - eating healthily and cheaply while traveling but especially on travel days.
Here is a feast that I bought from Whole Foods in NYC for $22. This feast could have easily provided two dinners, two breakfasts, and snacks for two adults. If you do the math that’s $2.75 per meal per person (and I left the snacks out, so it’s actually even less).
That’s a WHOLE lot cheaper than eating at the airport. In fact, when I got to LGA, I briefly checked a packed restaurant to see how much they were charging for a meal. I would have easily paid $22 just for a hamburger and fries and I would have felt bloated and cranky for the rest of the evening.
So - here’s my “hack”. Plan ahead on travel days. Instead of relying on airport food, head to a grocery store and choose “whole” foods that will keep you feeling full. Here is a list of things to consider purchasing:
Protein bars (make sure to check the ingredients and skip any that have more than 5 ingredients). I like the RXBars because they have no BS in them.
A bagged salad with dressing, this Sweet Kale one is BOMB (make sure to mix the dressing in the salad before security otherwise it might get confiscated by TSA). I usually travel with a lidded stainless steel bowl so I can prepare my salad or oatmeal but if you don’t have one you can usually snag a cardboard or plastic box for free or a few cents (at Whole Foods for sure.) That way you can mix your salad and protein together. It’s much cheaper buying a bagged salad and mixing it yourself than buying a premade salad from the to-go section.
Nuts especially almonds or walnuts. Unsalted roasted sunflower seeds are a cheaper alternative.
Any raw veggies and fruits
And healthy proteins like:
canned tuna or sardines (if you are going to eat it on the plane, probably best to pick a different protein LOL).
I opted for falafel balls to save my fellow passengers from gagging.
Hardboiled eggs (you can usually buy these already cooked at most grocery stores in the US if you don’t have time to prepare in advance).
Low-sodium organic jerky (these can get costly, I usually only buy if there is a sale). Watch out for sodium intake, especially before a flight - you don’t want to arrive at your destination all puffed up.
Rotisserie chicken (particularly great if you are a group of friends or a small family, then you can buy the whole chicken)
If you are landing somewhere late, make sure to have some snacks to tide you over until morning, like RX Bars. Don’t take a chance on restaurants being open or near your accommodation. I also always like to bring something for breakfast in the morning because I like to eat first thing when I wake up and I just don’t want to have to worry about going out and getting breakfast. I find that oatmeal, nuts, and fruit will usually tide me over.
There you have it! There’s how I stay full, satisfied, and nourished - for cheap - on travel days. I hope it helps :)