7 Tips For a HEALTHY Vacation

Published by Kickin' Vegan on November 20, 2019November 20, 2019

Yes, you CAN have a healthy vacation! Even when visiting meat eaters. Don’t let your healthy lifestyle go out the window on vacation! You can stay clear on your health and fitness goals. You’ll be glad for it, I promise! I get it. Kids in the car for a 9 hour (turned into 13 1/2 hr.) drive, landing in a foreign area without all your special stuff handy. Not home with your gym and familiar running routes. Susceptible to friends’ and family’s plans and itineraries. Vacation mindset tugging on your consciousness that you can “relaaaaaaaaax.”

OH NO! How can you relax when you’re feeling like crap and are being secretly pummeled by guilt and loathing? There’s no need for the guilt or the stress. Let me help you.

Here are 7 surefire health survival tips!

• #1 PACK YOUR WORKOUT GEAR. Bring 1 pair of shoes and 2 sets of workout outfits appropriate for your destination.  No more, you can wash it in the sink. You can’t workout without it, so set yourself up for success immediately. ALWAYS PACK A SWIMSUIT! They have hot tubs in winter, and your fear of packing a suit may have you swimming in your undies.
• #2 PACK HEALTHY SNACKS AND DRINKS FOR TRANSPO. You will not allow yourself to fall victim to fast food for yourself or your traveling companions. There’s no way you’ll succeed in having a healthy vacation if you do not prepare. Pro tip: Do this the day before, because with a late start, you aren’t going to do it on takeoff day.
• #3 PLAN TO WORKOUT You can run anywhere. Tell a companion you’re vacationing with that you are going to be working out on the trip. They can help with child care, and may even decide to join you. If gyms are an option, find out. Can you go to the person you are visiting’s gym? Does the hotel have one? Get this figured out before you go.
• #4 GO FOR WALKS Everyone on the trip can do this. It is a great way to digest meals, take in the scenery, and the best way to connect. When I visit my brother, runs and walks together are when we talk about the real stuff, it brings us so much closer.
• #5 PARK FAR and walk to your destinations.
• #6 GROCERY SHOP as soon as you land. Either that day or first thing in the morning. Plan on spending a chunk so you can prepare all of your meals. Plan on a “special” outing when everyone can eat out. I have found most people are relieved and grateful when you cook on a vacation. No one usually wants to drop tons of dough on eating out every meal and getting loaded on excess sodium and fat.
• #7 PLAN A GROUP LESSON Maybe you have a skill you can share with your fellow vacationers. Can you lead yoga, a run, a stretching session? A karate lesson? Whatever you are knowledgeable in, share it as an activity with the rest of the gang.  They don’t even have to know that you’re tricking everyone into having a healthy vacation with you!

Real life application?

When you take the time to plan your health before the trip, you have set yourself up for success. I recently had a very long drive down to Florida to visit my brother and his 3 kids, with my 2 kids in tow. We stayed a week, and I cooked every meal. They were all vegan meals, and the kids and my brother gobbled up every bite and loved it. They all had seconds. We had one special lunch outing where we ate at a nice restaurant. Since it was special, it was an event instead of a chore.

We also went running every morning, and went for a long walk every night. We parked at the end of a long shop lined street that ended at a beach playground, tricking everyone into extra exercise while we people watched and window shopped. We didn’t stop for food on the drive to or fro. We gobbled bananas, cereal bars, trail mix, apples, PBJs and popcorn. I’m pretty sure I returned healthier than when I left. We had a group self-defense class and stretching session, the cousins loved it. Good thing we brought our suits, because my brother took us out skiing on the boat.  He’s a good place to vacation

Share in the comments if you have any helpful vacation tips. There are ALL kinds of vacations, and every tip might not work where you are going, but that doesn’t mean you should throw in the towel. What will work for your vacation? I and the other readers would love to hear it. Thanks! Keep kicking it! 

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