5 Clean Travel Tricks for Healing on the Go

I rarely leave the comfort and safety of my home.

It takes a lot to get me out the door for more than a nearby weekend trip or visit a friend or family member’s home.

When my family and I recently took a trip to Costa Rica – our first significant travel in several years – it was stressful before it was relaxing.

When planning for substantial travel, questions inevitably come to my mind like, “Will we be able to find enough food to eat?”, “Will I find food that I enjoy?”, “How do I prepare for every possible situation?”

We were extremely fortunate to travel to a location we knew and trusted, the Imiloa Resort, where clean eating and clean travel options are a major priority for the staff.

Even so, we had flights to think about, and in the past, I didn’t have such confidence in the options available to me at my destination.

If I’m not careful, concerns about clean travel can take the fun out of any vacation plans.

For anyone eating clean regularly or maintaining a healing lifestyle, it can feel daunting to get on a plane and travel somewhere full of unknowns.

This is why I’ve written up my top clean travel tricks for you to spare you as much anxiety as possible when you have the opportunity to travel in the future.

CLEAN TRAVEL IS THE ONLY WAY I TRAVEL

Clean travel goes beyond carrying non-toxic travel mugs and BPA-free water bottles onto your flight.

When you maintain clean eating habits at home, you have to lose a sense of safety and security when traveling.

Travel requires a leap of faith for those who prioritize healing with food.

Thankfully, I have almost always discovered that the leap was worth it. I can fulfill my needs and adapt to my travel plans by bringing in a few clean travel tricks to give me peace of mind.

Planning is essential when preparing for upcoming travel. If you haven’t read my previous blog, 7 Healthy Travel Tips for Before You Go, start there.

That blog is packed with travel tips to get you safely from your front door to your destination.

In today’s blog, part two of my travel series, we’ll explore clean travel tricks to employ when you arrive at your destination.

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CLEAN TRAVEL TRICK 1: SET YOUR BOUNDARIES

Unless you’re traveling alone, there is a decent chance those you’re traveling with or visiting are less strict with their eating habits than you are.

This is a common experience for those who commit to giving their bodies the best they can, even while traveling.

Depending on where you travel, you also may encounter some funny looks from the locals regarding your eating habits and the questions you ask when you visit a restaurant.

Don’t let that deter you.

Don’t apologize for having boundaries around what you eat.

You don’t have to explain the reasons for your dietary choices in detail repeatedly or justify your requests.

Be prepared with a simple way to communicate your dietary needs. It’s often helpful to tell restaurant kitchens that you have an allergy to the foods you avoid so that they take your request seriously and don’t ask questions.

Don’t allow your travel companions to cause any feelings of guilt for your boundaries.

Setting your boundaries ahead of time is also helpful so that you know where you might allow a little flexibility depending on where you are with your health journey.

I have a client who was eating fully raw and fat-free during a three-week backpacking tour around his home country in Europe. He stuck to his dietary habits despite the challenge of buying and carrying enough raw food to feed himself in his pack from place to place.

It wasn’t easy, but he made a choice ahead of time to stick to his healing protocol during his trip.

Others may decide to allow for a few treats they wouldn’t usually enjoy while traveling. A bit of chocolate, a cup of coffee here and there, or a meal at a restaurant that involves more oil than they would typically consume at home.

If you’re staying in someone else’s home, you may need to prepare your food if your host cannot accommodate your needs. Communicating effectively as soon as you arrive will prevent any disappointment from either you or your host regarding your ability to eat whatever they plan to prepare.

Set your boundaries in advance so there’s no ambiguity for yourself or others. This creates clarity that will keep your choices simple as you travel.

This also tells those around you that you have been thoughtful about your food choices which often creates a greater respect for your decision.

CLEAN TRAVEL TRICK 2: FIND RELIABLE FOOD SOURCES

Knowing where you supply yourself with the foods you need to feel your best is essential when traveling.

Clean travel is more accessible in some places than others, both regarding food and potential toxic exposure in general.

You wouldn’t prepare for a trip to New York City like you would a trip to the beaches of Hawai’i, but either way, become familiar with your surroundings as soon as possible so that you can have peace of mind regarding the source of what you’ll be eating.

You may be traveling to a location where all of your meals are provided within guidelines you have already supplied, which is a true blessing but also rare.

For most of us, we’ll have to continue to supply and prepare at least a portion of our meals if we’re committed to a healing lifestyle on the go. It’s simply the state of our world that restaurants and cafes serve more problematic foods than healthful foods, which is why we prepare accordingly.

Find good markets near wherever you’ll be staying. As soon as you arrive, quickly search your favorite maps app on your phone or laptop to locate the best markets around you. Get a sense of what it will take to make a trip or two to stock up on the foods you’ll need.

I’ve discovered some of the most amazing cafes, organic markets, farmers’ markets, and other hidden gems doing exactly this. You never know what you’ll find until you look.

Some of my key search terms are: “organic markets,” “farmer’s market,” “health food store,” “vegan cafe,” and “smoothie and juice bars.”

When traveling in a foreign country, you can search in your native language using your device, and good results will come up. It’s never a bad idea to use a translator app to search with terms in the language of your location if you’re abroad, but it’s unnecessary.

I had a friend who recently went to Rome for a second time after he visited about 12 years ago. He was prepared only to eat food from grocery stores, but he quickly searched for vegan cafes and smoothie bars and was pleasantly surprised to find that Rome had come a long way in the last decade with healing food options.

My friend visited as many locations as he could during his stay while also supplementing the spots he found with food he picked up in local markets and had a fantastic time!

He even found a fantastic gelato spot near Piazza Navona run by a husband and wife team who used only maple syrup, honey, or coconut sugar to lightly sweeten their freshly made gelato.

If you’re in Rome and interested in a phenomenally healthy and fresh gelato option, visit Chegelato Gelateria on Via del Governo Vecchio! I asked him for the name so I could share it with you!

Depending on where you’re traveling, grocery store options may be plentiful or limited, but be sure you know where to go to get what you need as soon as you arrive. This can help massively reduce food-related stress so you can enjoy sightseeing or relaxing instead of worrying about what you’ll eat.

Not every destination supplies beautifully prepared healing meals like our recent stay at the Imiloa Resort in Costa Rica, but that doesn’t mean we have to deprive ourselves of good food while traveling

CLEAN TRAVEL TRICK 3: BE READY TO DETOX YOUR SPACE

When traveling, we lose control over not just our food but also our environment.

It can be beneficial to contact your accommodations in advance to request that they do not use cleaning products or detergents with toxic fragrances. Still, our hosts may not be aware of the clean alternatives to conventional cleaning products.

By the way, this is another case where telling a host you are allergic to toxic fragrances will go further than saying you’re sensitive to them.

We have to be ready to adapt to our situation.

I recommend to clients who are traveling to bring a lightweight quick-dry towel in their luggage in case their Airbnb host, hotel, friends, family, or other hosts only have towels laced with toxic fragrances.

If the bedding in your accommodation also has been washed with toxic detergents, use your towel or a clean piece of clothing to create a barrier between you and the bedding as best you can.

If your host has toxic air fresheners plugged in or placed where you’ll be staying, remove them immediately and take advantage of the Toxic Fragrances Exposure Shot from Medical Medium if you have access to a juicer and the list of four ingredients required (thankfully, this is one of the most travel-friendly shots).

An unfortunate reality of our world is that it is becoming more common for everyday toxins to show up everywhere. Be prepared to deal with any situation as calmly as possible, and remind yourself that you have healing cleanses and tools in your toolbox during and after your trip.

Try not to let the stress of these exposures take away from enjoying yourself.

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CLEAN TRAVEL TRICK 4: HAVE A BACKUP PLAN

When traveling clean, you simply always need to be prepared. Don’t leave your accommodations with some emergency snacks prepared.

Your plan for the day may change spontaneously, and you don’t want a lack of food to be a barrier to going with the flow. And while you never need to apologize for your eating habits, you also want to avoid becoming a burden for others due to lack of preparation.

Bring at least a meal’s worth of snacks that travel well with you each day while you’re out. This may require you to always carry a bag with you, but it’s worth that extra hassle.

It’s always a great idea to have a few apples, a bag of dates (or other dried fruit), and steamed potatoes on hand when food options are limited or your plans suddenly change.

This trick has saved me and many people I know from a challenging spot where they had no other option and had to dig into their snack pack.

Backup clean travel snacks are also helpful if the cafe or restaurant you found prepared something less substantial than you expected – backup calories are always a good idea!

Another thing to remember is to have a backup plan in case you can’t find a good juice bar serving your daily regimen of fresh juice.

If you’re someone who juices celery every morning and you aren’t sure you’ll be able to find a juice bar where you’ll be staying while traveling, be sure to pack a travel juicer.

If you have space in your bags, it’s a great idea to travel with essential tools like a travel blender, water filter, citrus juicer, and travel juicer.

Struggling to plan ahead with easy and delicious meals for yourself or your family?

Download my FREE Meal Planner and Tips Guide to overcome any obstacles to bringing in healthy habits to get the support you need.

CLEAN TRAVEL TRICK 5: ALLOW YOURSELF TO ENJOY

It can be challenging to travel to a country like Italy or Japan and not sample the local foods due to a healing lifestyle. Try not to let this take away from enjoying your experience as a visitor.

Even if you’re traveling within your own country or state, sampling foods from other areas is part of the fun of visiting somewhere new.

It can feel disappointing when nothing is available to us in a new place we’re visiting due to the food choices we are making that support our health.

If you find yourself experiencing that disappointment, try to bring in a new perspective.

For example, another friend of mine was just traveling in France. She is vegan and currently eating cooked foods as she chooses, but no fats, and is avoiding all problematic foods like gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, soy, canola, and flavors of any kind.

Her food boundaries meant she had to pass on baguettes, croissants, and homemade tarts and special order something at every restaurant she visited.

She never felt like she was missing out, though. She told me she ate the most delicious and beautiful French heirloom tomatoes, perfectly ripe organic melons, courgettes packed with flavor, and wonderful local honey.

My friend prepared extra portions of meals she created for herself using the assorted fruits and vegetables that her host had picked up especially for her to enjoy during her visit. She shared it with her travel companions, who were surprised at how much they enjoyed it!

And anyway, travel is about so much more than food.

Travel is about new experiences, interactions with other people, learning about history, seeing diverse ways of life, and spending quality time with those we love or ourselves.

Food is an important part of life, so it’s an important part of travel. But how we enjoy food while traveling is something we each get to define for ourselves.

IT GETS EASIER

The first few trips you take after beginning a long-term commitment to consistently providing your body with healing foods may feel like you’re missing out a bit.

It gets easier.

With time, your perspective will change from one of deprivation to one of even deeper appreciation.

The moment when you find a restaurant willing to create a beautiful meal just for you that fits within the guidelines of how you are eating brings such appreciation for this simple act of kindness.

Biting into a perfectly ripe peach from a local market that you would have missed if you were only visiting cafes and restaurants is something to cherish.

Every place has its local specialties, regardless of where you find them.

We often think of finding local specialties in restaurants, but we can also find them in fruit stands, farmers’ markets, food halls, and even from people we meet who generously offer something they’ve grown or produced.

With this new perspective comes a new version of travel, one that can be just if not more rewarding than what you were previously accustomed to.

And what follows is an understanding that you’re not missing out at all, however you choose to eat.

To your health and peace,

Muneeza