This weekend, as I stared beyond the dashboard and toward the flat, open road, I realized that my family has spent 113 days traveling this year. Strung together, that’s a little over 3 1/2 months. (Yes, I’m exhausted – we all are.) Business trips, speaking engagements, conferences and farm tours comprise the bulk of that time – though we always take a few extra days on business trips to visit family, cultural centers and museums.
Friends used to joke: “Oh! You’ve been home a whole week now. Isn’t it time for you to leave again?” And when we answered, “Yes.” one times too many, they stopped asking altogether.
This weekend we hopped from farm to farm, photographing sustainable agricultural productions and interviewing artisan food producers. We looked forward to returning, resting and working for the week at home – where we should be. We really looked forward to a week at home.
And, tired as I am, writing this from yet another hotel room, I thought I’d share with you a few tips that help us to keep things real while traveling. I hope it helps your family, whether you’re away from home for just a weekend or much, much longer.
Stock up before you go.
Before we head away – whether for a short or long trip – I always stock up on simple, nutrient-dense foods that can make a meal in a pinch: fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, boiled eggs, homemade beef jerky, home-cured salmon roe, homemade fruit leathers, raw milk cheese, good quality butter and a jar of homemade sour pickles or kimchi. I also keep homemade bouillon and dehydrated vegetables on hand for quick and easy soups that need only hot water. I also purchase quite a bit of ghee – a shelf-stable clarified butter that is rich in fat-soluble vitamins. You can find it in some well-stocked health food stores as well as online (see sources). If you fly, many of these smaller items can be taken past security and onto airplanes.
When we don’t have time to cook extra for the trip before we leave, I’ll often pick up a few supplemental items from Wise Choice Market (disclosure: they’re also a former client). This means we have ready-made bone broth, soups made with bone broth, and soaked granola ready to go when we’re traveling. The cost is pricier than making it home, but comparable to eating our, and the quality is better than you’ll find at many restaurants on the road.
Book kitchenettes when you can.
We always try to book kitchenettes when we travel. Yes, they’re more expensive – at least initially, but the extra money we spend on lodging is money we don’t spend eating out. Instead, we can support local markets, bring good food from home and cook solid, satisfying meals from wholesome ingredients. In the end and despite the added cost of lodging, I think we save money.
Shop farmers markets.
Plan to shop farmers markets while you’re away – you won’t have to bring quite as much food from home, and you can ensure that your family receives fresh, organic foods even on the road. Most states offer lists of local farmers markets – and the better farmers market organizations allow you to search for not only location and time, but size of market and what’s for sale. The USDA also offers a searchable farmers market database.
Be careful though – not all “farmers markets” are farmers markets. Recently, on a trip to Denver, we searched for a farmers market, found one listed on the state’s database and discovered that the market didn’t feature one farmer. Not one.
Shop natural foods grocers.
Plan to shop natural foods stores as well. If farmers markets do not operate when you’ll be traveling as is often the case outside of summer, you can support the health food store local to your destination. A quick google search can help to narrow down independently owned stores and co-ops, while stores like Whole Foods Market are available throughout the country. Further, many health food stores also offer delis and prepared foods – which can supply you with breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
There’s been many an evening when my family has picked up frozen dinners at the local health food store and microwaved them in the hotel room instead of spending even more money at restaurants that serve only poorly cooked foods from poor quality ingredients. If you’re going to have to settle for a microwaved meal, it may as well be organic.
Travel with a cooler.
Of course, if you’ll be visiting farmers markets and natural foods grocers, it’s wise to travel with a cooler so you can properly store what you pick up. (Check out our farmers market tips here). Don’t forget the bags of ice.
Skip the breakfast buffets.
Many hotels and motels along the highway offer breakfast buffets: yogurt (made with dyes and HFCS), waffles, reconstituted eggs and sausages made with sketchy meat and loads of fillers. Even when we stay in these hotels and motels (which are often the most affordable choices), we always skip the provided breakfast and, instead, eat fresh fruit with plain organic yogurt bought from the health food store. It may cost a few extra dollars per day for our family, but, for us, it’s worth it to consume better quality foods.
Travel with a water filter.
On extended trips, longer than a week, we also travel with a smaller version of our Berkey water filter (you can find them online) which is a gravitational based filtration system that breaks down easily, requires no electricity, and can sit on a countertop, picnic table, or the desk in your hotel room. This way we can be sure our water is clean on the road.
Use TripAdvisor.
Rely heavily on TripAdvisor (they have a great app for iPhones and iPads). Not only can you see what restaurants are closest to you, but which have the best ratings – giving you guidance on where to eat. Follow this up with a cross-reference on google to check out the menu, and see where they’re sourcing their foods (if it’s disclosed at all). Using this app, we’re able to find good, affordable restaurants using good quality ingredients when we’re on the road.
Use the Renegade Guide to Dining Out.
The Renegade Guide to Dining Out, is a digital guide that helps you to make better choices when eating out. And while home cooked food is nearly always best, there’s something to be said for the enjoyment of a good meal at a good restaurant. And, often, when you’re on an extended road trip or are away from home you simply have no choice. Maybe there’s no kitchenette? Maybe there’s no time?
The Renegade Guide to Dining Out covers what you need to know about eating out while still making the best choices: finding good restaurants, starting a conversation with the waitstaff about sourcing ingredients, and making good choices whether it’s a fancy farm-t0-table restaurant, a road stop diner or even a fast food joint.
Plan to picnic.
Pack a blanket, reusable plates and flatware so that you can pull over at any time to picnic at a rest area or quiet spot along the road. We spend a lot of time picnicking on long road trips – it keeps us focused on our time, outside quite a bit and nourished with good, homemade foods.
Don’t forget your whole food supplements.
We’re also very careful to bring our favorite whole food supplements on the road with us. Supplements like cod liver oil, high vitamin butter oil, dessicated liver and food-based vitamin C, and a therapeutic grade probiotic offer a bit of an insurance policy when we’re on the road and when, despite our best efforts, our diet is likely to be compromised.
When nourishing my family, I tend to shy away from commercially produced multivitamins which often contain synthetic vitamins. Instead, I choose to supplement our diet with concentrated whole foods so that not only do we benefit from naturally occurring vitamins, but the natural complement of other components of the food that may be otherwise missing in synthetic vitamin supplements. I typically buy my whole foods supplements online (see sources).
Do the best you can with what you have.
Lastly, it’s important to the best you can with what you have. Whether you’re at home, or on the road, there’s always compromises. Do the best with what you can. If you’re gone for an extended time, there will be a time where it is not convenient to pack a picnic, when your store of homemade goodies is bound to run our and when there’s no farmers market or natural foods store for hundreds of miles. In the end, you still have to eat. Do the best with what’s available.
This post contains affiliate links and links to former clients.
Marcy says
Went to your site to see if you had a post about eating on the road – perfect timing! I like your ideas for foods you pack with you. We travel with a cooler and make stops at Whole Foods to replenish. I usually bake a large meatloaf and take lots of cut up veggies to get us started. We also take a couple gallon glass jugs of water and refill at filtered water stations for about 35 cents. I also use eatwellguide to find good restaurants if we’ll be somewhere for an extended period. Thanks for the great tips – I’ll have to bring some good supplements on our next trip!
Jillbert says
Most hotel breakfast buffets will have fresh fruit (whole apples and bananas and often sliced melon) & a big pot of oatmeal — this makes it easy to skip the fake food and have something healthy, warm and nourishing.
Marcia B says
You have to admit, you have to be at a “certain” income level to afford these foods. Many, many people cannot afford them.
Jenny says
Yes, of course. Not everyone can afford everything they want, and many people can’t afford everything they need. Many families make other sacrifices so they can prioritize food choices.
Tanja Larson says
Just wanted to mention that instead of using ice from the store in your coolers you can use plastic orange juice containers, milk jugs or juice bottles and freeze water in them to have your own no-leak custom-made ice chunks. When you stay in hotels with a small fridge you can re-freeze them overnight and be good to go again the next day. No need to restock on ice or have everything soggy in your cooler.
Farm Mom Corinne says
You said you use Trip Advisor to find out “How does the restaurant source its ingredients? ” Where do you find that information? I’ve looked all over and can’t find anything. HELP! 🙂
jenny says
By cross-referencing trip advisor for reader recommendations and google to find the website proper.
Holly says
Thank you! I have been waiting for this article! 🙂
I love your ideas! I already do the yogurt and fruit for breakfast, and I always take homemade beef jerky on trips – it is a lifesaver for someone like me that needs a lot of protein! I have fermented cod liver oil in capsules that I take on trips (rather than the liquid I use at home)
The water filter is an interesting idea – I hadn’t thought of that or even knew it was available. Will have to check into it!
marsha says
Wonderful tips! I would like to add one to the list. With so much travel a plug in cooler is a great investment. The converter plug (to plug in at hotels) is an additional cost but so worth it. No worries about buying bags of ice or finding the ice machine at the hotel. Also, you don’t have to worry about the mess of melting ice.
Emily says
Hello Nourished Kitchen! Here is another really good website to find organic farms in your area: http://www.localharvest.org
Thanks for the tips!
Jennifer Drinker says
i am wondering if you could share how you make your beef jerky. What sort of beef cuts do you start with? Do you put straight in the dehydrator or do you cook first in the oven? Thanks in advance!
kirk says
My go to superfood for traveling is sardines. There are several brands that offer sustainably caught sardines packaged in certified BPA-free tins. They aren’t a meal in themselves, but offer nourishing, sustainable protein that is ready for eating anytime. They make a great snack straight from the tin and are also easily incorporated into other dishes such as salads, pastas or open-faced cheese melts. Cheers!
Taisa says
Thanks for this great post. On our road trips this year we brought along our new biolite stove to cook simple meals or reheat foods we had prepared. This stove is so amazing- it burns sticks/leaves/pinecones etc and will charge your electronic devices while its at it! Our kids loved collecting twigs at every rest stop and it really helped to keep us eating well on the road.
Emma says
My husband and I used to love travelling together- from May until October we would camp at State Parks, packing only a cast iron skillet and cooking on a wood fire. Eggs and cheese are a must- eggs will keep even at room temperature for weeks if you just flip them every day.
Maggie says
Although not really “food”, coconut flakes and dark chocolate (85% cocoa) are my two favorite snacks/indulgences. They are also easy to carry along for road trips.
River says
Thank you for your inspiration. I have always loved travel and have travelled often with a young family on GAPS. Some people have seen this as an obstacle, for me I have always embraced dietary ‘restrictions” as a way to forage further into the fields of farmers and open the larder door of food artisans. What a way to explore the culture of the town – through the peoples inherent link to what sustains them. As a result my children have too developed a passion for food – on a recent trip to Tasmania (Australia) we were at a local market when my (ASD) 6 year old son came running up to me exclaiming “Mum!! Truffled Eggs!!” (laugh).
One other tip I can offer is bulk health food stores – they often sell spices and herbs by weight, as opposed to having to buy a whole jar of something. This allows me to just buy small quantities, add variety, flavour, and nutrients to meals as well as being more space and weight friendly. Oh and if travelling by plane then hit the thrift shops when you arrive. On our last journey I picked up a thermos and some tea cups (as well as cutlery items). This saved me having to pack them in my luggage and allowed me that tea break that is often needed while travelling with children.
Happy travels
River
Stevi says
Great tips! Our family did the whole “Disney thing” last October, my brother & his family just got home from their’s a few days ago. We had two vastly different trips with one major difference: they stayed onsite and we rented a house about 5 miles away. They spent most of their trip going from buffet to snack stand to restaurant and came home already brewing post nasal issues, coughs, and sore throats. Having a house let us not only unwind mentally every night but we were also able to: shop local/organic; cook breakfast every morning; make & pack snacks, lunches and beverages (Disney allows you to bring food and drinks into ALL their parks); and come home to crock pot dinners full of Good Food “ready-to-eat” almost every night! And I would do it that way again in a heartbeat!
SarahB says
What an excellent idea! I love the whole crock-pot “ready-to-eat” dinner idea. It would be nice to be able to come back after a long, and exhausting, day at the theme park to dinner already waiting!
Helen says
What a great post, thanks. My family has always traveled and taken our own food/water to help with allergy, health and nutrition issues, especially snack or easy to prepare/eat foods. Research before the road trip usually turns up sources for foods that are difficult to transport/cook on the road. If not, studying the menu and asking questions usually results in food we are willing to eat on the road. Thanks again.
Amy says
I hadn’t thought about the water filter! We usually stock up on bottled water once we get to our destination. We also bring our own electric skillet even if we’re in a kitchenette because they are often not well stocked and there’s not a lot of room. Lots of Paleo nuggets have been made in that skillet on the room balcony!
Isha says
Great tips. There’s a few tools that come in handy on road trips. Most of the things you take camping can be re-purposed for hotel trips as well, even when flying.
I spent some time last spring/summer making long road trips to take pictures. I don’t have kids so I mostly slept in the car or in cheap federal camp grounds with my tent. Most of my budget was allocated to gas and coffee ;). On a limited budget, food was a major part of the planning process. I wanted it to be good and healthy, not just cheap. Good food keeps you going and bad food slows you down.
I had some containers of dehydrated veggies and fruits, pasta, lots of spices and herbs, an electric cooler for drinks and meat that I’d buy every day or so (the cooler could be used unplugged or plugged in in hotels/some camping sites) , beef jerky (sadly not homemade), and lots of wholesome, calorie / nutrient dense snacking foods like nuts, dried and fresh fruits, homemade crackers, granola mix etc. I’d stop and buy fresh items along the way.
I had with me a pocket camp stove and a wind collar. It was small enough that it didn’t use too much fuel. I could make fresh hot stews/soups, hot water for tea/coffee, boil a few eggs, or fry up some bacon. Did all of that in rest stops, in a mall parking lot, and at some local parks. Sometimes on picnic tables, sometimes on a metal cookie sheet with the back hatch open.
I’ve also used electric hotplate in hotels that don’t have kitchenettes (or when they are too expensive to book). Just make sure to set things up safely, be considerate of the hotel furnishings (again, a cookie sheet works well), and leave time for it to cool down before packing it away.
Jennifer @ 20 something allergies and counting...down says
Having access to a kitchen while travelling is a game changer! We started booking rooms with full kitchens when possible when we travel, because my daughter could only eat mom-prepared, allergy-friendly food. We have more leeway now after some time healing, but it is such a relief to know that our food is safe and nourishing and won’t make anyone sick. Keeping up with nourishing foods is also a great way to avoid getting sick while travelling!
Genevieve says
Great tips, Jenny! We also bring coconut oil to restaurants and ask them to cook with it. You’d be surprised how many places are good with this :)> YAY for no toxic vegetable oils.
Jennifer @ 20 something allergies and counting...down says
What a fantastic idea! I am going to have to keep some travel-size coconut oil and duck fat containers in my purse just in case. 🙂 We usually just ask for poached or grilled meats (poached is safer for allergies) and raw or steamed veggies if we need to eat out, but this would give us an extra option!
Randa says
These are great tips!
I’ve also used the website http://www.eatwellguide.org/ for finding restaurants that source local / organic ingredients.
Margie W says
Thanks so much – very timely as we’re heading out on the road soon, and I wasn’t sure if I was preparing well enough or not. But, I have found some great farms near where we’ll be staying – grass finished beef and pastured chickens, and organic veggies, so I’m excited! Wish we had more of those near where we actually live. Haven’t time this trip to make the homemade bouillon, but I will make it when we get home so that I’m more familiar with the recipe for future trips. All of this is so new, but your site has taught me a great deal. Here’s to staying healthy on the road. 🙂
reb says
I didn’t know they even sold a Berkey in that size! That’s great!
We also always look for kitchenettes when we travel, though I have to admit I’ve been really wary about traveling much since my son was born for the very reason of trying to find a good source of food. I do search for co-ops in the area we’re going before we get there as farmer’s markets (in the mountain areas aside from Crested Butte) seem to be few and far between. Maybe I’m not looking well enough. 🙂
I think I know which “Farmer’s Market” you’re talking about here in Denver. If it’s one in the same, I also find them pretty aggravating as their marketing ploy makes it seem as if they’re a very local, natural business but they’re anything but that. I’m sure many of the people shopping there, though, feel that it’s a good place. It’s sad.
I hope you get some home time and rest soon!
Christine says
What are some examples of the kinds of restaurants you can compromise on? What sorts of things do you order? My husband has a job where he travels cross-country very frequently, and is required to have client dinners often as well. I pack good stuff for him in his carry-on, but it only goes so far. Would love some good examples of what those compromises look like for your family!
Girl Hero Jenn says
My family and I LIVE on the road in our rv traveling full time! It makes it challenging to find real wholesome food but we manage pretty well. We are not perfect though. Allstays had a good app to find nearby Sunflower, Whole Foods, and Trader Joes. We also use Local Harvest and Eat Wild to find local food. I stock up as much as I can but that’s not much considering our space. I’ve found it’s much much easier in the summer than winter for obvious reasons. Often times in really small towns there isn’t anything but a sad little grocery with wilted vegetables. Coming from the health food mecca of southern ca (where I had multiple options for csa memberships and raw milk) this has given me a whole new understanding and compassion for the rest of the country. Some places eating healthier is truly easier said than done.
Jamie Kalvestran says
Thanks. Great ideas I especially like the water filter idea.