Whether travelling for work or pleasure, there’s one constant: I’m away from my bed, kitchen, and gym: the major elements of my healthy routine. I truly believe vacations are a time to kick back, relax, and de-stress. For me, this means taking a break from a rigorous fitness routine. Enjoying vacation to the fullest for me also involves a few extras I don’t usually indulge. For example: fancy coffees or pastries for breakfast and dessert after dinner.  Business travel, on the other hand, is travel I have grown to think about in a completely different way from vacation. When I first started travelling for my 9-5, I treated it as a vacation in terms of how I ate and (didn’t) exercise. I quickly realized travelling as if every trip were a vacation (and eating every meal as if it were the last) is not a sustainable route for me. Today, I’m sharing some travel tips and tricks for maintaining a healthy routine and staying on track while travelling.

Outfit details: Bathing Suit:Old Navy (Top) (Bottom) | Shorts: Levi | T-shirt: Madewell (V-Neck version)

Earrings: Red Dress | Hat: Sole Society (similar) | Shoes: Steve Madden

Bag: Amazon (designer version linked here) | Lip: Estee Lauder

Photo Credit: Ali Mac Photography

My Top 5 Travel Tips for Staying on Track:

Establish a “mini routine” while you’re on the road: Before I travel I always look up gyms or fitness studios in the immediate area. Hotel gyms are fine, but I love trying new studios, so why not while on the road? I sign up for an early morning class, find the nearest Starbucks, and create a pseudo routine to get my day on the right track. Prefer the hotel gym? Have a screenshot of your workout on your phone and ready to go!

Hotel Hack: BBG workouts are a great option for hotel gyms!

RELATED: Tone Your Arms at Home with These Simple Moves

Pack healthy snacks: This sounds pretty obvious, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found myself starving at an airport or on a plane. Something about a travel day just makes me HUNGRY. When I don’t have healthy snacks available, I tend to not make the best choices. AKA I reach for something sugary that makes me crash. These protein bars, packs of almonds, and packs of prunes (LOL, but really) are my go-to’s snacks that I pack for travel.

Make the morning as easy as possible: Lay out everything you need to get out the door- water bottle (I always travel with my Yeti), room key, and headphones (my favorite headphones EVER are linked). I don’t like working out on an empty stomach-even a few bites of something is enough to get me through! Again, that’s where my snacks come in handy.

Hotel hack: if you’re out of snacks-grab a fruit and a few packets of peanut butter from the breakfast bar the day before.

RELATED: Gym Prep Strategies

Mentally plan your meals: I tend to stick better to a plan and adjust based on what’s available vs. ordering on a whim. The other side to this is to also plan your indulgences. In business travel, the dinner after a big meeting usually means happy hour and a celebratory meal, so I balance that out by having healthy meals of protein and veggies the other nights and cut back on the snacks that day. Traveling for business usually means dinner and drinks every night, so I stick to one night of having a glass of wine, and opt for seltzer and lime the other nights!

Don’t stress: There are times on the road when healthy options just aren’t available. A great example: you’re at a conference or meeting and lunch is ordered for the group. If you were home-you’d bring your own lunch-but you’re not so why worry about things you cannot control!? My strategy: eat what’s provided, don’t stress about it, load up on salad and fruit if possible, and make a healthy choice at dinner to balance it out.

Last and certainly not least: If you get off track or indulge a little more than anticipated-it’s OKAY! Part of my healthy lifestyle is to cut myself slack in these instances, particularly if my “off track” was enjoyed with friends, Sean, or family!

What are your strategies for staying on track while you’re on the road?

Shop the Post:

PIN: