Food

Healthy Travel Snacks

Theres no reason to go hungry or wreck your diet when you’re traveling or stuck in a hotel room without room service. Take along these healthy snacks suggested by Charles Stuart Platkin, nutrition and public-health advocate, and author of The Diet Detectives Count Down.

Published

10 months ago

July 5, 2023

Brady Pearson

Healthy Travel Snacks

Just because you are traveling, doesn’t mean that you have to ruin your diet. There are many pitfalls that we as travelers fall into, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Late nights in hotels and constantly eating out can wreck any healthy diet, but if you play it smart, traveling and eating healthy can go hand in hand. A good snack should be somewhere close to 100-150 calories, anymore than that and you are creeping towards a whole meal’s worth of calories.

I think the key to eating healthy in general is proper planning and meal preparation; this is no different when traveling. If you meal prep for your weak at home then why not meal prep for your trip as well? We all know that eating late or eating on the go often requires eating fast food, unless you plan ahead. Fast food is the death to any healthy diet, so a simple key to remember is PLAN AHEAD.

Another aspect to healthy eating and travel involves self-control and portion control. When traveling its easy to act like what we eat doesn’t matter, since we are technically on vacation. This is a terrible routine to fall into, just because you are on a trip doesn’t mean your diet has to go on vacation as well. Portion control is a great way to combat this problem. If you only eat a little bit, then it doesn’t matter technically what you eat.

Here are my favorite travel snacks that will help you avoid room service and keep you on your diet.

Nuts:

Nuts travel so well and are just a great, healthy snack. They also come in such a huge variety that they keep you from becoming bored. As we all know, when boredom creeps into your mind, you stray from your diet. I try to stick to unsalted and raw nuts, because they have the most nutritional value. Nuts are low in calories but high in protein, so they are the perfect tool to keep in your diet’s arsenal. An ounce portion usually rounds out to about 120-150 calories, so that’s a perfect snack.

Energy Bars:

Energy bars are generally a good meal substitute, but stay away from the ones that are filled with sugars and unnatural products. I recommend Cliff bars as they are made with natural sugars and don’t have too many preservatives. The best part of energy bars are their portability and how easily they can be packed for long periods of time. I tend to keep a couple bars in my suitcase at all times, because you really never know when hunger can strike.

Fruit:

Fruit is readily available all over the world and travels so nicely. Fruit is natural so you don’t have to worry about preservatives and the portion control is built in. One apple or a bunch of grapes are usually around 100 calories, so they are the perfect travel snack.

Can of Tuna:

Cans of tuna are another perfect travel snack, they are made to be portable and don’t leak, so toss them in your overnight bag. I like mine with some crackers to make mini sandwiches out of and also keep my fingers from smelling like fish.

Cold Cut Sandwich:

The perfect travel meal, a classic sandwich is always portable and always a favorite. I can’t recommend a sandwich more; they can be made ahead of time and easily packed away for a few hours. I tend to make a sandwich when I fly since they are allowed through security and are cheap.

Remember fellow travelers; planning ahead and packing smart are key to eating healthy while traveling.

Food

Sipping Your Way Through Napa Valley

If you’ve never had the pleasure of enjoying a perfect weekend in Napa Valley, you’re missing out.

Published

1 week ago

April 18, 2024

Owen Gardocki

STAY AT A B&B OR DON’T STAY AT ALL

A charming Bed & Breakfast will only amplify the quaintness of the whole experience. There are plenty of reasonably priced options available in the area. If you can sneak out on a Friday, it always makes for a better weekend if you can wake up at your B&B on Saturday morning.

ACTIVITIES GALORE!

It’s hard to believe and potentially unnecessary, but there are plenty of great activities in Napa Valley that don’t involve wine tasting.

Oxbow Public Market: This lively market is perfectly nestled right against the Napa River. It’s full of plenty of vendors selling all sorts of fresh produce and also contains numerous restaurants. So this is a great place to grab a quick lunch.

The Silverado Trail: This beautiful trail just about runs the entire length of Napa Valley. It has amazing views and can be a perfect place to clear your head and get your calm on. And if you’re more of the active type, it’s great for biking!

Greenhaus Day Spa: What’s a weekend getaway without a trip to the spa? Greenhaus Day Spa in downtown Napa is widely considered the best spa in the area. Get the full treatment with a relaxing massage, a cleansing facial, and the all-important mani-pedi combo.

WINERIES ON WINERIES

If we’re talking about Napa Valley, we’re talking about wine. There are plenty of amazing wineries and vineyards in Napa, but here are our personal favorites.

O’Brien Estate: This is one of the most popular wineries in all of Napa and actually requires booking your tasting in advance. Make sure you try the Chardonnay and the Cabernet Sauvignon.

Pride Mountain Vineyards: This vineyard requires a bit of a drive, but it’s worth it. The whole property covers about 235 acres and has gorgeous views in every direction. When it comes to wine, their claims to fame are their Cabernet Sauvignon and their Merlot.

V. Sattui Winery: While the wine here is truly excellent, this spot is also great for a picnic lunch. You can grab everything you need in-house: the cheeses, the fresh bread, the antipasto spreads, and a nice bottle of wine and then grab one of the many picnic tables outside and take it all in.

Food

Is A 24-Hour Vacation… Possible?

Five locations where a 24-hour vacation is completely possible.

Published

1 week ago

April 17, 2024

Owen Gardocki

Have a long layover? Maybe a day to kill during a longer trip? Or just like to get out of town? If any of those apply, these five cities are the best places in the world to spend a 24-hour vacation!

ISTANBUL

Istanbul is the ideal one-day vacation destination for the historian, as it lies right on the Bosphorus river, the geographical division point of Asia and Europe. The architecture in Istanbul is truly breathtaking as some of it has been there since the Roman and Ottoman Empires. Can’t-miss attractions include the Topkapi Palace, the former home of the Ottoman sultan, the Hagia Sophia, a sixth-century mosque, and the Grand Bazaar, which is the oldest covered market in the world. And if you have any extra time and feel like relaxing a bit, enjoy one of the city’s numerous Turkish baths, or historichammams.

AMSTERDAM

Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and it owes a lot of its beauty to its architecture. You could spend an entire day there just walking in and taking in the buildings and you wouldn’t feel like you’ve wasted your day. If you don’t feel like walking, there are also daily boat tours that travel along the many canals that run through the city. Not to mention the countless museums in Amsterdam all with amazing works of art. And of course, no Amsterdam vacation would be complete without a trip to the Anne Frank house.

SEATTLE

The jewel of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle may seem like a big city, but what makes it attractive for a short trip is the fact that many of its best attractions are all very close to each other. Even with only 24 hours, you’ll have enough time to take in the Museum of Pop Culture, the Space Needle, and the world-famous Pike Place Market. Try to throw one of those fish if they’ll let you. It’s harder than you think!

HONG KONG

Hong Kong is one of the biggest and fastest-moving metropolitan cities in the world. The sights and views and endless and bountiful in this lively city. Be sure to check out the giant Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island, and of course the Hong Kong Museum of History. If you’re a tea nut, rumor has it that the MingCha Tea House has some of the best tea in the city. And the best part about Hong Kong? Unlike the rest of China, anyone visiting from North America or Europe don’t have to get a visa in advance.

REYKJAVIK

Reykjavik is the capital of one of the most scenically beautiful countries in the world, Iceland. It is the home of the famous Blue Lagoon, the geothermal spa that you’ve probably seen on your Instagram feed more than once. There you can also find the architectural feat, Hallgrimskirkya. Which is just an enormous, beautiful church. And, if you’re feeling saucy, take a tour of the Phallological Musem, which is a museum entirely dedicated to, well, phalluses.

Food

Making The Stop At Roadside Attractions

Taking the time to stop and enjoy the roadside attractions.

Published

1 week ago

April 16, 2024

Owen Gardocki

Road trips aren’t just about point A & point B; it’s about the journey. The highways of America are filled with unique roadside attractions that divert your attention when traveling to your roadside attraction. Instead of driving past these attractions, let’s examine the best.

CABAZON DINOSAURS

You may recognize these roadside dinosaurs from the movie “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.” These two giant concrete dinosaurs named Dinny the Dinosaur and Mr. Rex are located in Cabazon, CA. You can find these behemoths just West of Palm Springs, California on the 10 freeway. Dinny and Apatosaurus measure 150 feet and Mr. Rex a Tyrannosaurus Rex is 65 feet. You can even make your way inside the T-Rex’s head!

Sadly, the original owners sold the roadside attraction in the mid-90s and the new owners put a Creationist museum on the property.

CARHENGE

Head to Alliance, Nebraska next time you are driving through the heartland of America and stop by Carhenge. It’s the full-scale replica of Stonehenge in England… but made with junker cars. Artist Jim Reinders studied the original sculpture while living in England and came home to make the statue as a memorial to his recently deceased father. Made with 39 cars, which were upended and dug into the ground.

PENNDOT ROAD SIGN SCULPTURE GARDEN

A small art school in Pennsylvania came up with the brilliant idea to repurpose old street signs and turn them into a wonderful piece of roadside art. Allegheny College sponsored the attraction and students created all the art. The art spans a quarter-mile stretch of Smock Highway just southwest of Meadville, PA. If you are traveling through Pennsylvania this summer, stop by.

CADILLAC RANCH

If you are driving through Texas, chances are you are cruising Interstate 40, which drives through Amarillo. This is where you’ll find Cadillac Ranch, a huge art installation made by three hippies from San Francisco, CA. They took a bunch of old Cadillacs and buried them hood first into the ground, then covered them with graffiti.

PORTER SCULPTURE PARK

When driving through the barren wasteland of South Dakota on Interstate 90, around 25-miles West of Sioux Falls, you’ll stumble upon the Porter Sculpture Park. Imagine huge metal sculptures in a wide-open field and the only backdrop is Mt. Rushmore off in the distance. You’ll find over 50 huge sculptures on the 10-acre park. The biggest piece of art is easily the giant bull’s head, which measures 60-feet-tall, which just happens to be the same size as the face on Mount Rushmore.