Best Foods for Travel: Travel-Friendly Nutrition

The Many Foods for Travel

When traveling, its common to put a large chunk of money towards eating at restaurants.  However, this quickly becomes expensive and untenable.  It’s far better, healthier and cheaper to learn how to make proper meals by selecting the best foods for travel.

This tends to save lots of money while also providing food in places where restaurant services aren’t always available. Below is a guide on selecting the best foods for vagabonding.

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Selecting Foods for Transit

When selecting foods for travel, always look for foods that are durable, healthy and filling.  They also have a long shelf life.  This generally means eating dried meats, hard cheeses, sturdy vegetables, hard fruits, nuts, peanut or almond butter and grains.  

These foods, which can be carried in your luggage, are generally durable enough to take on the road and can be eaten immediately, without preparation.  They can usually be combined to make quick additional meals, like sandwiches.  None of the ingredients you carry should require refrigeration.  All of these can be packed in Ziploc bags or reusable ultralight plastic containers.

Foods that generally don’t do well include soft fruits (such as bananas), perishable foods (soft cheeses, deli meats),  leaky foods (salsa, tomatoes) or things that melt in high temperature (sugar, glucose, chocolate).  

Make a special effort to avoid sugars, as these don’t tend to travel well, especially at high temperatures.  They also don’t provide substantial enough energy for long hikes or city explorations.  

Using “Go” foods for the majority of your day can save a ton of money, as it prevents impulse buying and popping into potentially expensive restaurants for all meals.  Furthermore, most of the foods listed above are very light.  It is easy to store them in a day bag and walk freely.  

Home Cooked Foods

Not all food you eat on the road is “go” food.  If you are staying somewhere for a night or two, it is perfectly acceptable to treat yourself to anything you’d like.  Make pasta, cook beef stew, make egg-drop soup or anything else your heart desires.  

Keep in mind, you may not have all the cooking tools needed to make a full meal.  I recommend traveling with an ultralight cooking pot, pair of travel chopsticks and an ultralight titanium spork.  These are the only tools I need to cook for myself in most places.  

When buying local supplies, make sure to check your ingredients carefully.  Fruit especially should always be cut in half to ensure there is no rot inside.  

Bringing Grab and Go Foods Elsewhere

Most of the food that is good for traveling is small, calorically dense and very light.  This means it should all fit inside your day bag when walking from place to place.  

Keep in mind there are generally cultural rules about eating in certain places.  Japan, for example, does not allow for eating and walking at the same time.  It is considered incredibly rude.   Instead, simply sit down, eat your snack and then resume walking.

In most locations, food can’t be consumed on public transportation.  If you are snacking in a place where it’s allowed (such as an apple on an airplane) its a good idea to keep a trash bag handy for polite disposal.  

Finally, keep in mind what kind of foods are allowed in which places.  If you are a new teacher abroad, many schools don’t allow for food to be brought into the classroom.  Nuts shouldn’t be eaten in crowded public spaces unless everyone has been cleared against a nut allergy.  Beef eaten brazenly in India may cause considerable backlash.  

Donate Food

If you’ve overbought food and you’re heading to a new location, consider donating what you have left.  Sometimes, there’s too much to be kept in your backpack.  

If you’re staying in a hostel or group-lodging, pass your leftovers to your neighbors.  If you have any dry goods, such as uncooked beans or canned goods such as canned peaches, take them to a local area where homeless people can benefit.  

Making meals for yourself is one of the absolute best ways to save money while traveling.  Be sure to check out my regular healthy travel grocery list through this link.

Best regards and excellent trails,

Old Sean

Lots of foods get eaten after wandering around the world for years. Read about them here at the Leftfade Trails Blog