Staying healthy and fit while traveling isn’t possible? Sure it is! Here are 12 tips that hopefully are helpful for you:

• Make Health A Priority

I guess, the most important thing is to start your travels with the right mindset. If you’re already telling yourself „oh, once I’m on vacation, I probably won’t be eating healthy or work out anymore anyway“, this probably is what’s going to happen. On the other hand, if you decide for yourself to keep your healthy lifestyle or at least quite a healthy lifestyle while traveling, you’ll find a way to make it happen only due to the mere fact that you’ll prepare everything accordingly.

• Food From Home

While traveling you should make sure to always have enough snacks in your backpack because as we all know, food at train stations or airports isn’t the most healthy – and also pretty expensive! Foods such as raw fruits & veggies, nuts, cereal bars or sandwiches are perfect are perfect on-the-go foods. It’s also possible to bring a smoothie or oatmeal. You can just put them in a tightly closed jar which you can also use again later while traveling on.

• No All-Inclusive Holiday Package

When booking all-inclusive, you probably end up eating a lot more than you want to and probably also a lot more unhealthy stuff – just due to the fact that there’s a buffet three times a day that you’ve already paid for. Often you also spend your days by the pool instead of moving your body when booking some fancy all-inclusive hotel. What about an adventure trip or doing some kind of sports course instead? There are so many possibilities: surfing, diving, desert tours, hiking, climbing,..

• Accommodation With A Kitchen

A good tip is to book an accommodation which has its own kitchen so that you can prepare some healthy meals by yourself. This way you don’t depend on what they offer at your hotel or the restaurants in your area. Depending on your travel destination, the food you get at these places often is quite fatty and unhealthy. Even if you don’t have a kitchen at your accommodation, you can find healthier and cheaper options at the supermarket around the cornermost of the time. If you have some space left in your suitcase, it is also possible to pack supplies of food that you can store in the kitchen so that you don’t need to buy everything locally. To find a good and cheap accommodation that offers everything I need, I always like to use Airbnb.

• Ask For Healthy Options

If you decide to book a hotel or to eat out at restaurants a lot anyway, you can always ask for healthier options there and you can also ask which ingredients are used for the meals. Maybe you can get a very fatty meal without butter or oil for example. People that follow a special diet, like me as a vegan for example, need to ask anyway, there often is no way around it. And don’t be scared to ask! Most people react really kind and helpful, especially if you’re their customer!

• Know Some Words

To be able to ask people it’s very useful to learn some words in the local language that you know you’ll need while traveling. There is also the possibility to use a translation app on your smartphone to simply show to people what you want to express.

• Do Your Research

Before traveling I recommend you to have a look online to see what food or possibilities for activities there are where you’re about to go. This way you can prepare for the given circumstances better. Maybe it even doesn’t bother to you that much where you’re going to exactly and you can choose the destination by the food or workout possibilities it has to offer. You could choose a country such as Thailand if you want to eat a lot of healthy and delicious tropical fruits for example or some country that has mountains if it matters most to you that it’s possible to go hiking while traveling.

• Food-Apps

Nowadays there are some food apps that make it possible to find cafés, bars or restaurants around your area. With these apps it’s possible to get information about what these places have to offer food-wise and to read reviews from customers. I like to use the app HappyCow which is especially helpful if you’re looking for vegan or vegetarian restaurants. Even if you’re not a vegetarian or vegan, I would still recommend using this app as the restaurants you can find through it often offer healthier meal options that „regular“ restaurants.

• Ask The Locals

You don’t always have to do the research on your own or to use apps. When you’re traveling, you often get to know new people and also locals anyway, so use this opportunity to ask them for restaurant recommendations. Often they know some great places which you wouldn’t even be able to find on your own.

• Discover New Healthy Possibilities

Another country also means that there are other possibilities when it comes to living healthy. We all love to try new foods that are characteristic for the country but often while traveling we go for the unhealthy sweets or fast food instead of the healthy options. So what about visiting the the local weekly market and trying some foreign fruits and veggies? It’s the same with sports: Often there are possibilities to move your body that you don’t have in your home country such as surfing or diving for example. I found that because it’s something so new that you maybe haven’t tried yet and because you’re often surrounded by beautiful nature or new people, it’s often even more fun to work out while traveling than at home. I guess for most people it’s probably easier to work out somewhere else as it feels more like pleasure than pain and because they have more time for it than they usually have at home with all the stress that often comes with living your everday life.

• Drink Drink Drink

Often you travel to a country which has a hotter climate than your home country, at least for us Germans this is the case. This tends to get underestimated or you simply forget to drink enough so that your body doesn’t get as much water as it needs to stay hydrated. It’s absolutely essential for your metabolism and overall health to drink enough.

• Don’t Stress

As exemplary it is to always try to keep a healthy lifestyle while traveling – don’t stress yourself, enjoy your travels! At the airport the healthiest option is white bread and cookies? Then eat it and enjoy it. You’re invited to a party and had too many delicious cocktails? So what – at least you’re having a hella good time! You don’t always have to be „perfect“ and it’s totally okay to just enjoy your life without constantly worrying about your health or figure. And remember: Health isn’t just about food and working out, other factors also play a big role. You can eat as healthy and work out as much as you want – if this causes you to feel mentally stressed, this stress also has a negative impact on your health. Mental health is just as important as physical health when it comes to your overall well-being.