When I’m on holidays I want to relax.  I want to leave my everyday routine behind and take a break from it all.  Normally our family eats quite healthy and exercises regularly.  Traveling is a time to splurge a bit and enjoy yourself without feeling guilty.

If I’m in Switzerland you’d better believe I’m eating the chocolate and I’ll be having the waffles and fries in Belgium too.  Part of visiting a new country is being able to enjoy what it has to offer.  But if you’re on the road for an extended period of time, it’s nice to be able to maintain somewhat of a healthy lifestyle while you travel.

Here are a few ways to stay on track that require very little effort; because ‘easy’ is a good thing when you’re on holidays!

Keep Moving

You can stay healthy without spending all your time in the hotel gym.

If you’re on a beach vacation take a walk along the beach, or get your exercise running and jumping in the ocean waves.  Your kids will be happy you’re playing with them and you’ll burn off the extra vacation calories.

If you’re doing a city vacation–walk, walk, walk!  Explore the town by foot and get your exercise roaming aimlessly.  If you have kids, push a stroller, or strap a baby to you for some extra effort.

Make Yourself a Deal

I’m not much for holding back on vacation.  If it’s a short trip, I say just go for it and get back on track in a few days.  But if you’re away for several weeks there needs to be a compromise.  It may sound silly but I make deals with myself.  While we’re ordering lunch and the burger and fries is calling my name, I tell myself that if I opt for a salad at lunch, I can have the pasta for dinner.  Or if I skip dessert at one meal I can have it at the next.

Get to the Grocery Store

This is something I never did while traveling until I had kids.  With babies on the road with us I quickly realized that the local grocery store of wherever we were visiting was often one of our first stops.  We’re always searching out diapers, wipes and things to eat for little people that don’t have all their teeth yet.

While I stock up on supplies for the kids, I always grab some fresh fruit and healthy snacks to have on hand.  Our hotel rooms can often be found with the contents of the mini bar on the counter, and the fridge filled with berries and yogurt…just in case.

Switch it up

Again with the compromises.  I try to make modifications where I can.

At breakfast instead of diving into a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon, I opt for an egg white omelet with lots of veggies.

I don’t often say, “I can’t have that.” I prefer to just have less.  When I’m in Italy, I can’t help but eat gelato every day.  It’s one of the best parts of being in Italy.  So instead of having 2 or 3 scoops on my cone (which would be my ideal choice), I just have one.  It seems as though it wouldn’t make a difference since I’m still eating gelato, but with smaller portions I’m still enjoying all the local food with a lot less calories.

If you find yourself at a swim-up bar in the Caribbean, you don’t need to cut out the cocktails all together.  But try switching a few of those piña coladas for mojitos instead.  Cutting back on the cream will help you feel fab in your bikini.

Those are my tips.  As you can see they require very little effort and not a lot of sacrifice. You can still keep on the healthier side of things while you travel.  But if you really mean business and my methods of staying healthy on the road aren’t quite enough for you; then find a local gym, rent an apartment with a kitchenette, or go for a run to explore the new place you’re in.  It really is possible to stay healthy on the road!

Happy travels my friends!