Because I am a cyclist with my college’s team, every year I end up travelling all about the country on the weekends, staying in hotels, and trying to get enough food to live properly. Based on what I learned last year and the obstacles I anticipate in the coming year, I decided to write a little guide on the necessities of travel.
1. Case the location online
Before I go anywhere I like to give a quick look over the place on google maps, searching not only for vegan restaurants, but restaurants in general. If the places look like they’ll be full of chains, I might check out the vegan options of each of them in advance. From this you can learn a whole lot, and do anything from plan where you’ll eat to where you might want to stay. If you’ll be in a larger city, a site like Yelp might also help.
2. Cook in advance
There’s nothing worse when you’re on the road than eating food that makes you feel like you’re on the road. For that reason I like to cook something that keeps in a container and that I can heat up quickly. Most times it will be something like rice and beans, chili, or even curry. It also helps if you can find something that you like both hot and cold.
3. Bring more than enough food
I can’t stress enough how important it is that you bring more food than you expect to need. Travel is tiring, so oftentimes you find yourself needing more nourishment than you thought. Also, you never know when you might be delayed by something like a rainstorm or whatnot, which might mean you’ll need more than you thought beforehand. The key to good planning is going overboard, and you don’t want to be stuck in the middle of Kansas with nothing but an Arby’s.
4. High calorie, salty drinks
Gatorade isn’t the favourite drink of many people, but calories and electrolytes are important for keeping your energy up. If you’re like me and you can drive from Missouri to New Jersey in 22 hours with three stops for gas, you don’t want to get tired from too much water and no calories.
5. Know what you’ll be eating along the way
On my most recent road trip, I was decently sure of what I could eat coming back. I’d done the 15 hour drive before, and I knew that I could either pick up stuff along the way or get a pizza at Papa John’s on the way out. However, since I would’ve had to wait for Papa John’s to open at 11am before I could leave, I decided it would be best to just get some food along the way. Well, the next day I didn’t feel so good. When you have a sure thing, take it instead of trying to roll the dice.
6. Dried fruits and nuts
Not only are they good for you, but they’re easy to lay your hands on and easy to eat while you’re in the car. This is one great way to stay healthy when you’re on the road, I wish I did it more often. Thanks to @muhajaba for the tip!
7. Homemade trail mix
Like the previous tip, but with a bit more granola and the possibility of creating some sort of bar-shaped food. Thanks again to @TheHumaneLeague for the tip!
Have any other ideas for taking the pain out of road trips? Share them in the comments.
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