I’ve arrived back in Toronto – and it feels great to be back! The best part about being home with friends and family is the feeling like you never left and picking up exactly where we left off. There is something so amazing, reviving, and beautiful about coming back to my roots and spending quality time with the ones I love. Since coming back it has been nonstop busy and I am loving every minute of it. Currently, I’m in New York State for a girls shopping weekend away with my mom and grandma – it’s beautiful here 🙂
Ideally, I like to go home to Canada twice a year, once over the winter holidays and once during summer. This translates to a lot of international flights and travelling for me. I actually love the whole experience of travelling from enjoying the atmosphere of the airport, walking around and browsing the shops, and being in a place with people from around the world – their paths crossing for a brief instant during their travel journeys. I must not be the only one out there who likes to sit down and ‘people watch’.
One thing I do not like about travelling internationally (other than the stress of airport security) is the food. Let’s get real, airport food is wayy overpriced and a lot of the time highly processed. The food on the plane is often even worse – a high-sodium, microwaved, sub par meal full of ingredients that leave you feeling lethargic. It’s no wonder so many people get sick after long flights! It doesn’t help that the last few times I’ve flown my request for a ‘veggie meal’ somehow got overlooked, leaving me to pick at a cold bun and some juice.
Learning from my past experiences, whenever I’m travelling I make sure to pack healthy snacks to keep me energized, happy and satisfied during my travels! The combination of running through airports, travelling over long distances and waiting during layovers is sure to build up an appetite. I always like to have a little something-something on me at all times when hunger (or boredom) hits! Here are some of my tips and snacks I sneak into my carry-on for a healthy boost during those long travel journeys.
Chopped up Fresh Veggies:
My number one healthy travel snack is chopped up veggies. Crunchy, fresh and filling veggies are the perfect snack during long travels. They also ‘hold up’ despite getting banged around while travelling. I am sure the man beside me chuckled to himself when I pulled out a ginormous bag of broccoli and carrots during the flight.
Glo Bars (Homemade/Store bought granola bars):
Angela’s infamous ‘Glo Bars’ were one of the first things I tried after purchasing her wonderful cookbook. I usually carry a granola bar on me for when hunger hits on the fly because let’s get real, granola bars are one of the best energizing and tasty snacks.
Dark Chocolate:
This is one of my favourite brands of dark chocolate from a local grocery store in Belgium – it is fair trade, vegan and 80% dark chocolate. I usually carry some of this around with me to cure my mid-day chocolate cravings 😉
Trail Mix:
A handful of trail mix always holds me over until my next meal. This is a store bought mix with assorted nuts and raisins – I also love to make my own with pepitas, oats, dark chocolate and almonds…
Kale Chips
I splurged on these awesome kale chips at a local health food store (I would love to make my own but kale is almost impossible to find in Belgium!). Any portioned out healthy chip or cracker type snack is ideal when travelling – especially if you are craving something salty and crunchy.
Smoothie or Juice
If all else fails I love splurging on freshly made juice or a smoothie found in juice bars throughout most airports around the world! This smoothie is made with fresh orange juice, banana, mango and some other yummy fruit. I love a big juice or smoothie before a flight because it helps (I hope!) to ward off any germs travelling around during long, packed flights!
Some Good Reads:
Books are kind of like food for the brain, right? Getting lost in a good book can make hours seem like minutes – a big plus during long flights or layovers. I love catching up on leisure reading when my exams are out – no textbooks please.
Other snacks I like for travelling are apples, bananas (if packaged well), almond butter, granola, homemade banana bread… the list goes on – but realistically, there’s only so much a girl can snack on over a 20 hour period 🙂 I am off to enjoy a relaxing dinner at the hotel we are staying at – it’s wonderful spending time with family!
This crumble looks so good and I am loving the fact that you used maple syrup!!
All those snacks look so good! I love that they are healthy!!!! 🙂
Thanks!!! They sure were yummy!!
I like making my own trail mix with nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate 🙂 And I try to always have a granola bar in my purse, traveling or not!
Your version of trail mix sounds fantastic – everything tastes better with chocolate!! Haha, you are right – Granola bars in purses are mandatory!! 🙂
Cool ideas. How long are you staying in Canada? Enjoy your vacations!
Thanks Ilona! I am staying here till Mid August! Thanks! How long are you in Europe for? 🙂
I am in Europe for three months, I will come back to Canada in the end of August:)