Travel Foods

The longest travel time I can think of from my door in northern Israel to my parents door in Los Angeles was 36 hours including a long lay over in some airport. (Saved me hundreds of dollars) It's three hours of travel to the airport from where I live, then three hours before the flight is six hours before I am even in the air!

I have several considerations about food. One is that I keep kosher, so if they don't have my special meals, I won't eat with the other passengers. Well that's happened. The other consideration is that I don't eat dairy, bread (gluten), or sugar. So even when food is "kosher" it's not always right for me. So here are my ideas for eating healthfully and comfortably as I travel.

Please note: when you are traveling into the US, you may not bring produce, dairy, or meats. You may get fined. They actually have dogs to sniff carryon bags. So when choosing your snacks, be sure you are very careful to toss what is forbidden before you get off the plane. My best advice is that if you pack any of those things, eat them first.

So, what to bring? Here's a complete list including the things I don't eat, so do choose what works for you and your travel companions. If you're traveling with kids, bringing some good protein snacks is important.

Remember, you're not packing all of this, choose well for you and your travel companions, these are ideas that mostly travel well for hours or even days

Beef or Turkey Jerky or other kobanos (salami type of snack)

Cheese sticks (individually wrapped will not go bad without refrigeration!)

Cream Cheese (from the US) in packets 

Nuts, seeds, and dried fruit (sunflower or pistachio will give you more trash!)

Protein bars (store bought or home made)

Granola or granola bars

Fresh fruit, whole or cut up in zip lock baggies

     sometimes I make a fruit salad and put in a disposable plastic container, pack a fork

Cut up veggies: carrot sticks, celery, kohlrabi, peppers, cucumbers, green beans, pea pods

Hummus: small container, this won't last a long time if it's homemade, commercial travels really well

Sandwiches: caution: if there is a sliced tomato, meat, or cheese coming into the US you could be fined. Peanut butter and jelly travels really well.

Burritos: you can get gluten free tortillas in the US health food stores

Veggie chopped salad, dressed with tahini dressing in disposable container (pack fork)

Bean salad (heavy and hearty, pack fork)

Carrot, rice, and garbanzo salad (recipe on this blog)

Tuna or egg salad stuffed half peppers (does not travel well, so eat this early!)

Sushi (vegetarian unless you're eating it right away)

Prepared foods:

Potato or tortilla chips

Cookies

Crackers (great with the hummus or cheeses)
Soup that you add hot water to in it's own container
Herbal or specialty tea bags

**One more thing: I bring a personal sized water bottle on trips. You can fill it to have in your seat and if you've got a lay over,  you can fill it before you get off the plane and have water to drink while you wait for your next flight. 

Make sure it's empty going through security but even if you have to drink it up, you'll stay hydrated so that's good. There will be bathrooms on the plane and all over every airport so don't worry about that.

If you haven't read my post about comfort bags, check it out here: Travel Comfort Bags

Travel Comfort Bag Ideas

On one leg of my last flight I sat next to a wonderful and friendly woman and we gabbed and shared with each other for most of the flight. I pulled out my "comfort bag" and she commented about what a good idea it was. It occurred to me it's time to share this idea too. So here's something that has evolved for me over the years.

My Comfort Bag
I currently use a mesh bag that was a gift from a friend. You can use a cosmetic bag or anything else that is the right size for you and fits what you want to bring. You could even use a clean fabric shoe bag. Here's what I always have ready for lengthy travel:

Tissues
Lip balm
Hand cream
Face oil
Eye drops
Wipees
Panty liners (for refreshening during a marathon trip with layovers)
Reading glasses
Flossers
Toothbrush
Ear phones
Nail file
Feminine hygiene products
Make up essentials (for me that's eye brow pencil, eye shadow with skinny brush for eye liner, and colored lip balk)
Antiacid (Tums or whatever you like)
Sleep mask (to cover eyes and block light)
Herbal tea bags and packets of honey and/or stevia
Vitamins
Inflatable neck pillow
Rescue Remedy (Bach Flower drops to calm nerves)
Headache pills (acetaminophen or ibuprofen etc)
Herbal sleep help (I found a valerian root based product; you can take this for a long flight.)
Pen (for filing out forms on the plane)

I know this sounds like a lot but I have small sizes of everything and it all fits in a cosmetic pouch. I actually have a smaller bag inside the bigger for the feminine hygiene stuff, flossers and make up that I would take into the restroom. I keep my tea and honey in a ziplock. And I keep the little earphones in a small jewelry pouch so the wires are not a tangle.

When traveling domestically within the US, airlines will not usually give you blankets or pillows which you usually do  get transatlantic. So for flights within the US I keep my coat or sweater with me in the seat for temperature changes. Otherwise you can put them in your carryon or overhead storage.

I also never travel without food. Check out my suggestions for travel food.

Happy trails!

What Should I Pack???

What should you pack when you travel?

Here's a tool to help you travel light!

Here's a nifty little tool that asks you some questions about your trip plans and then generates a suggested packing list. Of course it's up to you to decide if it's relevant for you.

Here's the link:
http://upl.codeq.info

I found this from a neat blog called http://onebag.com

Safe and happy travels!