Vacation Help

[drolemil]

Ok, so I need help planning out what I'll eat on my 10-day vacation to Europe this summer. I'm 15 and with a school group. We'll be visiting Germany, Poland, and Czech, with the focus of our trip the Holocaust. I'm not worried about not staying raw, as I'm not tempted to eat other foods, but I am worried I'll end up on an accidental water-fast...

We get one backpack that we will always wear and then a suitcase (under 50 lb) that will usually be in our lodging rooms. The group sponsoring our tour covers breakfast and dinner (which is most likely whatever the hotel/lodging supplies us, so no luck there unless there is a fruit/salad bar), while we're responsible for lunch (which is usually street vendors and restaurants we pass). I can't deviate from the group, which can't deviate from the schedule, so even if there is a super duper raw restaurant I can't go unless it's directly near us.

My ideas so far including packing some portables such as dried fruit, granola, etc. I can easily get by only on fruit, but I'm afraid I won't come in contact with much fruit. Anyone have experience with these countries and what produce is commonly found? I know Asian countries often have fruit stands, so I'll be really glad if this area does too... I'll probably bring a (yummy!) green powder to mix with water on my trip, too.

Any ideas? Any input is much appreciated, whether it be simple dehydrator recipes, traveling tips, or experience with the countries themselves. :) I'm getting real excited, the trip is in a month. :D

[Shels]

Hm. Never been there, but I did spend over a month in Italy and France a little while ago. There was a lot of bread, and a lot of cheese. And ham. And more ham. And raw ham.

I have no idea how similar things will be, so this could be completely irrelevant but, I didn't see much fruit in restaurants at all, however there were delicious tourist-targeting fruit stands. Be prepared to spend a lot for that.
Also, there were salads, but not many dark greens.

I'd recommend bringing a lot of snacks, dried fruit and nuts mostly. Good luck, and have a fabulous trip. =]

[klomasius]

If I weren't able to take my little travel blender, and I didn't know if I could get a steady supply of fruit, this is what I'd do:

* Take a bunch of raw bars with me, either homemade or store bought or both. I'd pack lots of these in the suitcase and transfer them to the backpack each day (and take a little more then I think I'd be eating just in case).

* I'd do the same with things like dried fruits, nuts, fruit rollups, savoury crackers and breads, biscuits and other sweet dehydrated things and green powder (lots of this), and little jars of things like celtic salt, a small bottle of cold pressed oil and anything lese that will stand travel that you can put on a plain salad (I've dried tomato and herb sauces in the past and rehydrated them to put over salads).

Make sure you have in your pack over a day's worth of these food items just in case you cannot find any fresh stuff at all.

When you do find fresh stuff, like plain salads, you can add the condiments and eat the crackers and breads with it to make it a bit more substantial.

Hopefully you can find enough fresh greens, fruits and veg to eat, and have the above things as snacks only! :D

Good luck! I find these sorts of challenges really exciting!

[Eva]

When I was traveling around Europe ~ I saw fruit stands quite a lot. I bet you will have good luck with that. Klomasius (per usual) gave you some great tips.

Separately ~ just wanted to say how great it is you have the chance to have a trip like that at your age ~ and are already into health.

I usually make jokes about "youthing" rather than "aging" with women who have become interested... but what a great thing to be youthing before aging. :-)

I hope you'll share with us how your trip went and what went well or didn't for your adventure!

[sport]

I would think that where ever you are in the world you are not too far from a bunch of bananas and you can make a meal of bananas.
I would also take a lara bar for each day.

[Gossy]

I haven't been doing this raw thing for very long at all (we're talking days here ;) ) but I have had dietary restrictions and travel problems in the past, so I have some idea what you're facing!

I totally second (third, fourth? whatever we're up to) the idea of bringing raw bars, enough for at least one to two meals a day. You can leave them in your suitcase and bring only the ones you need for that day in your backpack. And hopefully you'll find fruit stands and/or places serving some form of salad! Make especially sure to keep hydrated too. At the very least that helps with hunger pains (at least for me) if you wind up being low on things to eat for some meals.

And I just had to give a big pat on the back to ya'! At 15 you're already leading a healthier life, and planning ahead to make sure you stick to it during your travels. That is something not a lot of people your age would be doing! So be proud! And don't feel bad if you have to resort to a few cooked food choices here or there out of necessity. If it becomes absolutely impossible to find raw foods to sustain you, just make the healthiest choices you can to keep your body going. Not eating anything for an extend amount of time has to be worse for you than eating cooked foods - in my humble opinion. Hopefully you'll be able to bring enough things with you and find fruits and salads though and not have to worry! Have a great trip!!

[drolemil]

Thank you everyone for your support! :o I ordered (cheaper online ;D) Amazing Grass Kidz Chocolate green powder, as I've tried it on sample at WF and LOVED it. It has soy milk powder in it, but I'm not worried over such trace amounts.

When it's closer to the date of the trip, I'll begin getting my actual food to take. I'm not sure whether or not I'll make or buy bars, but I'll probably make myself fruit roll-ups and dried fruits veggies. Anyone know some good specific easy dried goods to try? I would love to bring kale chips, but I don't want anything so delicate that it'll be destroyed in my suitcase/bag. I'm too clumsy with my luggage. :rolleyes:

I'm really hoping on fruit stands! Dense foods are yummy, but eating dense foods specifically for an extended period of time seems a little much. Packing oil for salads is a good idea, I can bring a spice mixture in a baggy to sprinkle on top. Someone I know recommended packing avocados, so I might try that if I have extra space in my suitcase. :)

I'll definitely tell you all how my trip goes!

[Maintime]

When I was in europe there were plenty of places to get produce. Even gas stations had a pretty good selection of tasty looking produce. I wouldn't worry so much. :)

Just be careful to shop when you can. European stores have funny hours. You may show up to get your bunch of bananas and it is closed! :(

[sidrah]

Are you allowed to carry all that stuff on a plane? Loose powders and liquids. I guess if it is not opened already. Might be safer to buy sealed Larabars and unopened container of powder and bank on water, fruit, vegetables there.

[klomasius]

With things like kale chips, pack these in a container rather than a bag in your suitcase, that way it doesn't matter how rough you are with your suitcase they'll still be fine. Small, flattish containers that can be stacked on top of each other are great for this. I am VERY rough with my suitcases and bags and have no trouble.

Avocados are great too, but obviously don't try to take them from one country to another, and you'll probably be crossing borders frequently (this applies to all fresh food).

How exciting, have fun!

[drolemil]

I contacted British Airlines about bringing food and whatnot, and here's what I got back for those who are interested:


Thank you for writing to us.

You can take solid food items such as sandwiches, crisps, fruit and vegetables on board for consumption in-flight. Drinks and liquid-based food items such as pasta sauces, gravies, stews and curries, jams and yoghurts may be taken through security. These must be stored in containers no larger than 100ml and carried in a clear plastic bag.

You can also take your food items in your checked baggage. The weight of bag should not exceed 23kg for the free allowance to apply. You will find more information about the checked baggage allowance at:

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/bagchk/public/en_

For further clarification, please contact your nearest British Airways office where one of our agents will be able to assist you. Their telephone numbers, addresses and opening times can be found at:

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/ctclist

I hope this information is useful and we look forward to welcoming you and your travel companion on board our flights soon.

Regards
Jai
British Airways

[lovenlife]

I am off on a trip in four days. I fussed n thought n all. I was feeling like raw got complicated right then and it rarely is for me.

So I said "simplify". I am not taking a whole lot of things, obly things to share recipes with my friend n such. Things I cant get there really.

But in the meanwhile, resources became availalbe so I will have all I need and more. Farm markets were mentioned and money to support that showed up. Ahhh lettin it all go....abundance.

You will have what you need where you are...its always there.

[drolemil]

I'm back!!

The trip was amazing, I had a ton of fun and it was a great learning experience. I survived fine, and happily ate only raw food my entire journey. For the trip I packed 8 trail mix baggies consisting of dates, figs, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and jungle peanuts. I ate these for one meal almost every day of my trip. Next time I'll remember to add raisins. ;P I also made banana fruit roll-ups (just blended and dehydrated bananas). Once the trays finished dehydrating, I rolled the entire square into a tight log and used scissors to cut into pieces. I then wrapped in squares of wax paper as if it were a candy and taped it all the way around with masking tape. On my first batch I did try rolling the banana leather with wax paper between each layer, but I found that the some of the paper came off on the fruit. :eek: I ended up just peeling away the outer portion and eating that batch for breakfast. ;D The banana roll ups made for great portable snacks, and tasted like banana bread. My travel mates agreed. ;) I also brought my green powder, but since it was so yummy I ate it all within the first few days. :rolleyes:

During the trip I discovered that buffet styled breakfast at ALL the hotels had sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, as well as a varying selection of fruit. I remember having grapefruit, oranges, tangerines, watermelon, (seeded) grapes, pineapple, peaches, and apples. I saw grocery stores at malls, and in throughout the city. My awesome tour guide was very caring and friendly, and he directed me to their locations so when we had free-time I would go there. When we were in Warsaw's Old Town there weren't any near stores, so he personally walked me to a store 10 minutes away. There he showed me this bulb vegetable I have never ever seen before and recommended it to me. When I ate it the next day, it was DELICIOUS! He didn't know what it was called either (he's from Germany), but through some googling this morning I discovered it was kohlrabi, also known as a german turnip. It tasted like cauliflower with a zucchini-like texture. <3 At the grocery stores I was able to buy enough ingredients to make lettuce wraps with romaine, avocado, cherry tomatoes, cilantro or parsley, and lemon juice. This were approved by my vegetarian roommate. Grocery stores of course also had fruit, some even had organic which in Europe is labeled "bio". At a Berlin mall I passed a health store which contained vitamins and packaged foods I noticed Herbamare, which I remembered seeing in one of Alissa's recipes (Indian Spinach Dip). I quickly bought it and I carried it in my backpack. I used it to season my wraps and to sprinkle on my mountain-high breakfast plate of tomatoes and cucumbers. :p I also found lots of restaurants and cafes served fresh juice and fruit salads (though make sure neither comes from a packaged container!). I also bought a pocket knife from a street vender which helped peel my kohlrabi and cut my vegetables easier (the hotels only provided me butter knives).

Eating raw would be a lot easier on a trip if you are able to move independently (during free time we had to travel in small groups with the other kids), but it is still very possible. If anyone lacks will power, you may want to pack even more goodies than I did since the baked goods looked and smelled very tempting. I prevented myself from eating any by remembering I didn't want to get sick while on vacation. ;P Thank you ALL for your advice!

[sidrah]

Sounds like you had a great trip. Hope you ge the chance to do it again some time! Good job sticking to it.:cool:

[Stella Green]

Thanks much for sharing!! Your trip sounds marvelous and a rawsome success!

[Junebug]

just read your amazing travelogue and had to smile :) i also love kohlrabi, i eat this very often as in germany, you can buy it almost at all times. i wonder if this is not available in the us?

[k8sl8]

Available in the US, just not everywhere... all the time. I love it so I look for it and buy when it's available.