Need help with traveling

[CJB]

OK....so you may have noticed I haven't been posting lately. That's because I've had my first long stint of traveling for my work. Up until last week I was doing really well. This last bit of travel was the longest I've done and under unusual circumstances. Sooooo....I did "fall off the raw wagon". I'm looking for helpful tips. Basically, I wasn't able to take my vita-mix and make my usual smoothies as I didn't have a refrigerator and other usual accommodations. I tired of salads....really tired of salads. Ugh. I've already gone ahead and purchased a good dehydrator from Alissa's site so that I can do more crackers, etc. as I didn't have enough of that stuff with me. I think that the cooler weather also kicked in the cooked food cravings. I've been raw since August 1st and this has been the first major cheat, so I do feel good about that. I just want to figure out how to handle this part of my life as I would rather not yo-yo.

Any helpful hints or tips are appreciated....thank you!

[Crystal Rose]

CJB,
I know there's lots of things you can do, but the first thing that comes to mind; you may not be aware of. www.rawvolution.com will ship anywhere in the U.S. via Fed Ex which is a box of raw food (and it'll be iced), so if you know where you're gonna be, you can have it shipped to where you're gonna be. Check out his website -- if you have any questions, let me know.

Did you bring Dulse to add to salads, and green super food powder to add to juices or water? You can add the Dulse to lettuce greens & vegetables to make sure you're getting your minerals.

www.rawfood.com (Nature's First Law) has a lot of "snacky" raw food items. Delicious flax crackers, etc. Also, on Alissa's website, you can find Raw Crunch Bars which are delicious (if you haven't already tried them). Also, traveling with Goji berries is an excellent thing. What area of the country do you live in?

These are things that come to mind off the top of my head.

Hope at least some of this helps.

Sincerely,
vicki
Certified Living on Live Food Teacher

[Carlene]

CJB,

I've traveled twice since going raw. Sure eating out is a drag, but I found resturants like Denny's serve fruit bowls all throughout the day. I saved eating salads for when we went places that didn't. I prefer to have my own food and even without refrigerators didn't find this a problem. Fruit doesn't need to be refrigerated. Anywhere you go in the US will have a grocery store pretty close by so getting fresh fruit shouldn't be too much of a problem. If you want to make your own salad most things will last a day or two without a cooler.

As for smoothies. I have a magic bullet I take with me. It may not be a vitamix, but it's still very good and small enough to throw in a suitcase. Smoothies don't have to be iced to be good.

I know in our mindsets we think travel means good food. Instead you should decide to go simple raw while you're away, it would be easier.

Hope some of this helped.

[truthseeker]

When me and the family went to Florida this past spring, I did a BIG search on my computer to find any and every juice bar, restaurant, cafe, smoothie bar, health food store w/juice bar ... one even served raw dishes... vegetarian/vegan restaurant there was in the Orlando area, printed them up, searched map quest for their locals, printed those up and packed it all with our plane tix, rental car papers and other important papers. We did SSSSOOOO well. And I stopped by a lot of produce stands and we ate lunch and snacks from those, I packed coconut oil, raw cacao, goji berries and soaked/dehydrated nuts in my carry-on for the plane and enough for the weeks stay.

Even though we did go to dinner at a reg. restaurant 2 times during our weeks visit, for a family of 5..... I have to say I was so proud of our accomplishment.

[prettyeyes38]

I just got back from a business trip to Las Vegas. I packed raw sunflower seeds and raisins to eat on the plane and as snacks during the day.

My hotel had room service where I could get freshly squeezed orange juice and/or freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. They also had all kinds of salads for me to eat at night. I did well for breakfast and dinner, but not for lunch.
Lunch was really hard because the food at the convention center, even the "salads" were all junk.

I wasn't quite as prepared as I could have been, but part of doing this is a learning experience. Next trip raw, I am going to pack some raw "goodies," like dried apricots, dried mangos, more expensive raw nuts that I usually don't buy, the Lara Bars (which I just found at a local store), raw crackers from the health food store, and so on. My company gives me a per diem of $45 per day, and instead of spending it on steak and wine, I'd rather spend it on premium raw food that I wouldn't usually buy for myself!!

Good luck, loved reading all of the ideas here!!
Rachel

[CJB]

Thanks everyone. Just got back from another short excursion out of town. I appreciate all the ideas. Thanks to Crystal Rose....I did not know about the website. And even though it's pricey (!) it might be worth the investment from time to time. Also thanks to Carlene...I did not know about Denny's and the fruit bowls. I'll have to check that out.

When I got home I immediately ordered a good dehydrator...I'd been putting it off because I had invested in a Vita-mix. I really need to stock up on more crackers and interesting dishes that the dehydrator will facilitate. I'm in my third month of raw and yes, those cooked food cravings are kicking in with a vengeance. I've had a few slips off the old wagon now. Trying hard not to beat myself up over it but I also don't want this to progress into a full blown regression. The change to the cold weather has also awakened my cravings for hot. I'm trying to deal with that through herbal teas, which don't seem to aggravate my cravings but allow me to drink something warm. It will be awhile before I can give those up as I've always loved coffee (which I'm not having) and teas during the winter time.

Anyway, thank you for all the help. I always know that I can count on this board for support!