I just got back from an amazing Southern road trip down the Carolinas and Florida Coasts with my family! Like with any travel, it’s definitely challenging sticking to a routine, especially when it comes to eating healthy and getting your daily workouts in. Not to mention, adjusting to a new time zone, recovering from jet lag, sitting on a plane or in a car for hours at a time and not sleeping in your bed with your pillow. Since I was nursing a tight calf and Achilles tendon (from wearing my heels too long at my birthday celebration), in addition to sitting in the back seat, I made sure to get a good stretch in every night.

Because we were up early to either sightsee or hit the road, there wasn’t any time to get a morning workout in and by the time we got to our destination and hotel room close to midnight every night, stretching was the best option right before bed. It’s easy to log a lot of miles sightseeing (no joke, up to 7 miles!)—more than you may be used to in a day, so stretching helps keep you going day after day when you’re walking around new cities and then sitting for hours in chunks of time. The important thing to remember is to stay active when you can and walking totally counts if you don’t have time for a full workout! My favorite scenic walk is the Miami Boardwalk, so in the mornings when we were there, I woke up and walked about 5 miles of it as the sun rose! So beautiful!

When it comes to nutrition and eating out in general, you can read my full guidelines and nutrition tips in the Strong Girl Nutrition Guide. But, you may be wondering how can you stay fit when you’re eating out for every meal for over a week and when you want to try all the amazing food from the areas you’re visiting?! This was my family’s first time in the South, so naturally we wanted to try Southern food! Luckily, if you’re traveling with a lot of people, you’ll always have plenty of plates and dishes to try bites from, which does make it easier for you to eat healthier. Naturally, my dishes were always the healthiest, but I still got to steal bites and try from everyone else’s plate, which was enough for me to enjoy! Of course, when you eat out there are a lot of variables you can’t control; like the amount of salt, butter, oil and other secret ingredients used to cook your dish that add flavor, but that also pack on the vacation pounds. So, I have 3 Strong Girl Healthy Eating Travel Tips to remember:

1. Hydrate! It’s so easy to get dehydrated from flying alone. Tack onto that salty meals you’re not used to, walking in the sun sightseeing, adjusting to new weather temperatures and perhaps enjoying a few drinks or cocktails (since you are on vacation Strong Girl)! I made sure to get a minimum of 3 liters of water a day to stay hydrated, full of energy and keep my skin glowing.

2. Think Light! When you’re dining out or grabbing a quick bite for every meal, it’s so important to think about eating light! Traveling with a group or family, you may not be able to pick every restaurant you go to, but you can pick when you’re going to indulge all the way and enjoy a free meal on your trip! If your group is open to suggestions, research healthy places you can eat on Yelp!

If you keep it light for breakfast and lunch, you have more free range to order a “heavier” meal at dinner. Or maybe there’s a really amazing breakfast spot with pancakes and morning deliciousness, reel it in and keep it light the rest of the day. The best thing about traveling with family or a group is that you can keep your dish light and try bites from everyone else’s without having to order the full plate for yourself! You can also split dishes, too, which is a great way to keep yourself from overeating. Remember… you don’t have to finish your plate either! Stop when you’re full!

Traveling with snacks is a good way to curb hunger if you go too long between meals due to sightseeing and driving. Portion your snacks, so you don’t find yourself eating a whole bag of trail mix from one city to the next!

3. Stay Disciplined, But Remember You’re on Vacay! Of course, vacation is a time to relax and enjoy, but you don’t want to throw all of your amazing healthy eating habits and hard work to stay fit out the window. Don’t be hard on yourself if you find yourself a bit off track. The important thing is that you’re enjoying yourself and savoring every bite and moment! Remember, you’re always in control of what you eat, so don’t feel like you’ve fallen off the deep end if you’ve enjoyed more than you anticipated or planned for! Instead of feeling guilty, remind yourself you’re in control and that you can bounce right back to your healthy ways!

On this trip, I decided to keep a log of everything I personally ordered and ate to share with you that you can use as a meal reference on your next road trip no matter where it takes you! I have to say, on this trip, we frequented Starbucks, Chic-Fil-A and Chipotle a lot out of convenience and consistency. I was definitely more lax on what I ate compared to my normal diet, but kept it as light as I could while still being able to try the shared bites, taste other people’s dishes and allow for a splurge “free meal” every few days. (Read about “Free Meals” in the Strong Girl Nutrition Guide)

Road Trip Meals….

Day 1: LAX to Charlotte, NC

Breakfast: 6am – American Airlines Terminal 6: Wolfgang Puck Breakfast Marketplace

Goat Cheese and Mushroom Omelet (Honestly, this was probably the saltiest dish I had the whole trip! I was thirsty for 2 days!)

Lunch: Westin Hotel Bar Bites

Shared Bites: Pita & Hummus Dip + Banana

Dinner: Mimosa Grill

Kale Caesar (Dressing on Side) + Split a delicious PAN ROASTED WILD ALASKAN HALIBUT: zack’s ricotta cavatelli – wood oven roasted spaghetti squash red onion – spicy broccolini – chili & lemon (it was so delicious forgot to take a picture!)

Day 2: Charlotte to Asheville, NC

Brunch: Tupelo Honey Café in Charlotte

Southwestern Omelet no cheese and no sour cream

Shared Bites: Fried Okra + Biscuits + Fried Avocado

Afternoon Snack & Happy Hour: The Biltmore Estate Wine Tasting & Appetizers

Wine Tasting

Shared Bites: Brussels Sprouts + Sweet Potato Fries

Dinner: Wicked Weed in Asheville

Chicken Caesar Salad (Dressing on Side)

Shared Bites: Mac & Cheese

Day 3: Asheville to Charleston, SC

Breakfast: Starbucks in Asheville

Tall Skinny Café Mocha + Extra Shot + Spinach Feta Wrap

Lunch: Chic-Fil-A in Greenville, SC

Southwestern Grilled Chicken Salad with Side Chili Lime Vinaigrette

Dinner: Poogan’s Porch in Charleston

Gnocchi Ragu

Shared Bites: Mac & Cheese + Fried Cheese

 

 Day 4: Charleston to Savannah, GA

Breakfast: Starbucks in Charleston

Tall Pike Place Roast Coffee + Chobani Strawberry Yogurt

Lunch: Chipotle in Charleston

Chicken Salad Bowl: Romaine Lettuce + Chicken + Pico de Gallo + Light Cheese + Side Hot Sauce

Shared Bites: Guacamole

Dinner: Huey’s on the Waterfront

Small Shrimp Caesar Salad (Dressing on Side)

Shared Bites: Corn Bread + Fried Green Tomatoes + Southern Rice & Beans

Dessert: ½ Beignet

 

Day 5: Savannah to Vero Beach, FL

Breakfast: Beetnix + Starbucks in Savannah

Greens Juice from Beetnix + Starbucks Spinach Feta Wrap

Lunch: in Amelia Island, FL

Shared & Split: Grilled Mahi Mahi with Rice & Beans & Chicken Wedge Caesar Salad

Dinner: Chic-Fil-A somewhere along drive from St. Augustine to Vero Beach, FL

 

Day 6: Vero Beach to Boca Raton, FL 

Brunch: Chipotle in Vero Beach

Chicken Salad Bowl: Romaine Lettuce + Chicken + Pico de Gallo + Light Cheese + Side Hot Sauce

Shared Bites: Steak Taco

Afternoon Snack: Apura in Boca Raton

Acai Bowl with Bananas, Blueberries, Strawberries, Coconut, Granola and Hemp Seeds

Dinner: Carrabbas in Boca Raton

Small Plate Meatballs + Small Plates Dinner Salad (Dressing on Side)

Sangria

Day 7: Boca Raton to Miami Beach, FL

Brunch: Bastille Café in Miami

Salmon Omelet with Spinach and Tomatoes (No Truffle Oil)

Shared Bites: Ricotta Pancakes

Afternoon Snack: Grand Beach Hotel

½ Cuban Sandwich + Glass of Champagne

Dinner: Havana 1957

Grilled Grouper Cuban Style

Cuba Libre Rum + Coke

Shared Bites: Meat, Chicken & Shrimp Tostones

 

Day 8: Miami Beach, FL

Breakfast on the Beach

Chobani Strawberry Yogurt + Coffee

Lunch: Grand Beach Hotel

Chicken Caesar Salad (Dressing on Side)

Glass of Champagne

Dinner: Family Reunion

Paella (light light rice)

Night Out! Drinks at the Broken Shaker in South Beach!

Jack & Ginger

Dark & Stormy

Day 9: Miami Beach, FL

Brunch on the Beach

Split & Shared Chicken Caesar Salad (Dressing on Side) + ½ Grilled Mahi Mahi Sandwhch (no fries)

 

Dinner: Cecconi’s

Shared Bites: Gnocchi + Black Truffle Pizza + Agnolotti Del Plin Black Truffle Pasta

Drinks: 1 Hotel South Beach Rooftop

Sangria 

Day 10: Miami Beach, FL

Breakfast: Starbucks

Tall Skinny Café Mocha + Extra Shot + Spinach Feta Wrap

Lunch on the Beach

½ Chicken Caesar Salad (Dressing on Side)

Dinner: Shooters in Ft. Lauderdale

Shared & Split: Chicken Cobb Salad (Dressing on Side) + Grilled Mahi Mahi Tacos

Shared Bites: Chicken Pesto Flatbread

 

Day 11: MIA to LAX

Breakfast: Nativ Made at 1 Hotel South Beach

Acai Bowl

Lunch: La Carreta at MIA Airport American Airlines Terminal D

Steak Sandwich (no fries)