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Here is a little post while a girl is on the go. I’m on my way to visit my family in Palm Springs, (SoCal). I consider myself to be pretty savvy when it comes to packing snacks and meals. But I have to admit that tonight has been a major fail. I trekked to the airport on the train right after a two hour class. I knew that I’d be in transit during dinner and even thought ahead to pack some snacks.
I packed myself a kashi granola bar, almonds, blueberries, and some sliced jicama. Normally such an array would leave me delighted, but after battling the commute and security lines, the last thing I wanted was something cleverly packed. It was 7:30, prime dinner time. I needed a glass of wine and a hot meal. I walked back and forth between three food venues. And back and forth again. I knew none if this was healthy let alone cheap. A simple Greek salad cost $10.99!!! A girl on a student’s budget was not going to shell out that kind of cash on some mediocre greens.
Alas, the airport won and I settled in at their bar and grill. I ordered a bowl of fried (yes) rice with sauteed shrimp and pineapple, AND a glass of Pinot Grigio. .
$12.99 for a plate and $7.50 for the glass of wine. ::sigh:: As soon as my “meal” arrived I laughed. It was enough rice to feed myself for a month!! Maybe the food wouldn’t be as expensive if they simply served appropriate portion sizes. I ate about 1/8 of my plate (and every last bit of shrimp) but the entire glass of wine!
It’s moments like these when I find myself outside my food Mecca bubble that is the bay area that I am most frustrated. It amplifies everything that is broken about our food system. To correct this issue at an individual level, I know I could have been slightly smarter about packing my meal. But what is to be done on a bigger scale???
What are some of your tricks for healthifying your food for travel??
What do you chose to eat at an airport?
Mouthfuls & Morsels 
Oh my! I know exactly what you are talking about. I have the same things happen. I plan all these snacks but then it gets to a point in the travel where a real meal is needed. I just traveled from North Carolina. I had snacks for the car. But then our trip was extended due to traffic. And I did not realize we would be driving during the main dinner hour. I was really hungry and needing to eat. Fast food after fast food passed by. I was not sure what I could choose to be somewhat healthy. We went to Wawa and I got a cold cut sandwich. I made sure to put lettuce, tomato, and other vegetables on my hoagie. Well, at least I tried. Airports must be the same way. McDonald’s, Burger King, Dunkin Donuts, etc. And the prices, yes they are out of control! It sounds like you did the best you could. I am not sure what else I would have been able to do. When I am out and not sure of a healthy option, I usually go for some sort of salad as well. Happy travels!
Thanks for your comment! It made me feel a lot better to know that others have the same issues when traveling! (Not that I want people to have problems, haha). You gave me an idea: sandwiches are a good option when packed with tons of veggies: THANKS!!
I always pack food when I go to the airport; I try to stick to things that will be portable and don’t have to be refrigerated (bananas, apples, PB&J on whole wheat tortilla, etc). I just cannot accept paying $10 for a sandwich and water! It drives me nuts!
Having just been in several airports recently myself (Oakland, Austin, Cincinnati, San Francisco) I can completely sympathize with your situation! One of my tricks is to always bring my empty Klean Kanteen metal water bottle with me in my carry-on luggage & fill ‘er up in the airport water fountain. That alone saves like $5 on bottled water sold in the airport that probably comes from local public water anyway! I also can relate to the general challenge of trying to find healthy & tasty foods while on the road. I just came back from almost two weeks in a car traveling with my mom and although we had some Kashi granola bars, dried fruit leather, roasted nuts, and açaí-flavored Emergen-C powder (just in case), I always felt jilted by having to eat that kind of snack food in place of hot meals. I found that I held out eating so that I could wait until we reached a stationary location where we could eat local food. I did drink the Emergen-C though as a back up to keep my vitamin count up.
All very helpful, thanks guys! 🙂