Travel days can be exciting. You’re going to a new destination and can’t wait for the adventure to begin. However, they can also be exhausting and stressful. Sometimes you encounter terrible traffic or have to deal with a flat tire.
One thing you can control to keep the stress level to a minimum is what you eat.
Maybe you can’t help the construction or rainy weather, but you can choose not to eat certain foods that could ruin a travel day. Let’s dive in.
Why Should I Watch What I Eat Before a Travel Day?
As mentioned before, travel days are already exhausting. Eating foods that drain your energy even more, will leave you fatigued after a long drive. If you have to stop every hour to use the bathroom because you’ve eaten gassy foods, then you’ll make your travel day even longer.
You want to feel your best to focus and stay alert during your drive (or even during an extended flight).
Avoiding certain foods is important to your overall well-being. Let’s take a look at six types of food to avoid at all costs to ensure your travel day goes as smoothly as possible.
Pro Tip: Make driving days better for you and others on the road by avoiding these 5 RV Driving Habits That Make People Instantly Dislike You.
What Should You Not Eat Before Traveling?
It’s not just about getting a good night’s sleep before traveling. That’s essential to your physical health, but what you eat also affects how you feel and your mental focus. From fatty to spicy foods, there are certain foods you shouldn’t eat on travel days.
Fatty Foods
Fatty foods can cause heartburn, bloating, and gas because they take longer to digest. By avoiding these types of foods, you’ll create a more comfortable travel day for you and your passengers.
You won’t have to stop because you’re feeling awful, and your family won’t be upset that you have to stop so frequently.
Sugary Breakfasts
So many breakfast options are full of sugar. From cereals to bagels, these foods can wake you up and get you going in the morning but lead to a sugar crash later.
You don’t want to be driving and feeling drowsy. You might want to grab a coffee, soda, or energy drink, and those aren’t good options for travel days either. Grab a banana or orange to start your day instead.
Beans
Beans, broccoli, cabbage, apples, and other foods high in fiber sound like great healthy options. Unfortunately, you want to avoid them on travel days because they cause gas. You’ll have to stop more often to use the restroom, which will make your drive day even longer.
Passing gas in your vehicle will also make the drive day uncomfortable for your passengers. No one wants to ride in a vehicle with someone who has eaten a plate of beans that day.
Gas Station Food
Gas station food may be a convenient option on travel days, but it’s better to pack your own lunch and snacks for the road. These foods are high in sodium and fat, which can cause heartburn and bloating. You might not have to pass gas during your travel day, but you’ll still be uncomfortable.
You’ll probably be stopping more often to get out and walk around.
Spicy Mexican Food
Don’t eat spicy foods if you want to be comfortable on your travel day. These foods are notorious for creating stomach pain, discomfort, and heartburn.
By avoiding Mexican food and other spicy dishes, you’ll be able to stay on the road more often instead of having to pull off at every rest stop for a bathroom break.
Alcohol
It should be pretty clear why avoiding alcohol on a travel day is important. It’s not safe. You can endanger your passengers and other drivers if you’re not 100% focused. It also affects you physically. It can dehydrate you, which means you’ll want to drink more water.
When you drink more water, you’ll have to stop more frequently. For the sake of your mental and physical health on travel days, just don’t drink alcohol.
Pro Tip: Do your passengers want to drink while you drive?? Find out Can You Carry Open Alcohol in an RV?
What Should I Eat the Day Before I Travel?
On travel days, start with a banana or orange, or grab a cup of Greek yogurt. Bananas help combat cramps, which can occur when sitting in a confined space, like an RV, for long periods.
Greek yogurt will fill you up without all of the sugar and calories of traditional yogurt. Although many travelers lean on coffee to get them going in the morning, try drinking herbal tea instead. Coffee, with its caffeine, can dehydrate you.
Plus, some herbal teas like chamomile and lavender reduce stress. Pack some trail mix and a bottle of water for the road.
Is It Better to Travel on an Empty Stomach?
You don’t want to travel on an empty stomach. For people who get carsick, an empty stomach will exacerbate the symptoms. If you are afraid you might eat something that will cause gas, bloating, or heartburn, just grab a light snack like a banana or a few pita chips. Stay away from salty, spicy, and greasy foods, but you do want to eat something. Also, stay hydrated with water, not soda, energy drinks, or coffee.
So, when you travel, do you do a pretty good job of avoiding these types of foods? Or do you need to do better to have a more pleasant travel day experience? Drop a comment below!
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