How To Stay Keto While Traveling

It’s 2022, and the world is finally opening up to travel again. But how can you stay keto while traveling? After all, you probably won’t be cooking in your hotel room! 

The truth is, it’s not easy to stay keto on vacation. But it can be done. The tricky part is the fact that every destination is different- eating keto in New York will be a lot different from eating keto in Bangkok!  

You can take several steps to make your trip as smooth as possible: 

• Plan ahead 
• Travel to a keto friendly destination 
• Explore local grocery stores 
• Tell your server you are keto 
• Pack your own foods 
• Try fasting 
• Drink water, sleep well, and exercise 

 

Plan Ahead

 

 

If you don’t have a plan, there is a serious chance you might get hungry and find yourself scarfing down a pack of donuts at 3 AM. 

Research the local cuisine where you are going to find out what dishes you might be able to order. Countries vary in how may carbs they tend to traditionally eat. 

And consider whether there are any keto restaurants in town- they are becoming more common, especially in wealthy Western cities. But they are far from universal. 

Try to look at the restaurant menu before you arrive. That way, you can come up with a meal plan, and a back up if it doesn’t work.  

 

Travel To A Keto Friendly Destination

 

 

If you do enough research ahead of time, you might find that some places you want to visit are more keto friendly than other places. This doesn’t necessarily determine where you must go, but it could be an important factor in your overall travel decisions.  

Places vary widely in how easy it is to find keto food. While people in Japan or Korea eat lots of rice, there are dozens of actual keto restaurants in Los Angeles or San Francisco. 

 

Explore Local Groceries Stores

 

 

You may want to only eat out on vacation, but local grocery stores can provide a wealth of cheap, simple options. You don’t even need to cook. Keto-friendly nuts and vegetables can be eaten raw. Many countries also sell precooked sausage and jerky that you can eat. 

This is also a great way to get out of the tourist bubble and experience a slice of life like a local. You may even find a new keto ingredient you had never heard of before. Just make sure it actually is keto before eating! 

 

Tell Your Server You Are Keto

 

 

Not every part of the world has heard of keto yet, but if you explain your situation, your server might be able to help you out. Explain that you can’t have rice, bread, or pasta, but can eat meat and veggies.  

This could be a challenge if there’s a big language barrier, but you can probably get your point across using Google Translate. Also, you can point to another customer’s meal and request a serving of the same. 

 

Pack Your Own Foods

 
Unless you are going on a very short trip, you probably can’t pack full cooked meals. But there are plenty of keto foods you always can bring with you, including: 

 

• nuts 
• raw vegetables 
• dried meats 
• oils 

Just be sure to stick to regulations regarding food transport. And be sure to get enough protein. 

 

Try Fasting

 
If you find yourself in a situation where you can’t find anything to eat, you don’t have to eat right away. Lots of people do fasting while on keto.  

 

This can be done safely, but be very careful. Fasting can help with digestion and focus, but will add additional stress to your body. 

If you start fasting, try to plan your next meal as soon as possible. That way you won’t have to give in to cravings when they inevitably arise. 

 

Drink Water, Sleep Well, And Exercise

 

 

Thinking so much about what to eat, it’s easy to forget that food is just one part of your physical well being. You can’t maintain keto if you feel lousy all the time, and you’ll feel lousy if you don’t drink water, sleep well or exercise. 

This is especially important if you are going somewhere in a different time zone or climate. Jet lag is real. So is the blistering hot summer sun in Athens. 

Plan ahead to find time to do all this. If you are going hiking or walking around a big city, you might not need to do any extra exercise. If not, find out if your hotel has a gym or pool. 

Conclusion

 

Keto shouldn’t keep you away from your dream vacation. With enough care and planning, you can enjoy your diet and your destination. 

Be sure to keep on top of sleep, exercise, and hydration in addition to your diet. This will make everything easier for you. 

And never lose sight of why you started keto in the first place. Whether it was to lose weight or for an allergy, remembering your goals can go a long way in motivating you to stick with it.