My ultimate health habits vacation survival guide
I’ve been visiting my in-laws in Iowa for the 4th of July every year for a decade now.
It’s a nice tradition where the whole family of 15+ gets together for a whole week. But as someone who is extremely health-conscious, this is one of the most challenging weeks of the year for me. In addition to travel and being out of my routine, there’s a lot of sitting around and I don’t control what food is served or where we eat.
However, with a decade of experience under my belt, I’ve gradually developed strategies to keep me from feeling like crap and letting myself go.
In this post, I’ll share a few of them. While you probably won’t encounter the exact same situations as me, you may find yourself in similar enough ones to utilize some of these tactics.
1. Pre-trip packing
I'll bring a few items with me from home that are small, easy to pack, and make a big difference in my day-to-day health:
LMNT electrolyte packs (for first thing in the morning hydration)
Clean grass-fed beef or venison jerky (I like Paleo Valley because they taste great and they are the only brand that I know of that makes fermented beef sticks. My recent go-to is Maui Nui venison sticks. I'm planning to write an entire post about this soon.)
Gruns multivitamin in gummy bear form (good for an airplane snack and days when my nutrition is really poor)
2. Grocery haul
Upon arrival, we typically stop at Hy-Vee, the local grocery store. Here, I make a point to buy 4 things for myself:
Bananas (to start my day with something nutritious and hassle-free each morning)
Extra water (glass bottled spring water, if possible)
Caffeine-free Diet Coke (as my beverage of choice since I stopped drinking alcohol during this trip a few years ago)
Prepackaged protein shakes to make sure my intake doesn’t tank while I’m off my normal diet (Core Power or Muscle Milk are good options that contain 40+ g per bottle)
3. Restaurant choices
We eat out a lot on this trip, so it helps to have a strategy for ordering at restaurants.
Diner-style breakfast
We frequent local diners for breakfast at least a couple times per trip. It’s easy to let yourself go on sugary carbs and fatty processed meats here, so I’ve simplified my breakfast order to eggs, the leanest protein on the menu (usually ham or turkey sausage), and a side of fruit.
By sticking to eggs, meat, and fruit, I ensure my meal is protein-dominant with decent nutrients and minimal excess calories. No pancakes, biscuits, etc. I may have half a piece of rye toast, but I now ask for butter on the side after one time making the mistake of not and getting it drenched.
This is a straightforward strategy you can use at most breakfast places.
Mexican restaurant
At the local Mexican restaurant, I'll order another protein-dominant meal, like a steak rice bowl with black beans, veggies, and guac, if available. Usually, we'll order chips and queso for the table, but I'll limit that and focus more on the protein and veggies. I might even order a side of veggies, if that's an option, in addition to the steak entree.
Chinese restaurant
At the local Chinese restaurant, my order is pretty basic: chicken with broccoli and white rice and maybe an egg drop soup appetizer. I try to avoid sweet and sour type sauces and limit things like fried appetizers, wontons, and stuff like that. I just keep it relatively clean, healthy, and, again, as much protein and veggies as I can reasonably get (you're probably sensing a pattern here).
Fast food
We eat fast food at least a couple of times during this trip. Fast food is a bit trickier to navigate because healthier options are harder to come by. So for me, it's all about damage control.
I don't like ordering salads at fast food restaurants because most of them aren't very good.
At a place like McDonald's, for example, I'll order a couple of double hamburgers without ketchup, just the pickles, onions, and mustard (just order a McDouble and modify the ingredients on the touchscreen), skip the french fries (maybe steal a couple from my wife or daughter), and order a Diet Coke to drink.
If we're somewhere else that has a good grilled chicken sandwich, I might order one of those with similar modifications.
In a situation like this, it's not the healthiest meal, but considering the alternative menu options, it's relatively easy to get decent protein and avoid the really bad stuff if you just customize your order.
4. Sitting around snacking
When people are sitting around, I try to be mindful to not default to snacking on whatever everyone else is.
This is usually where I break out the provisions that I've procured for myself. I might have one of my protein shakes or a caffeine-free Diet Coke to drink.
For snacks, if I don't want to avoid eating while everybody's snacking, I might eat a piece of the jerky I brought from home. Or, if there's fruit around, I'll snack on the fruit and skip all the other stuff.
When there is grilling happening, I'll usually double up on the meat like have a couple of brats or pork chops with mustard, and skip the buns and desserts. This limits the calories and carbs significantly and still keeps me full.
Again, this is just being aware of your surroundings and what options are available.
5. Other lifestyle habits: The 3 S's
In addition to nutrition, there are a few other lifestyle habits that I try to be intentional about during this particular week. The main three that come to mind are the three S's: steps, sunlight, and sleep.
Steps
In terms of steps, I try to wake up before the clan gets going and get a nice, long 30 to 40-minute outdoor walk in. Usually, I'll just walk into town from my in-laws where we're staying, which is a couple miles, and then I'll go to the local coffee shop or meet people somewhere for breakfast.
I like getting a few thousand steps in to start my day because I know I'll probably just be sitting around for most of the rest of the day or going to a pool or playground or something like that, not being very active.
I also know I won't be doing any formal exercise like going to the gym at all. So walking is critical, and even if I'm in a situation like during the middle of the day when I'm just bored and people are sitting around or taking naps, I might go for a 15-minute walk and just make sure I'm getting some steps in, aiming for at least 8 to 10 thousand a day.
Sunlight
4th of July week is a great opportunity to get plenty of direct sunlight.
I am not afraid of the sun, so when others are sitting around in the shade or indoors, I'll go outside in the backyard, take my shirt off, go barefoot, and just sit there grounded and sunbathe or hang out near the pool with my daughter.
I used to track my sunlight exposure with an app called Dminder, which was useful in helping me gamify how much sunlight and Vitamin D I was getting. Now, I no longer use it and go more based on feel.
I'm obviously making sure I'm not spending too much time out there because I don't wear sunscreen (controversial, I know. But I've spent 3+ years learning about circadian health from the master
), so I seek shade when I feel like I need to. But even with a few hours of direct mid-day exposure in and out of the sun, I don’t burn because I've built a solar callus.I feel like I need to reiterate this: Be smart about your sun exposure.
The goal is to train yourself to get to the point where you can handle a lot of sun without burning. This takes months to years of deliberate effort, including consistent early morning sunlight exposure, progressive habitual mid-day sunbathing, practicing good circadian hygiene at night, etc.
It's akin to strength training. You don't just go in the gym and throw on 225 when you've never benched before. That's a recipe for injury. Read Zaid’s Solar Callus guide for more info on this:
Sleep
When vacationing, sleep boils down to one thing: not staying up too late.
My sleep routine is pretty straightforward. I'll just go to bed right after my daughter, around 10 pm. That way, I'm keeping a consistent bedtime that's not too different from my bedtime at home.
I'm also waking up at a consistent time, which keeps my circadian rhythm dialed in, especially when combined with the early morning and midday sunlight exposure.
Maintaining good sleep and circadian hygiene helps keep everything in balance, which is underrated for feeling good and overall immunity (I'm convinced one of the main reasons people get sick after vacation is staying up a few hours later than normal).
Recap: Your game plan for vacation survival mode
Pre-trip packing: Bring electrolytes, grass-fed beef jerky, and multivitamins
Grocery haul: Stock up on fruit, water, protein, and healthy booze alternatives
Restaurant choices: Order protein-dominant meals with veggies and avoid fried foods
Fast food: Customize orders for decent protein and do damage control as best as possible
Lifestyle habits: Focus on steps (aim for 8-10k daily), smart sunlight exposure, and consistent sleep
Remember: the key is finding balance, not perfection.
While on vacation, I focus on a handful of cues: protein-dominant meals, limit processed foods, and maintain my "three S's": steps, sunlight, and sleep. These small, intentional choices allow me to participate fully in family activities while still honoring my health values.
Whether you're visiting in-laws or taking any other type of vacation, similar principles can be adapted to your specific situation. With some preparation and mindfulness, it's possible to enjoy special occasions without completely abandoning the habits that make you feel your best.
If you’ve got your own strategy for maintaining or even improving your health habits while on vacation, reply or comment and let me know about it.
P.S.
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