Eating While Travelling: The Delicious vs Healthy Dilemma

I love getting Chinese from Chinatown when I visit a new city!

Lauren says:

When I was young my family never ever ate takeaway. Only when we were on holidays would we splurge with fast food and then it was like a treat from the heavens. My parents explained this habit simply, our family saved money during term time (with mum as a teacher and my sister and I at school, everything revolved around the school timetable) so that we could do special things together on holidays. It made sense.

As a child, though, my body was a bit more hardy and, it seems, could cop a fair amount more ‘bad’ food. I could have Macdonald’s pancakes for breakfast and still have the energy to make it through the day, perhaps if I was really lucky getting a cheeseburger for lunch if we were on the road to somewhere. These days, give me a sugary breakfast and a heavy, fatty lunch and I turn into a cranky, listless, head-achey mess, which is no way I want to spend my time off!

My recent trip to Melbourne was one of the first ‘proper adult holidays’ I’d been on, being one of the first times I’d been away from family, which usually involves a bit more give and take over where to get meals, and not on an organised tour or trip where options can be limited. Simply put, Melbourne is a wonderful place for food. While there, it seemed I could pick cuisine from any country in the world, prices ranged from delightfully cheap to decadently expensive and I ate at both ends of the spectrum. While there, cramming my days full with touristing, shopping and culture absorbing, I noticed something very interesting about how my food intake correlated to how I was feeling.

The hotel I stayed in provided breakfast each morning, complete with lovely gluten free breads. After two pieces of spelt toast and a cup of tea I could go literally for hours before thinking about food again, full of boundless energy and feeling light, airy and cheerful. Gluten free, I began thinking, was definitely my friend. As was spelt (I had a small love affair with the spelt bread, I have to admit, though my sister hated it, choking and gagging at the thought!). Lunch would then come and something interesting would happen. One day I visited Lord of the Fries…oh yummy hot chips, how could I go wrong?! I’ll tell you how. One (small I might add) bucket of deep fried white carbs later and I was all wandering listlessly around the streets, wondering how early was too early to go back to the hotel, have a nap and then get ready for the evening.

A different day I had Chinese, beautiful Mongolian beef and fried (brown, how wonderful to be given the option!) rice packed with veges. I felt splendid for the rest of the day, not stopping for dinner until late in the evening. The difference food was making to my holiday was, though it seemed like common sense, remarkable.

A few years ago, I went on a cruise with Aleisha (best friend/housemate/travel buddy etc.) around the Pacific Islands. The thing we both remember most the cruise is the food. It was ah-ma-zing. So. Good. We still spend days reminiscing about ‘cruise food’ and the delightful way we felt during the holiday. Cruise food for us wasn’t actually all that unhealthy (though sure, you could eat a lot of it, and often a lot was a quantity that wasn’t exactly recommendable) but just well cooked, well balanced nutritious meals (with ice cream). We would have protein filled breakfasts (protein and breakfast and me are a winning energy combination), lunches that might start with a soup or salad, the main event maybe some beautifully cooked fish, and dessert fresh fruit (ha!) or ice cream (more likely for me, I’m afraid) and dinner that pretty much resembled lunch (but with more ice cream). It wasn’t what you’d call a sustainable lifetime diet, but for a week and for a treat it was perfect. It wasn’t full of added fats and grossness, there weren’t any ‘unidentifiable’ meat products, it was just nice, simple, good food.

I think the key to eating when travelling is remembering that the purpose of food is still to provide your body with nutrition. You want to feel great on a holiday, not bloaty and uncomfortable, and you can enjoy stunning food that’s going to give you plenty of energy and pizzazz (if you’re not pizazzful on a holiday, then when?) easily by being conscious about your decision making.

My parents taught me well with saving special food for special times, and when I think about it, the fast food establishment visits were far less common than the trips to local restaurants, getting fresh seafood at the beach or wonderful pizza at Biloela (if you’ve been to Biloela you’ll understand how unlikely this seemed). It’s a habit I continue to this day, hardly ever eating out and enjoying cooking more, and going to a restaurant is something that I like to keep as a treat. That all said, my parents have made a tradition of having Macdonalds in every country they possibly can (countries conquered already range from France to Oman), but what can you say, they are on holiday after all!

Ell-Leigh says:

So here’s the thing. I went on holidays recently. It was great. The sun, the sand, the food… The tummy aches. The cruise we were on offered 24 hour meal service all of which was included in the price of your cruise ticket. We dined, we drank, we were merry. But then we were hungover, we were grouchy, we had a little trouble in the digestion department.

No one wants to feel sick on holidays, and when your pipes aren’t working cause you jammed ‘em up too full, other things are going to stop working so good as well. This becomes a problem when you want to be enjoying your hike up Diamondhead Crater, or your snorkelling trip on the other side of the island without having to worry about your swollen glands, sore throat and constant headaches.

I think Gala Darling wrote that while travelling you should eat one salad a day, and I think this is very sound advice. Very sound advice that I wish I’d taken, as it happens. When you’re on a cruise ship you’re constantly in air conditioning, even while sleeping, and this can cause some serious dehydration. Add to that the lack of sleep and water you got on the plane there and you’re in for a bit of a doozey. If you drink on top of that… Well, you’d want to be making sure you drink a lot of water, and replenishing your cells with some fresh fruit and raw veggie goodness, and not the kind that’s been blended and mixed with vodka. Also, the mint at the bottom of your Mojito doesn’t count.

I know salad sucks, especially when you can’t make it the way you like it, and whenever you order it you are faced with bitter disappointment and a pile of iceburg covered in ranch. Whenever possible, at salad bars or buffets, take the opportunity to fill your plate with salad the way you like it, despite being surrounded by other delicious foods. Your tummy will thank you later.

Also, go steady on the bready. I know bread is delicious, and I know you’re on holidays, but too much bread will make you feel sick. And, if Scott Pilgrim Vs The World is correct, it will also make you fat. Chances are that you aren’t planning to come home from your marvellous holiday weighing more than when you left, and chances are further that you probably don’t want to spend more time than necessary being concerned about your visits to the ladies’/gents’, if you know what I mean. So, if you’re anything like me, and will use any excuse to dive into the break basket head first, think twice. 

So, perhaps I am just writing this to my pre-Hawaii self, wishing I’d spent more time taking photos (I really didn’t take enough photos) than the time I spent at the buffet and many restaurants during my cruise, and as a result of that, at the chemist section of the general store buying tums. But when all is said and done, what really matters in your holiday is that you have loads of fun, enjoy the company of the people you went with and remember to reapply your sunscreen every thirty minutes. If you eat a few salads and come home the same size as you left it’s really a bonus.

 

Hawaii in Review - Part One

Aloha!

As you may already know, last month I went with my family on a two-week holiday to The Rainbow State - Hawaii! The first week we spent on the Pride of America, visiting four of the different islands, and then our final week we spent in Honolulu. This post will only be about the first week, since we did way too much to fit into just one post.

Maui
The first day we were in the butt (we called it “the butt” as homage to the scene in Finding Nemo where they call the boat a butt. We’re mature like that.) we spent most of the day on board. Stevie and I hit up a hula aerobics class in the gym, which was super funsies, then proceeded to swim in the pool, laze around slovenly-ly and eat lots of delicious food - the locals don’t call that ship the SS All You Can Eat for nothing. On our second day in Maui we visited the Iao Valley State Park and saw the Iao Needle. It was a beautiful day and it was great to spend some time out in the sunshine in nature.

Hilo
In Hilo we went on a helicopter tour, which, due to the earthquake a few weeks earlier, was a little lame, as there was absolutely no lava action at all. This was especially disappointing for my youngest sister, who is obsessed with volcanoes. The closest we got was a puff of smoke that we flew through. As this was my first time on a helicopter and I was in the front seat and in charge of the emergency pull door handle I was quite nervous and couldn’t feel my hands when I hopped off due to how tightly I was holding the video camera and the hand hold. That afternoon we headed over to a beach near where the ship had docked for a stroll - much more relaxing than the first part of the day.

Our ship from the Kona Canoe Club

Kona

That's me with a seahorse! I LOVE SEAHORSES.

The next place we stopped was Kona. My parents had raved about Kona from their last trip to Hawaii, and so I was looking forward to going there was seeing what the fuss was about. We spent the morning at The Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm where we got to go into the world’s only Paternity Ward (hrrhrr) and hold a seahorse (well, you get to have your finger held by a seahorse). This was incredibly awesome, and really interesting to hear about how their work is helping to save our oceans. We lunched and shopped in Kona down near the harbor, and feasted on what my Dad considers the best Spare Ribs in the World, from Kona Canoe Club. My Dad befriended the owner and got a round of free shots for the over 21s (I didn’t partake as I hadn’t been feeling too crash-hot – faulty sea-legs) and we shopped the afternoon away.

Kuwai'i
The two days (I typed weeks first, oh, how I wish I could stay there for two weeks!) I spent in Kuwai’i were definitely my favourites. We spent the first day on a tour of all of the major sights and beautiful scenery… and the wild chickens. In Kuwai’i there aren’t any wild animals (like the mongoose which live on the other islands) which prey on the chickens, so they run loose, crowing whenever they like (since they don’t roost) and generally running amock, chicken style. The tour guide we had on this day warned us that they could smell fear, but they were really very harmless, and we were told that by law, any chicken we took photos of had to come home with us… If it had been true I would have been in trouble, cause I took SO many photos of the chickens…

So many chickens!

That night we went to the incredible Lu’au Kalamaku. For those who don’t know, a Lu’au is basically a huge party where Hulas are performed and traditional food like poi and kalua pig is served. This one was a little different; where at a “regular” Lu’au a number of hulas are performed one after another without any particular through-line, this one followed the story of a father leaving his daughter to migrate to the Hawaiian islands, with a Cirque Du Soliel feel. The fire twirlers were breathtaking and incredible, and the whole performance was really enjoyable and beautiful. And the food was great too!

The second day my Mum and I got up early to take a Movie Tour of the island. I have to say, the tour guides we had in Kuwai’i were charming and funny which added to the experience. On this day we visited a number places which had served as locations for movies like Jurassic Park, Six Days Seven nights, Blue Hawaii, that musical where they sing that “Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair” and many, many others. And I got to see Ben Stiller’s house, or at least the one that he lives in when he’s in Hawaii (it was from pretty far away, but still one of the coolest things I’ve done in my life… Bar none. Ben Stiller is awesome.)

Next week I’ll be posting the second half of my adventures, so stay tuned!

On Planning and Packing

Packing is important; don't get it wrong.
Image here.

Holidays can be a tricky business. As much as imagining long, languorous, stress free holidays is what a lot of us spend a fair portion of our time indulging in, it’s fair to say that the common experience of holidays isn’t always so pleasant.

I’m no expert on holidays, but I have done my share of trekking to both local and more far flung locations. Today I’ve put together two lists of my favourite tips for both planning and packing for a holiday, because sometimes it’s all in the prep.

Image originally from Vogue Italia, found here.

Planning

Planning a holiday is a very personal process and we all go about it different ways. Some people, myself included, like to be completely in control and across all the details before they leave. Others prefer to leave things up to chance and give themselves room to be more spontaneous. As with all things in life, there is no one right way to plan a holiday, but here are some tips to hopefully keep you organised and stress free while still having an adventure and exercising some impulsivity.

1. Be realistic about your decisions: You always need to think seriously about the big and important factors of your holiday and you need to make sure that you’re thinking about these things realistically. Consider where you’re going, who with, how you’re getting there and what you plan to do, and make sure that the conditions tied to each of these match up to your expectations for the trip. The number one thing that causes a holiday to be a let down is the dream holiday you take in your head before you even set foot out the door, to which no real experience can match up. If you’re going away with a friend who only likes to party, well, keep in mind that they might not be up early every morning to go sightseeing with you. If you’re heading along to a wintery wonderland, packing your slinkiest, sexy outfits for day to day wear because you’ve envisioned yourself having a wicked fling with a foreigner may only end in frostbite. There will be luggage weight restrictions, less than ideal weather conditions and jetlag to contend with, but knowing the ramifications of your holiday choices will mean you are prepared for them when they come along and they won’t ruin your picture perfect holiday dreams.

2. Plan to be unplanned: If you’re like me, it can be very easy to quickly allot time and schedule it away on every day of your holiday. While planning can be useful, it’s important to keep some free time for spur of the moment activities. Especially if you’re headed somewhere new, you’re bound to come across exciting options you hadn’t known about before you arrived, and it’s unpleasant to have to try and ‘work something in’ on your schedule when you’re on holidays. Isn’t the insane busyness and time restrictions what we’re trying to take a break from on holiday, after all?

3. Do your research: That said, I find it best to head somewhere with a solid idea of the place, people and things I might like to do. Finding out what major religions and political groups operate in the area you are visiting is practical and will assist you in not overstepping cultural and legal boundaries. If you are going somewhere where the spoken language is different to yours, pick up a dictionary and have a go at learning a few phrases. Not only is it heartening for the locals to see a tourist who has invested some time and effort, but being able to ask for directions to toilets, order food and find out prices can be a big time saver. Also, make sure you know the currency conversion rates between your normal money and what you’re spending while you’re away. While paying 1000Yen for a meal in Japan is perfectly reasonable, spending 1000euro is extreme!

4. Plan to enjoy yourself: Surely we all know by now that going in to anything with a negative attitude is guaranteed to bring the whole experience down, right? Why then do I still see so many people at airports sighing when the line is long, whinging on the train that the hotel probably has muddled the reservations or walking down the street complaining that ‘the food here sucks’. Have a negative attitude and expect a crappy holiday and your mind will tune itself in to finding all the signs that you are correct, and the holiday you experience will be hell. You create the world around you with the world in your mind, people, so why not make holidays the time to practise working with a new, positive mindset. Look for the signs that you’re having an awesome time and trust me, they’ll be there.

Image by Chrissie White

Packing

1. Know what’s going on: It’s really difficult to pack for a holiday if you haven’t planned one, so firstly make sure you’ve read the above planning section and have a clue as to what your holiday might entail. Think about the weather you might encounter, whether you’ll be partaking in outdoor or indoor activities, what kind of shoes you’ll require and how you want to look and feel.

2. Take your time: Everyone knows that leaving holiday packing to the last minute will astronomically increase your chances of encountering an ‘I bought fifteen t-shirts but no pyjamas or underwear’ type situation. For longer holidays, I like to stick a post-it note or two to my desk about three weeks before I leave, and gradually jot down the things I want to take with me as they come to mind. Before I put anything in my suitcase, before I even get the suitcase out in fact, I make sure that what’s on the list fits in with my plans, and will coordinate with other items, because taking three shirts you can’t wear with any of your skirts or pants is just a waste baggage weight. Ask people who have done some travelling what the number one thing they would always pack would be, and think about whether you should include that too. I always pack a spare plastic shopping bag; just in case I need to transport any wet swimmers or towels or rained on clothes or dirty shoes. I know my mum always takes her little book light so she can read whenever she wants, and my sister recently purchased a remarkably tiny and comfortable self-inflating mattress that makes any camping or unforseen lack of accommodation a much more pleasant experience.

3. Theme it: When you think about it, there’s usually a reason that you’re going on a holiday, and it impacts where you’re going, who with, for how long and the emotions you have connected to the trip. For many young people heading overseas their holiday is their first real taste of independence and adventure. Some people will head away after a breakup or a marriage breakdown and might want some quiet time alone, or to do the opposite and let of some steam and go a little crazy. Some go away for career advancement, some to celebrate a birthday, some just to get away from their normal lives for a little. Whatever your reason for taking a holiday, make sure you pack clothes and items that are appropriate and that will encourage you to live out your desires. There’s no point in going away to Spain looking for a Mediterranean romance and taking your daggy home clothes that make you feel like a lumpy couch cushion, is there?

As I said, there’s no right way to holiday and I certainly don’t know it all. The most important thing is that what you’re doing makes you happy, because that is the point of a holiday after all! So if planning dates and packing lists is stressing you out, I say to hell with it; book a plane ticket at the beginning and end and leave the rest up to chance until you get there. Your holiday should allow you to get a little bit more in tune with yourself, enjoy what you experience and refresh your perspective, so above all else make sure you’re doing what feels right for you.