The Best Healthy Breakfast Ideas While Traveling

Sometimes prioritizing healthy options while traveling is hard

Here are some of my favorite tips and tricks to making healthier breakfast choices while travling or on the road!

It’s no secret I love to travel. Whether it is roadtripping to the coast or adventuring in another country, it is something we prioritize in our lives.

But sometimes it is a struggle trying to prioritize your health when traveling, while still having fun and enjoying yourself!

One area in particular that we always try to focus on is starting the day with a nutritious breakfast. I feel like breakfast is an easy meal to have on the go, or DIY, without sacrificing healthy choices. Studies show that having a protein-rich breakfast can help to stabilize your blood sugar, maintain a health weight, and regulate energy levels throughout the rest of the day. After all, it is the most important meal of the day 😜

This post dives into all the tips and tricks I have for making sure you have a nourishing, healthy breakfast to help start your day off strong.

Set Yourself Up For Health Success While Traveling

The first step when trying to prioritize healthy choices while traveling starts with planning (personally, this is my favorite part of traveling- second only to actually going)!

Where to Stay

99% of the time, we choose to stay somewhere with a kitchen and grocery shop at the start of our trip. This not only sets us up to have healthier food options throughout our trip, but we save so much money. Plus if you’re traveling with young kids- it just makes everything so much easier! No trying to coordinate meals around nap time, or entertain fussy little ones, or find something they will eat 🙃

Most of the time this looks like us staying at an Airbnb. I love having the extra space and having more cooking and household supplies than we would at a hotel! The rare times we stay at a hotel we will try to find a room with a kitchenette or at the very least a fridge and microwave. Don’t be tempted by the advertised ‘included breakfast’. At least not right away.

If a hotel room advertises an included or free breakfast, see if it is included in the estimated charges before booking. You may be paying a pretty penny for it. Sometimes this is a convenient option that is worth having if they have some good options available! Try looking at the hotel reviews on google to see some pictures of what their breakfast selection looks like, and whether you will have some healthy options to choose from.

What to Pack

The other part of intentionally preparing for a healthier travel experience is packing like a pro. This means making sure you’ve packed a few things to help support your health while you’re away. For me this looks like always packing:

• a refillable water bottle

• portable collagen powder packets for my morning coffee (a great and easy way to make sure you are getting your protein in!)

• a few healthy, portable snacks (chomps beef sticks, healthy granola bars, dried or fresh fruit, homemade trail mix are all some of my faves)

• I love these freezable lunch and snack packs. Instead of needing to pack along an ice pack, all you do is stash this foldable lunch box in the freezer and the next day is will keep everything cold while on the go!

A Few Basics for a Healthy Meal

Whether you are at home or traveling, these are a few important basics to keep in mind when trying to set up a nourishing meal or balanced snack (check out this post for 30+ blood-sugar balancing snack ideas)!

First thing, always opt for whole foods over processed ones. This means looking for things like eggs, meat, fruit, and vegetables over processed cereal bars.

Second, try making sure each meal has well-balanced macronutrients (carbs, proteins and fats), instead of making a meal of only one macro nutrient- like breakfast pastries. Not hating on pastries (i am all about enjoying myself in moderation while traveling) just try to also pair them with protein and healthy fats so that your blood sugar doesn't sky rocket and crash. Plus, making sure you incorporate proteins and fats with carbohydrates will help to ensure that you stay full for longer, and don't end up hangry a short while later.

Travel Breakfast Ideas

Now let’s jump right into some protein-rich, nutritious breakfast ideas for when you are out and about exploring. These can be breakfasts that you purchase ingredients for at a local grocery store, or order at most breakfast places!

• eggs, breakfast meat, and fresh fruit

• yogurt bowl with granola and fresh berries or fruit- opt for a greek yogurt if available, as they are usually higher in protein, or sprinkle with some chia seeds or nuts

• protein shake or smoothie - especially great if you have early morning plans and need something on the go

• breakfast sandwich

• egg bites- one of my favorite make-ahead meals! When we were in spain our airbnb had muffin tins and it made for an easy breakfast prep of egg bites! Simply line the tins with some lunch meat or bacon, crack an egg in the center, throw in some chopped veggies, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until the egg is fully cooked and you’re all set! You can pack a few with you to have on the go, or enjoy in the comfort of your airbnb.

• Avocado Toast- throw on a poached egg or sliced meat for some added protein

• Protein Bars- usually I am not a fan of protein bars as breakfast foods since most of them just don't offer you enough nutrients, or are full of preservatives and processed ingredients. But i'm all about 80/20 wellness and not letting perfect be the enemy of good.

  Here are some of my tried and true (and a bit healthier) bar options (all of these I purchase from Thrive Market):

  • Epic bars - made of high-quality meat and a great source of protein

  • Skout Organic Bars for kids

  • GoMacro Bars- literally tastes like cookies

  • Lara Bars

  • RX Bars

• Breakfast burritos- another popular item to find at a breakfast restaurant, or super easy to DIY yourself

• oatmeal with dried fruit and peanut butter- skip the brown sugar and instead opt for some added proteins and fat!

Road Trip Breakfast Ideas

One area that I struggled with for a long time while traveling was having healthy road trip meals. I feel like I always planned on just picking something up on the road either at gas stations or coffee shops, but never having healthy foods options and feeling stuck. Really a little bit of preparation goes all the way to make sure you have some healthy and easy road trip meals. And it is often a good way to eliminate some of the extra cost of traveling.

Easy Breakfast Ideas (for on the road!)

• pre-made breakfast burritos or sandwiches- maybe the best way to ensure a delicious breakfast on the road! Plus you can wrap these up and it's a low-mess option while in the car

• overnight oats in mason jars - I prefer packing a disposable spoon so I don't have messy dishes to deal with

• protein shakes

• egg bites- I love these souse vide starbucks dupes that you make in the instant pot!

Another way to make sure you have healthy road trip snacks is packing a cooler in the back with yogurts, fresh fruit, pre-made sandwiches, and cut up veggies. Then whenever your crew is hungry, you have some great options on hand for a long drive!

---

There you have it! Some of the best travel tips for meal planning and staying healthy.. and sometimes- you just need to pick up the less-healthy option and that is OKAY. Health is made up of the all of your choices, and sometimes you need to make the choice that is better for your mental health, finances, convenience or just what you have on hand. Do the best with what you can and don't lose your mind stressing about the rest.

-Kaelyn

Related Reads:

Whole 30 Breakfast Ideas

Keep Reading