Do you dread trying to travel and maintain a healthy eating routine at the same time? Have you ever arrived at your destination and already felt the bloat of too many hours without exercise and too many grams of carbs and sodium in your system? Don’t give up!

It is possible to travel and eat healthy at the same time. Here are a few tips to help:

Plan ahead

Know where you’ll stop along the way and research your food choices at restaurants ahead of time. If any large meals or parties are on the agenda, eat light during the day to help lower your total daily intake.

Eat at Home

Start by eating a healthy breakfast or lunch at home before you ever set out. No use getting out of your routine right away. Be sure your meal is heavy on protein and light on sugar and starchy carbs.

Choose Healthy Snacks

If you stop at a convenience store, choose protein bars, bags of unsalted nuts, whole fruit or individual servings of cheese rather than a bag of chips and a package of cookies. Healthier options at convenience stores are more expensive but worth it if they allow you to have healthy snack options on hand.

Skip the Sweets

Eating breakfast at the hotel? Choose whole grain cereal with low-fat milk. Other healthy options include fresh fruit, yogurt and oatmeal. Skip the sweet rolls, muffins and sugar-laden cereal products.

Pass on the Fried Foods

When eating at a restaurant, choose lean proteins, fresh fruits and plenty of vegetables. Pass on the fried foods, pastas and breads.

Prep Healthy Snacks for the Ride

For families traveling by car with kids, get a large, divided plastic container and fill it with healthy snacks such as grapes, cubes of cheese, different kinds of nuts, a few pieces of dark chocolate, carrot sticks, veggie slices and even small fruit cups. Include whole grain crackers if needed.

Stay Hydrated

Preferably with water. Alcohol dehydrates you and can have a lot of calories. Forgo sugary and caffeinated drinks and stick with water. You’ll have fewer problems with grumpy personalities and make fewer trips to the bathroom since both caffeine and soda are known bladder irritants.

Have a Normal Meal Schedule

Try to stick to a normal meal schedule as much as possible. This can be tricky, especially if you’re traveling at night, but keeping your body on a schedule will help reduce cravings for unhealthy snacks.

Exercise

Just because you’re out of town doesn’t mean you should give up your workout routine. Schedule a daily walk or jog, or spend 20 to 30 minutes doing a body-weight circuit in your hotel room with exercises such as squats, lunges, pushups, sit ups, etc.

Know that you have a date with the scale when you get back. If you’ve packed on a couple of extra pounds on your trip, determine to get right at if and take them off before you find yourself adding any more.