Why it can be worth it to take food from home when you travel

I often take some food with me when I travel. Usually, it’s snack bars of various types: breakfast bars, fiber bars, protein bars, etc., and vitamin/electrolyte powdered drink mixes.  These can be used as meal replacements if need be and cover me if I’m somewhere and don’t have time or access to good food options.

This often saves me money on impulse purchases when I’m hungry, since I already have something I like with me to eat I won’t buy some readily available but unhealthy or undesirable (and often expensive) food.  And I don’t need to waste time trying to find something to eat. Less time finding food I like is more time seeing attractions.

It also means that I don’t have to worry if I don’t like the food on the plane or am hungry late or early when I don’t want to go out or little is open. I always have something I can eat.

I do however make a point to go to a grocery store in nearly everywhere I’ve visited since it is interesting to see both what is sold, and how it’s sold.  Eggs sitting on unrefrigerated shelves, cheese packed in animal skins, foods I can’t identify, and usually a staggering array of new snack and chocolate flavors to try.

Before bringing food, check the restrictions of the country you are visiting. Generally, processed foods are ok, fresh foods and anyhing containing meat are not.  Some countries limit the amount you can bring in, for example, Iceland allows each person to bring approximately 6 pounds of food in.

These are some of my favorite things to bring or pick up while traveling:

Peanut butter, jelly, and bread or crackers of some type

Cereals that can be eaten by hand – try something local

Chocolate bars and salty snacks with flavors from the country I’m in

Protein and/or fiber bars. There are many options, this is currently one of my favorites