Food for travelling with work?

[BiddyPop]

Hi all,

I'm hoping that some of the seasoned business travellers may have some ideas that I am missing for eating on the move.

I am used to long hours and keeping apples, mandarins and nuts (and a sneaky pack of biscuits) in my desk at work to keep me going. And some cup-a-soups for really bad days I don't stop.

But meetings abroad are starting back in person and the role I'm in now means I am likely to be away at least monthly for 1 night (home late the 2nd night). I don't want to always go out to eat and sometimes the only thing possible is horrible expensive airport burgers or cake. And as I have 3 stone (at least) to lose, that's not good. I find it quite hard to get fresh fruit and veg while travelling.

The hotels I stay in generally have a kettle in the room (1 only has nespresso machine but I can get hot water from it) but no microwave. And I am flying there so can't bring tins or anything wet. No microwave or cooker.

Other than a spare cup-a-soup, are there other ideas I could have to avoid the restaurants. Bonus points for healthy options.

And does anyone know good places to order small packs of nuts (almonds, hazelnuts or peanuts are my mainstays) or snack mixes? The only place I see small ones is in the airports.

Ideally, I am looking to get my eating options streamlined and organised like I have my travel toiletries (clear zipped liquids and zipped powders/brushes pouches) and my meds (zipped fabric pouch) that I can refill on my returns ready to grab and go when my next trip looms - as some are very short notice.

Thanks in advance,
Travelling Biddy

Most of the supermarkets have small pots of nuts, my DH keeps pots of almonds from Tesco in his work bag. Also look at the Graze range, available in supermarkets or Boots.

Decant large bags of nuts into small reusable containers or washable ziplock bags - way way cheaper, better for the environment and you can make up a nut blend that you favour.
Order fruit or salad platter from the hotel to your room?
Pack jerky for protein?
Pack the small tuna lunches - I'm sure they can go on as hand luggage?
You can travel with food so perhaps a few bananas and apples in your handbag -

I've taken the instant porridge pots before, the ones that just need a kettle.

If there are shops there will be tinned tuna and you can put some mayo sachets in your liquids bag.

Tesco have started doing lots of different little packets of nuts like this. I bought some to keep in the car.

@BiddyPop where abroad are you going? That may influence some of my and other people's answers.

I’ll just extend my 16:8 to a up to 86 hours fasting if travelling and the food doesn’t work for me.

Hi Jings, it's mostly Brussels but some other European capitals as well.

In Brussels, I am sometimes in early enough to get to a Delhaize shop near the hotel but not always.

Pot noodle?

soup in a flask that stays hot for hours?

you can take liquid through some airports now

If you have a local Japanese/Asian shop take a look at their selection of dried noodle pots. More interesting than the usual supermarket ones.

I travel a lot with work and do slimming world. I take with me:
A packet of ryvita
A bag of babybels (don't need refrigerating for a few days)
A Tupperware
A bag of clementines
A tub of chia seeds
Nobody has ever stopped me or removed any.

Then when I arrive I buy soft fruit eg raspberries and a pot of skyr yoghurt. Have a tub of yoghurt, chia seeds and fruit for breakfast, ryvita/clems and baby bel for lunch, and the lightest thing on the menu for dinner. It's clearly not a problem to access fruit and veg in Brussels, is it more you can't find a shop? Can anyone where you're working help you?

Or just take them from the breakfast buffet then I have a little picnic.

Is there a reason why you want to buy expensive individual packets of nuts instead of much better value big ones that you can decant at home in advance of your trip?

My key question would be where are you eating? Are you eating lunch at a desk in a conference room, in front of other people, or are we talking about dinner alone in the hotel room?

What are you eating for lunch during the working day?

Presumably you're having a hotel breakfast? My suggestion would be to make sure that the breakfast is heavy on protein and light in carbs, so not too much bread, avoid the pastries and zero in on eggs, cheese and cold meats.

For a bearable light hotel dinner I'd go with something like a couple of dark ryvita topped with ham, cheese and cucumber, which you should be able to buy in any corner shop.

Cup a soup is pretty grim and nutritionally valueless, it is just salty and will make you feel thirsty and more hungry.

There are no European capitals where it’s hard to buy fresh fruit.

I assume you are staying in large hotels so you can order grilled meat / fish / omelette with salad or vegetables, either in the restaurant or room service.

Or go out and buy a ready made salad and cold meat / cheese in a local shop.

Or have something delivered.

Most European hotels have meat / cheese / eggs / fruits at breakfast.

My SIL takes a compact airfyer with her when she's travelling. She has a very restricted diet.

I travel in North America. I don’t have much time so I have the hotel kitchens prepare fresh veggies for me. It’s not cheap but I don’t have the time or capacity to headache it.

When it’s just veg and off menu, it’s normally less expensive than you realize. I pay about $15 for a big plate of veggies. It’s when I have fish and chicken prepared that it gets expensive. I also keep a protein bar in my bag.

On a separate note, if you are trying to lose weight, go easy on the nuts. So many calories and they only fill me up when combined with high fiber foods.

@BiddyPop ah that's funny, I used to live in Brussels actually! 😂 I'm also familiar with some of the EU quarters because we used to live around there before moving to a more interesting section.

Because I'm T2 diabetic, I also tend to travel with a lot of food, enough to cobble together a hotel snack-y dinner if need be. Here's what I tend to have with me depending on the trip - also balancing fat, protein, and a bit of sugar if I need the blood sugar boost:

• oatcakes - they're filling combined w/the cheese below
• hard-ish cheese that can last outside the fridge for a while: Edam, Babybels, cheddar, Cantal, Gruyere, etc.
• meat that's safe out of the fridge for a bit - salami, jerky, etc.
• nut bars like Kind Bars - they're high protein and fiber but low sugar
• bulk bags of nuts like cashews or almonds
• portable fruit that won't be crushed like clementines or plums
• sometimes an avocado because that will give a nice fiber and fullness boost
• water bottle to fill up or I just buy plastic ones in stations

If I can get soft fruit like berries once I arrive at my destination, I jump at the chance because I prefer those much more. Also, I'd grab a greek yoghurt and/or a salad as well. If they have them in the Delhaize or Carrefour in Brussels or Paris, then I also buy precooked rotisserie in the fridge section. See the pictures attached below. They're called De Gaulois and they make either breast of leg quarters. I gnaw on those with a supermarket salad, fruit, nuts, yoghurt, etc. to make a hotel room dinner a lot.

I tend to take enough to last me on the train/plane as well as while I'm actually away traveling. If you can put together a Lunchables like box of food so you use that as a snack box.

If you let me know which area you're staying in (either on the thread or via PM) I can possibly make some recommendations for you.

Pot noodles. But I honestly eat out when I'm travelling abroad. It's far more "acceptable,,," dining by yourself. Abroad.

If I don't fancy eating out. I buy a salad to take away and eat in my room or get a delivery from glovo or deliveroo

Just be aware one of the side effects of brexit is restrictions on what food can be taken into the EU. From memory dairy and meat are forbidden.

But some good ideas here if you can only manage a single shop.

Amazon will do bulk orders of small-sized packaged snacks like nuts. They are expensive though!

As for fresh fruit, just grab an extra piece (or two) from the hotel breakfast buffet to take with you. They won't care.

So I'm the person that orders salad in McDonald's is that outing I wonder?

Anyway - at a push a Maccy Ds grilled chicken wrap is better than a lot of cafe food.

Could you look for ethnic restaurants and order something with plenty of veg?

You know that McDonald’s salad is soaked in chlorine and water to kill germs then sprayed with chemicals to keep it looking fresh? I’d rather starve tbh

Isn't all bagged salad washed in chlorine? Including that used in most restaurants?

Starbucks egg bites are good for breakfast in the airport, they've started doing them here now.

There aren't many places where you can't get a take out salad / noodle bowl / pho or just deliceroo to the hotel.

I have a couple of similar trips planned and have already sussed out what the cafe/shop options (and opening times) are in Arrivals when I land, so I can buy a sandwich/salad/whatever to take to my hotel room for supper. Will pop a foldable bag in my cabin bag to transport my tea to my room without risking raised eyebrows in hotel reception :)

But I always travel with dried fruit as well as nuts. Am also eyeing up things like this which don't need refrigerating and can be eaten cold www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/262331092

Take one meal with me to eat at airport (not too wet). Fast to arrive. I take oats and when I get there buy fruit and yoghurt and make overnight oats. I take nuts, cheese (baby bel). Steal fruit from meetings. Buy salads from the corner shop. Take teabags (fruit tea!). Order salads at restaurants.