Travel with Azure Series, Part 1: 5 Tips for How to Meal Plan, Prep, and Pack with Azure this Summer

Travel with Azure Series, Part 1:

5 Tips for How to Meal Plan, Prep, and Pack with Azure this Summer

Hello and welcome to Azure’s summer series, Travel with Azure, where we will teach you tips and tricks for maintaining a healthy diet for your family while on the road!

In this series, we’ll cover common concerns about eating well during vacation, including:

5 Tips for How to Meal Plan, Prep, and Pack with Azure this Summer
How to Use Azure’s Drop System While Traveling
Traveling with Allergies
Easy Meals to Cook While on Vacation
Experiences and Advice from Traveling Families

Whether you’re traveling to spend time with family, take a break from work, or sight-see, food is always an important part of a vacation. It can be tempting to break away from healthy habits when traveling and pull into a McDonald’s drive-thru for a quick bite. But, we all know the short-term satisfaction is met a few hours later with a stomach ache and multiple trips to the bathroom, or, depending on your family’s food restrictions, fast food might not even be an option. Regardless of whether fast food is an option for your family, Azure is here to help you maintain a healthy diet this summer, because vacation should be a break from a busy life, not a break from a healthy lifestyle. So here are…

5 Tips For Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle and Nutritious Eating Habits While Traveling this Summer:

~1. Plan in advance

One of the most important components of maintaining a healthy diet while traveling is to plan ahead!

While all families travel differently, my family finds it easiest and more economically friendly to book accommodations with a kitchen, where we can cook for ourselves, or bring a camping stove when heading into the woods. Whether you plan to eat mostly in, eat out, or a combination of both, meal planning is a key element in enjoying a pleasant, low-stress vacation experience for the whole family. I know it can sound like a great feat, but I promise it's worth taking some time before a trip to plan out the meals that best fit your family on the road. Don’t worry, half of the work has already been done for you with these easy meal ideas (below) from Azure that you can adapt to your family’s preferences!

~2. Order from Azure before and during your trip

Another way to maintain a healthy diet while traveling is to order nutritious foods and snacks from one of Azure’s 3,500+ drop locations, which you can find here. Did you know that as an Azure customer, you can join multiple drop locations to suit your travel plans? You can order both before and during your trip! This provides an easy way to maintain a consistent, healthy lifestyle while on the road. You can learn more about how to use our drop locations while traveling in our article, How to Use Azure’s Drop System While on the Road (coming SOON!)

~3. Prepare for your trip

Once you have a solid plan for what you’ll be eating while on the road, it’s time to start preparing for your trip. We’ve prepared a simple checklist to ensure you don’t forget anything. This checklist can be modified depending on whether you’re camping, staying in Airbnbs, or traveling in a van.

Checklist for Eating on the Road:

You can use our Easy Meals for the Road chart to help you plan
Account for special dietary needs like allergies and intolerances (gluten-free, dairy-free, etc.)

Shopping List

Make a shopping list of food and snacks from your meal plan

Order from Azure

Order before your trip by using our drop-pickup system
Plan and schedule your next Azure order at your vacation destination

Food prep

Pre-wash and cut fruits and vegetables to make your trip a breeze
Prepare and pack healthy snacks

Kitchen essentials

Compostable utensils (NF737)
Paper towels (NF2274)
Recyclable plastic bags (NF168)
Plastic wrap (free of BPA, PVC, and plasticizers) (NF1715)
Compostable bowls (NF743)
Compostable plates (NF747)
Reusable food containers
Compostable food waste bags (NF125)
Reusable water bottles for everyone!
Camping stove
Pack food in a large cooler
Don’t forget ice packs!

~4. Pack strategically

Once you’ve planned the food portion of your trip, it’s time to pack up your food. If you don’t already have a large cooler for the car, it’s time to invest! This is my family’s beloved YETI cooler on one of our camping trips.

We have taken our cooler all over the country, and enjoy putting stickers on it from everywhere it's been. At the end of every day, we change the ice out to ensure our food stays nice and cool during the hot summer months.

~5. Enjoy the ride!

Now that you have all your ducks in a row, or rather, kids in the car, it’s time to get going and enjoy your well-earned vacation!