Of course! Many people travel to enjoy regional foods and eat in fancy restaurants. There is a world of tastey food out there. But I'm asking a different question, about health. Can you eat well while traveling AND eat in a very healthy way?
I've been working hard to improve my healthy living since my Dec 2025 heart bypass surgery. I've really modified my diet and exercise habits, lowered by body fat, increased my lean body mass, and upped my fiber intake. A big challenge is how to travel and enjoy the delicious foods of Europe while keeping my body fat down and getting enough exercise.
In May of 2026, Kathi and I travelled to Italy for 3 weeks, then did an organized tour with Adriatic Moto Tours on the French Rivera, then I stayed for an additonal 4 weeks travelling extensively by scooter through Italy, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden. How well did I do on my goal of eating healty foods during this 2 month adventure?
I consider these three aspects of healthy habits
For me, sleep pretty much takes care of itself. It's generally relatively easy to get to bed early during a trip, and there's little pressure to get up early. Of course, sometimes you have to get up early to make a ferry, and sometimes I stay up late talking to Kathi, but generally I get a solid night of sleep almost every night and don't have trouble getting sleepy while riding.
Exercise is a problem. Getting aerobic exercise by walking a lot is easy when touring cities, but long days on a scooter can result in little time left for walking around. I try to make a point of walking at my destination whenever possible and finding opportunities for short hikes during the day.
Strength training is more problematic. There's no going to the gym. I should (but I somehow rarely do) find time to do squats, push-ups on park benches, pull-ups under a picnic table, etc. I need to make a more systematic effort of this.
Eating well is a major challenge. At home, I buy food and cook food that is exceptionally healthy. Lots of beans, very little bread, vegetable stews, big salads, omelets full of mushrooms and chilis, oatmeal with nuts and berries. These are the basics of healthy eating. But travelling involves no stored food, few cooking opportunities, and lots of eating out. Especially organized tours, the eating out is chosen for you and sometimes even the selection of menu items is made for you, or limited to 2 or 3 choices. There are creamy sauces, lovely deserts, and tiny portions of vegetables, often with butter and sauces. The trick on organized tours is to eat a healthy breakfast of oatmeal or museli with nuts and fruit, skip the pastries during the day, and eat a light dinner with just a bite or two of the desert shared with a like-minded person instead of eating a whole desert yourself.
When riding by myself, it's easier to eat better. I get food from grocery stores, and can avoid buying junk-food and can buy good, healty food where I can find it. This means fresh fruit, bags of salad, carrots, seed crackers, hummus, sardines, smoked fish, and grocery store salad bars. My weaknesses are bread and cheese and milk. I try hard to buy only dense, fiberful bread, sheep-milk cheese, and low-fat milk.
Here are some examples of good eating while traveling: