{"id":11979,"date":"2010-09-08T14:35:35","date_gmt":"2010-09-08T18:35:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/foodembrace.com\/?p=11979"},"modified":"2010-09-09T22:09:26","modified_gmt":"2010-09-10T02:09:26","slug":"traveling-tips-stay-happy-and-healthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/2010\/09\/traveling-tips-stay-happy-and-healthy\/","title":{"rendered":"Traveling Tips: Stay Happy and Healthy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>It’s a big week here at the HQ because I’m getting ready to leave for Atlanta this weekend.\u00a0 Hooray!\u00a0 I’m going to the Food Blog Forum’s conference<\/a> where I will learn lots of stuff and share all the goodness with you!\u00a0 This picture to the left is actually from last year’s big trip to San Francisco where I attended another foodie event.<\/p>\n

I’m just trying to expand my knowledge y’all! ;)<\/p>\n

If you are anything like me, then planning for a trip starts way before you actually leave for the trip.\u00a0 The past few weeks, that is all that has been on my mind and I have been taking care of things both blogwise and on the home-front in order to be prepared for the trip.<\/p>\n

I am an organizational fiend and I love having everything done and taken care of.\u00a0 It helps keep the stress levels down to a minimum and helps ensure that the trip runs as smoothly as possible.\u00a0 Both for me and my two boys that I’m leaving behind for a few days.<\/p>\n

These are tips and tricks that work for me and help keep me on the right track!<\/p>\n

Make a To-Do List and Make Multiple Ones:<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am a HUGE list maker.\u00a0 I need to have tasks right in front of me so that I know what I’m doing and what needs done.\u00a0 Without lists I’m sort of left flailing about and hoping for the best.\u00a0 Making to-do lists and having multiple ones keeps me on track.\u00a0 For example, for this trip I have the following lists:<\/p>\n

Things to Take To Atlanta<\/em>: which is broken up into different categories such as, Personal (can’t forget clean undies!), Technical (don’t forget those power-cords), and Miscellaneous (paperwork, pens, etc.).<\/p>\n

Blog Things To-Do:<\/em> Getting things lined up here so that my dearest readers have something to be entertained with while I am off enriching my mind.<\/p>\n

House Stuff:<\/em> Which includes things related to getting the house organized and getting Scott organized.\u00a0 I love him but sometimes he needs a little direction.<\/p>\n

You might think that keeping track of multiple to-do lists seems like even more work but I’m here to tell you that it keeps things neat and tidy.\u00a0 Otherwise you might have “back up batteries” written down randomly somewhere and you have no idea why so you pass over it.\u00a0 Then you get to your destination and your camera dies.\u00a0 Oh right, those would be handy about now.<\/p>\n

By breaking things up into multiple lists and then multiple categories, it’s easier to keep track of what you will need and exactly for what purpose.\u00a0 You can check things off as you go along and have peace of mind that you won’t forget anything.<\/p>\n

Google can come in really handy at this point.\u00a0 You can create a Google Calendar that is specific to your trip and planning for that.\u00a0 You can share it with a spouse, friend, or significant other so that they are updated on the schedule too if they are responsible for perhaps taking you to and picking you up from the airport.\u00a0 You can even share a Google Calendar with multiple people which can be convenient if perhaps you are planning a family trip and need several people to be on the same page at the same time.<\/p>\n

Inside of that you can create to-do lists via Google Tasks (here’s more info on that<\/a>).\u00a0 This can either appear as a list on the side of the calendar or you can give each task a due date and incorporate it right into the calendar itself.\u00a0 If you do that, and your calendar is synced up with your smartphone (If you don’t have a smartphone, you need one.\u00a0 That is another post for another time.), you will get notifications sent to your phone to remind you of events.<\/p>\n

Handy, right?<\/p>\n

Google Calendar helps me keep track of things that I have going on and since I can put it into “month” view, I can see the whole month at one time.\u00a0 I also like having a desk calendar that I can access as well but with Google, I have the opportunity to check it from any computer and from my phone along with sharing the information with Scott.\u00a0 This is extremely helpful in keeping us on task!<\/p>\n

Plan Out Your Week:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The week leading up to the trip can be really stressful if you don’t have a set plan of action. This goes along with the above tip of creating lists.\u00a0 If you have a set list of things that need to get done each day, it will make the week leading up to the trip a lot less stressful.\u00a0 Try and get everything major that needs accomplished done at least two days prior to leaving. <\/strong><\/p>\n

This will give you at least two days of tying up loose ends or things that you might have forgotten about along with being able to spend time with loved ones before leaving.\u00a0 No one wants to be rush rushing around last minute.\u00a0 It’s better on everyone involved to be as relaxed as possible.<\/p>\n

Meal Plan:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even if you don’t normally create a meal plan for each week, having one in place for the week leading up to your trip will save you a ton of headache and keep you from eating junk.\u00a0 If you can prep things ahead so that you only have to assemble or heat something up, you will appreciate that extra time a lot!<\/p>\n

With your mind going a mile a minute dealing with other things, the last thing you want is to worry about what you are doing for dinner.\u00a0 If you meal plan, then when it’s time to start supper, you know exactly what is going on.\u00a0 You’ll know when you should get started assembling it and you will be able to have a better picture of how the rest of the day is going to play out.\u00a0 Plus taking a break for a great homecooked meal will feel a lot more satisfying then ordering out or heating up some sodium-laden microwave meal.<\/p>\n

Make meals that are easy and nutritious!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Egg sandwiches are a fast and easy thing to put together!\u00a0 Ours were on top of whole wheat pitas with:<\/p>\n