Travel Nutrition For Athletes: Key Tips
Whether you’re headed to a competition, training camp, or just getting through a long travel day, staying fueled on the go can feel like a juggling act. Access to food is unpredictable, digestion gets thrown off, and it’s easy to either underfuel or overthink every bite. But nutrition doesn’t need to be perfect to be effective.
This guide breaks down how to approach travel with intention: what to plan ahead, what to pack in your bag, and what to let go of when things don’t go as expected. Because the goal is support, flexibility, and keeping your body ready to perform.
Travel and Food Safety: What Athletes Need to Know to Stay Fueled (and Not Get Sick)
Nothing derails training or competition faster than food poisoning or a stomach bug on the road. Whether you’re flying internationally or just grabbing meals between meets, food safety isn’t about being paranoid, it’s about being prepared.
This post will walk you through practical tips for avoiding foodborne illness while still eating enough to fuel your performance. From safe snacks to smart hydration strategies, you’ll get the tools to keep your gut on your side, even when the travel days get hectic.
Restaurants
If unsure about the ingredients in a particular dish, ask before ordering.
Choose restaurants that are clean and make foods fresh to order.
Order meats cooked “well done”. Fish should be opaque and flaky, not raw or smoked. Hamburger should be brown, not pink inside.
Food Storage
Put leftovers in the refrigerator right away.
Refrigerated foods MUST be kept in a refrigerator or cooler that is 40F or cooler
Reheating Leftovers
Keep hot items heated to over 140F and completely reheat leftovers up to 165F before eating
When reheating foods in the microwave, be sure to stop and stir a few times during the cooking process to evening distribute heat within the food. Food should be steaming hot.
Key Points:
Aim to eat similarly as you do at home – bring snacks for between meals, eat on new time zone, and choose sensibly at buffets.
At the grocery store, opt for commercially packaged deli meats over cold cuts from the deli case.
Buffets and salad bars are often reservoirs for bacteria, so choose freshly made, hot entrees instead.
Make sure dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cheeses are pasteurized. Choose hard cheeses such as parmesan, cheddar, and gouda over soft cheeses such as brie, camembert, and feta.
Unpasteurized beer, honey, miso, tempeh, milk products, and kombucha may contain harmful bacteria.
Read labels or ask servers about raw or undercooked eggs that may contain Salmonella. Some foods that contain raw eggs include Hollandaise sauce and Caesar salad dressing. Cook eggs until firm, not runny.
Recommended Meals and Snacks for Travel
Carbohydrate Sources
Pre-cooked or instant rice, noodles, couscous, quinoa
Instant oatmeal
Granola, muesli (higher fiber options)
Shelf-stable bread
Instant mashed potatoes
Granola bars, sports bars, fig bars
Snack crackers (graham, rice cakes, wheat)
Fruit snacks (dried, dehydrated, leathers)
Dried veggies (peas, beans)
Pureed fruit and veggie packets
Powdered sports drinks, gels, gummies
Protein Sources
Tuna, salmon, chicken packets
Tofu (shelf stable)
Jerky (turkey, beef, bison, lamb, salmon)
Edamame
Chickpea packets
Peanut or almond butter
Dried hummus mix
Nuts and seeds
Non-fat dry milk
Recovery drink mix
Protein powder (whey, soy) – NSF certified
Protein bars
Travel can challenge even the most dialed-in routines, but with the right prep, athletes can stay fueled, safe, and performance-ready. While it’s impossible to control every meal or situation, a few smart strategies go a long way in protecting your gut, keeping your energy stable, and minimizing stress. Think of travel nutrition not as a test of perfection, but as an opportunity to build resilience and consistency- wherever the season takes you.