Healthy on the Road :: Biz Travel & Eating

[Happy Canada Day! Today I'm in Canada's Capital for the occasion. I'll post pictures Monday] The Business of Eating Healthy for Business Travel Eating nutritiously while traveling may seem like an impossible challenge, especially for you business travelers out there. If you’re travelling for pleasure, indulging in less-than-balanced cuisine may be just the treat you were looking forward to, so enjoy, but try to be mindful to enjoy in moderation. However, for the business traveler who is regularly on the road, it’s much, much more important to have a plan of attack.

Lack of Routine Lack of routine is a huge culprit here. For the business traveller, it’s often numerous meetings, hurriedly navigating an unfamiliar city, grabbing whatever food is convenient or dining clients with rich foods and drinks.

How to Avoid Nutrition Traps on your Travels Eat Healthy When Eating Out You don’t have to order steak just because you’re at a steak house! Your heart will thank you for it. Learn to choose healthier menu choices while still enjoying great tasting food. Some tips:

• Look for the entrées that are described as: grilled, baked, steamed, or broiled.
• Avoid dishes that are fried, sautéed, crispy, rich, and au gratin. These are code words for high in fat.

Beware of Fast Food In fact, try to avoid it all cost. Time constraints make this “cuisine” all too appealing, but try to find alternatives as often as possible.  If you absolutely must eat fast food, here are some tips:

• Opt for smaller portion sizes.
• Choose healthier side items such as salads instead of fries.
• Drink water instead of pop.
• Skip heavy condiments such as mayonnaise, bacon and dressing that add extra calories.

Watch What you Drink A glass of wine with dinner is a reasonable expectation for most, but it's the calories in the pre and post-dinner drinks that can put you over the top. Being in a foreign city, travelers often have no where left to go at the end of a day, which means dinner and drinks can stretch on for hours. Some tips:

• Avoid those pre-dinner cocktails or post-dinner binges
• Space Your Drinks: alternate a drink of water, juice or soda between your alcoholic beverages to limit your consumption.

Eat Breakfast Most people give a variety of reasons for not eating breakfast. A common reason is that they are not hungry in the morning, which is usually a result of eating a full meal late in the evening or late snacking. Whatever your reason for not having time for breakfast, change it!  Starting with a good breakfast boosts your energy and readiness for the day ahead. Skipping breakfast causes low blood sugar, low energy, and decreased work productivity.  Some tips:

• Try having some fruit, healthy bars, or small pots of yogurt on-hand for a quick breakfast on the go.
• Avoid relying on those unhealthy pastries awaiting you at your conference or meeting.
• If you are trying squeeze in some extra work pre-meeting, multitask and do work at breakfast.

Be sure to check out previous Healthy on the Road posts to learn more about the advantages of being of being active while traveling, as well as the health benefits of eating well on the road.  Healthy on the Road posts are published on the first Thursday of every month and written by our resident health consultant, Leah Munday, owner of OTfit.ca.

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[photo by UggBoy]

My Own Backyard

[trip style = sightseeing]

A Taster Today I'm leaving Vancouver on  jetplane. My two week get-to-know-my-own-backyard trip will take me to Ottawa, Montreal, Moncton, St. Andrews by the Sea, Halifax and Charlottetown.  Although this whirlwind adventure doesn't even get me close to exploring all the wonders of Canada's East Coast, at least it's a start, a taster per se.

No Passport Required Traveling sans passport is weird, yet refreshing. The last time I was in Eastern Canada (not including airport visits) it was 1992 and I was in grade 7. I went with my French Immersion class on a trip to Quebec.  It was a cool -25 degrees celcius, and the St. Lawrence River--or fleuve Saint-Laurent--was partially frozen.  My french class stayed in a dumpy hostel in the shadow of the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac (really?) and given the absence of my parents, I may have eaten McDonald's every day for lunch.  Both my lodging preferences and eating habits have changed since then.

Why am I going? Since most of the travel I do is international, I want to be able to tell people more about my own country, not just the small pockets I've visited to date. It's semi embarrassing when I meet tourists who've seen more of the country that put the North in North America than I have, but it's a big place. It's the second largest country in the world with a population similar to California's.  Speaking of California, ironically, last time I was there my friend pointed out George Stroumboulopoulos (Canada's famed late-night, gen-X talk show host). The fact is I'm proud to be Canadian, so I want to visit more of this mammoth land mass and meet more of my neighbours before I venture off to foreign soil again.

Ottawa for Canada Day One event I'm super excited about is participating in the Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa (Canada's Capital). I think it's kind of a propos--something I can check off my life list or that would my make my grade 4 teacher proud. For as long as I can remember, I've always watched Canada Day celebrations on CBC. The colours that stood out were red, white and green. Red for the mounties in uniform leading their horses in formation; 'white' for the Parliament buildings and Steven Harper's hair (and I mean no disrespect, running this country has got to be stressful, especially in light of the recent G20 rukus) and green for grass where the horses march and the parliament buildings sit.  I'll get to see all this with friends who live in Ottawa! Bonus.

How am I going I booked this trip using Air Canada Aeroplan miles.  Twenty five thousand miles plus $125 in taxes got me an economy ticket from Vancouver to Moncton with a week stop-over in Ottawa.  My husband and I wanted to fly as far as we could within our domestic points allowance to maximize the opportunity.  So, we're going coast to coast.

Although I'm an enthusiastic ambassador for Canada, I don't feel totally authentic in that self-imposed role, not yet at least. I have so much more to see: the 100,000+ lakes in Saskatchewan, Toronto in its cosmopolitan glory, Ontario's Muskoka region where all the design mags' editors have cottages, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut, The Northwest Territories and so on.  Canada, I promise to see more of you in the future.  It's not you, it's me.

PS - research shows that people scan the written word, but pay special attention to the PS line, so, if you're more of a picture than word person, I'll post pics along the way.

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[photo by Steph & Adam]

Travel Apps :: Epicurious

Travel and food go together like savoring a croissant and petite cafe in Paris. It's just meant to be.  I can't even think of a destination I've visited without salivating as I remember it's food---unless that destination is Venice. Just ask Rachel Ray, who before her talk show and magazine fame, combed the globe eating in international hotspots for only $40 A Day. Coming to you from the geniuses at Conde Nast, the epicurious recipe app helps you reconnect with "that" pasta you savored in Tuscany or "that" tres leches cake from Cabo.

Epicurious App Details

• free
• works with iPhone, iTouch, iPad and Android (no word on if/when it will be available for Blackberry)
• 28,000 professionally tested recipes from renowned magazines such as Bon Appetit and Gourmet, popular cookbooks, top chefs and leading restaurants
• browse recipe collections from "Weeknight Dinners" to "Cool Cocktails"
• search food or drink recipes by keyword, or swipe through icons to filter by what's in your fridge, what's healthy, what's in season, and more.
• access hundreds of thousands of recipe ratings and reviews from Epicurious members
• like what you see? save the recipe to your personal Favorites list
• take it to the grocery store with interactive shopping lists that let you check off items as you find them at the store
• email "that" madeleine recipe you cherished in Paris to your friend in San Fran

Other Travel Apps we’ve Reviewed

• BorderWait
• OpenWays
• TripIt
• Trip Advisor
• StayHIP
• Trip Journal
• Bug Spray
• CameraBag
• Convert Everything
• GateGuru
• Kindle for iPhone
• Packing Pro
• Skype
• World Fact Book
• AAA/CAA Savings
• Royal Caribbean
• Medical Concierge
• Tourism British Columbia :: Near Me BC
• Postman Postcard
• 2010 Guide
• Nat’l Geo World Atlas
• hostelworld.com
• kayak first class
• flight control (game)

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Whistler :: Live High. Pay Low.

[trip style = weekend getaway]  [more pics below]

Whistler In The Summer There's nothing like summer in Whistler---other than epic winters, quiet autumns and fresh springs.  Admittedly, I love all seasons at the world famous mountains. Attracting summer outdoor enthusiasts locally and from around the world, the resort town an hour and a half from Vancouver swells---both in temperature and population---every summer with bbq's a blazin', bikes a downhillin', hikers a climbin' and foodies a tastin.' In fact, thanks to a fishing resort opening in 1914 that has since closed, Whistler was a summer destination long before it was the number one ski resort in North America. Locals always laugh at the truth of the expression "I came to Whistler for the winter but stayed for the summer.”

Live Like a High-Roller, Pay Like a Local Being a well known resort and home of the 2010 Olympic Winter games means Whistler caters to the luxury seeking spenders and the low-key savers, but the best part about the town of 10,000 is the summer season affords both lifestyles. Here's how to live like a high-roller for locals prices:

Do

• Golf
  • Whistler: Yes, you can pay around $195 to golf at any of the 3 highly acclaimed golf courses in Whistler, or you can play smart and take part in the Fairmont course's Wednesday Date Night where approx. $99 includes golf after 3pm and dinner for two people.
  • Pemberton: Just a half hour from Whistler, Pemberton has 2 courses that offer just as breathtaking scenery and level of play for a fraction of the price. Play an executive course or a full round at Big Sky or The Meadows from $25. [pic of Big Sky below]
• Hike
  • Whether you take the Whistler gondola or the Blackcomb chairlifts up to either mountain, the hiking is breathtaking. Summer lift tickets can be purchased online for $39.95. If you'd rather hike for free, check out the Cougar Mountain trail (8km round trip) near Whistler, the Garibaldi Lake trail (approx 21km round trip) 20 minutes outside of Whistler or the extensive village trail system.
• Lake
  • Whistler's lakes offer a natural air conditioning from the summer's heat. Lost Lake and Alta Lake feature multiple parks and beaches with gradual water entry.
• Drift
  • Floating down Whistler's gentle-flowing River of Golden Dreams is a fun activity the whole family can enjoy. Many first-timers choose a canoe or kayak as their transportation of choice, whereas the seasoned drifters prefer inner tubes.
• Spa
  • Whistler has a lot of spas---it comes with the resort territory---but none are as unique and beautiful as the newly opened Scandinave Spa. Popular with men, ladies, couples and singles, Scandinave's bathing ritual combining hot-cold-relax repeat, hot-cold-relax repeat, is both healing and rejuvenating. It's easy to spend 2+ hours rotating between the sauna, cold plunge pools, relaxation rooms, outdoor chairs, hot tubs and eucalyptus steam room, all while staring into the distance at snow-capped peaks. Mineral baths from $58. Don't miss the 9am massage specials. [see pics below]

Eat

• Fairmont
  • Every Friday in the summer (and sometimes the fall), the Fairmont Chateau Whistler presents Fairmont Fridays where the Mallard Lounge offers a $5 beer option, a $5 cocktail option, free appetizers from 5.30-6.30pm and live music.
• Four Seasons
  • Right now the Four Seasons' Fifty-Two 80 Bistro & Bar is offering 7 Days of Apres with different drink and food specials nightly. Three dollar beer is the bevvie of choice on Friday, but you'll have to get in line. A deal like this goes over well with the locals.
• Creekbread
  • Sitting across from the base of Whistler Creekside, Creekbread Flatbread Pizza Co offers great prices year-round, and Tuesday evenings donates part of its proceeds to a local non-profit.
• Farmer's Market
  • Every Sunday during the summer from 11am-4pm, the Upper Village turns into a hippy-meets-high-end farmer's market. If you want to cook a gourmet meal a la Jamie Oliver you can pick up a wide variety of fresh, organic and locally grown produce, breads and nuts. Yum.

Stay Summer is a time when Whistler's population swells in the day but shrinks at night. In other words, day tripping is king leaving hotels and condo owners pining for guests. As a result, rates drop a lot. During the summer it's not abnormal to find a one-bedroom condo for rent on sites like alluradirect.com or ownerdirect.com starting in the $59 range. Renting a condo also ensures you can control your costs more with a kitchen, etc...

Pictures Big Sky Golf Club Pemberton

Scandinave Spa

Related Spotlight :: Whistler A Slower-Paced Whistler Spring Skiing Bliss & Deals

[Photos by @tripstyler]

Travel TidBits

TGIF. Here's something fun for Friday; a collection of travel tidbits that caught my eye this week.

Spirit Airlines Greases their Wheels Spirit Airlines is no stranger to controversial ads (like their MILF ad 'meaning' = Many Islands Low Fares), and now they're at it again with their "oil on our beaches" campaign [image above]. What do you think of these ads? From an advertising point of view, you can't deny they are timely and relevant. See all the ads on Spirit's homepage.

Starbucks Free Wifi People who love--and expect--free wifi rejoice! As of July 1st, all Starbucks locations in the US will offer free wireless internet. My thoughts on the subject: Dear Starbucks, thank you for making this great and monumental addition to the service in US stores on Canada Day. Couldn't you have waited for July 4th? You're killing us here up in the North.

Go High in the Singapore Sky If you're afraid of heights, don't look! I cannot contain myself, this pool is so cool! No pun intended. Commanding Singapore's skyline and spanning over 3 Towers atop the Marina Bay Sands Casino and Resort is SkyPark, an outdoor wonderland. For approximately $16 you can hang out 200m above ground and swim the backstroke for 150m end to end.

Get your Guac On I love guac, but a guac show? Holy cow, sign me up. Indulge and learn how to master guacamole next time you're in Dallas. Every evening at the Ritz-Carlton, the lobby lights dim and the hotel’s own “Guacamologist” enters the scene to whip-up some guacamole and present mini-margaritas to adult lobby guests. Again, sign me up.

Harry Potter World Quidditch fans unite, hang out with Harry and the gang at Universal Orlando. Last friday the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened its doors to JK Rowling fans...and I thought Universal's Miami Vice show was cool, wow, things have changed.

Peep Hole Curtain I didn't think you could spy on someone looking the 'wrong way' into a peep hole, but maybe you can with spy gear? As a precaution, the Marriott West Conchohoken (in a suberb of Philadelphia), isn't taking any chances offering a peep hole security curtain.

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[photo credit spirit airlines, metro news uk]