Blog — Trip Styler

Healthy On The Road :: Cruise Control

road trip + healthy snacks[trip style = any]

When she’s not training clients or being trained by her dog Zuzu, Leah writes Healthy On The Road, published bi-monthly.

Last month, my traveling troupe hit the open road for a week-long road trip in our Volkswagen Westfalia. {Road tripping is easily one of my top three trip styles.} My husband and I have never really been lured by the golden arches, unfortunately our 4-year-old son can spot them from a mile away. My number one defense against fast food temptation while chillaxing enroute is having healthy snacks, lots of water and a few treats on me AT ALL TIMES. If I don't plan ahead for controlled cuisin'---get it?---then me, Wendy and Ronald become BFFs. To keep our bodies in fit form, EVEN on the open road, here are our must-have snacks for the highways and byways:

H2Eau Hydrated road trippers are happy road trippers. I s-w-e-a-r by this. Hot, cold, lukewarm; just drink it and drink lots of it, because we often mistake thirst for hunger. I always have a smaller water bottle on hand for each of us, and keep one or two bigger bottles filled for top-ups. On the topic of copious water consumption and stopping frequently for potty breaks, wouldn't you rather stay healthy, than be parched and famished atj every mile?

Herbal Tea I find drinking tea a really helpful way for me to ward off absent minded munchies. Before we set off, I make a big thermos of tea, or just hot water and lemon. It stays hot forever and I just sip away. Mint or ginger tea will even help with the occasional bouts of travel sickness I experience.

Savory Nibblies This trip we were really into snacking on baked lentil chips, low-salt tortilla chips, pretzels and Pirate's Booty {an all-natural, gluten-free snack with half the fat and fewer calories than the cheezies I typically obsess over while on the road}.

On-The-Go Meals Turkey pepperoni sticks, veggies {bags of snow peas or mini carrots}, cheese {Babybel---OBVIOUSLY} and crackers are my top trippin' foods. I'm also ga-ga over Ryvita crackers because you can easily top them with the above, and they are substantial enough to be called lunch or dinner.

Nuts Unsalted, protein-boosting cashews are where it's at. Pair them with an apple or a banana, and you're set!

Fruit Gummies and Jelly Beans Finally, a little cheating is ok once a day. To stop my fam from the temptation of gas station treats, I bring SMALL amounts of candy to satisfy our cruisin' cravings.

More Healthy On The Road Jari Love's Beach Body Tips Toned In Transit Every Day Is A New Day Eat In Technicolor The 15 Minute 54321 Workout {you can do anywhere!} Keeping Fit In Hotel Hallways The 20-min Exercise Itinerary Healthy DIY Plane Snacks Hotel Room Exercises {You can do in your underwear}

[Graphic assembled by @tripstyler with images sourced online. Am-ah!-zing camper van Copyright © Alexandre Verdier, 2006. Verdier.ca]

Roam+Board :: Hotel Havana

hotel havana san antonio[trip style = urban + budget conscious]

What Scrolling through hotels in San Antonio, I knew Hotel Havana was THE trip styled choice for my stay. Once a hotel residence for a local grocer's buyers, Liz Lambert {one of the hotel industry's design darlings} purchased the 1914-built brick beauty and re-opened it in 2010 as a 27-room boutique hotel.

Here's the best part: she didn't strip it down its skivvies only to dress it up as an unrecognizable Hollywood celeb. Instead, the Austin-based hotelier kept identifying features like the Bastrop pine floors, only adding the bare minimum---think wrought iron beds, Turkish rugs, and 1950s-style pink and orange refrigerators---to the pre-latin, raw-elegant space.

Dwelling along the Alamo City's famed River Walk---a semi-tropical version of Venice---the hip hotel takes advantage of its location and cache in Ocho, the glass-encased restaurant perched above the waterway. Dining under a canopy of palms on royal-blue banquettes, I *could* have soaked up the space for hours, though more trip styled finds beckon beyond. Trip Styler approved!

Savour more of San Antonio's stylish scene in my post on the Expedia Viewfinder travel blog.

Where San Antonio, Texas, 12km from the airport.

When Saunter into San Antonio between November and April for cool temperatures {average 23C} and hotel rates. Summer heats up in every sense.

Who/Why You love a good makeover, but enhancements must be parlayed thoughtfully in all the right places.

Cost Rates start around $110 per night and include WiFi. Parking is $17 per night, but who needs a car when you've got the city's bike-share system parked right outside the hotel. Passes for a health club nearby are provided upon request  Bark, woof, Fido can live the River Walk lifestyle for $25 per stay.

Trip Styler Tip :: Try to book a room on the 4th floor. If not, bring ear plugs as floors creak due to the age of the building.

More Roam+Board The Amersand Hotel – London Mount Engadine Lodge – Canadian Rockies Lava Lava Beach Club – Hawaii Island Ace Hotel – Seattle The Wickaninnish Inn – Tofino The Burrard – Vancouver  Hotel de Glace – Quebec Alcazar Palm Springs – California Jumeirah Zabeel Saray – Dubai Makena Resort – Maui Find more R+B hotels featured here, plus our it list of worldwide hotel picks.

[photos taken by @tripstyler while staying as a guest of Hotel Havana]

Postcards from Toronto

toronto[trip style = urban]

I'm currently in Toronto. Here are a few photos I've snapped of Canada's mega metropolis while tasting my way around town. More on Tdot coming soon!

toronto

Top photos {left to right}: Richmond Station restaurant, Toronto architecture beside TD Canada Trust tower, Hong Kong bevvie at Shangri-La, view of CN Tower

Botton photos {left to right}: Pear and arugula salad at Pizzeria Libretto, decor at Pizzeria Libretto, inside The Dakota Tavern, view of Toronto skyline from Centre Island

[photos by @tripstyler]