Healthy Business Travel
April 28, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Rewarding yourself for putting up with a long security line and delayed flight by hitting the Cinnabon counter may be good for your mood, but certainly not for your waistline, as one business traveler found out. And after a long day at meetings, the easiest thing to do is to head back to the hotel, order a pizza for dinner, and call it a night. But these choices may make you unhappy in the long run. So how can you pile on the frequent flier miles without packing on pounds?
According to health experts, the key is planning ahead. Have an idea of a nutritious meal that sounds good to you before you get to the restaurant. Bring exercise DVDs or make a commitment to do push-ups or sit-ups in the hotel each night. Pack snacks like nuts or fruit to hold you over during delays, traffic, and other unforeseen hold-ups.
These are all simple things that will make you healthier when you travel. And while it’s easier said than done, if you plan ahead you’ll be more likely to have the motivation and resources to follow through.
Hotel Takeout
February 1, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Here at Road Warrior Tips, we've done a number of posts about the advantages of staying in a hotel suite with a kitchen. One of the main advantages of having the kitchen is being able to eat healthy. However, let's face it…life on the road doesn't always leave time for shopping for food and cooking for yourself. In which case, road warriors need to be a bit more creative.
There are always days when it's easier to order out. Fast food and local restaurants offer a quick and painless solution to dinner. But even when getting takeout, one meal doesn't have to sabotage an entire diet. Sometimes, it just takes a little menu hunting. To help, here are some guides with good advice on staying on track when ordering takeout.
Yahoo! Food – Make Take Out Healthier
Health Check – Healthier Fast Food Choices
MSNBC – Healthy Choices from Fast Food and Family Restaurants
Fast Breakfast Ideas
September 21, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Weather you're on a business trip or at home, many people are crunched for time in the morning and may skip breakfast. As we all know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day for children and adults, giving our metabolisms a boost, helping us focus, and even warding off unwanted pounds. Just because you’re rushing to that morning meeting or trying to get the rest of your family ready for the day doesn't mean breakfast can't fit into your morning routine.
Having a fast breakfast can be healthy and even portable, letting you eat well even while on the run. It can either be made quickly in the morning, or the night before, and it doesn’t need to have a lot of ingredients. Try scrambled eggs in a whole-wheat wrap, instant oatmeal, or a hard boiled egg made the night before with a piece of fruit. Children can eat the same fast breakfast as you do, which saves even more time than if you had to make different meals.
Making your own food while on the road for business can be as convenient as when you're at home. Extended Stay Hotels has a kitchen in all suites so with a little preparation it’s easy to fix your own meals and still get to that meeting on time.
Travel Health
September 6, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
While hitting the road it can be extremely hard for any Road Warrior to keep up a healthy routine. We tend to grab for anything quick when busy working and away from home. While it is no secret that eating fast food is not the healthiest thing, often times it’s the high calorie beverages we drink that are often overlooked but make a big difference.
High calorie beverages can pack on the pounds just like food can. Even worse, beverages for the most part don't even satisfy hunger like food can, so it is easy to just keep drinking and loose track of all those extra calories. Try to stay away from drinks with lots of sugar, milk, and corn syrup. Even seemingly healthful drinks such as juice can pack a lot of calories. Calculating the total calories in a bottle and not just the serving size can give you a more accurate picture of what you are really taking in.
Restaurant Loyalty Rewards for the Business Traveler
March 30, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Wining and dining at a suitable business restaurant can be as important as knocking that pitch out of the park. And what could be better than receiving rewards while doing so. Better still would be if your favorite restaurant was everywhere you do business and offered loyalty rewards valid at all of their geographic locations. But we are not quite there yet.
Many independent restaurants have started offering loyalty programs but the same has not been true for most chain restaurants. Randolph Hobler notes that of the top 130 restaurant chains in the United States only 5%, have loyalty programs. There is a great need to remedy this as illustrated in a 2004 study by the National Restaurant Association where 50% of table-service customers said they would be more likely to patronize a restaurant that had a loyalty program. The loyalty program at the Fifth Group Restaurants of Atlanta, for example, yielded 17% more spending by its members than before they joined the program. It would benefit chain restaurants to follow in these footsteps and many may do so in the future.
The purpose of a loyalty program is to discover who the restaurant's customers are and to find out their preferences in order to better cater to the customer. The perception is that there is a high upfront cost to implement these programs even though this does not have to be the case. Some loyalty programs don't offer discounts but instead a focus on improving a member’s experience through guaranteed reservations or preferred seating. For now a great way to go are airline and credit card dining rewards like NWA's Dining for Miles. As more restaurants realize that customers are demanding the highest quality experience, service, and convenience at the best prices the adoption of loyalty rewards will surely increase.
Other Supermarkets
August 18, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Here is a quick run-down of a number of grocery stores that aren't in the above list and can be found across the country. Some are independent; some are fairly widespread. There are too many supermarkets nationwide to include all of them, but hopefully this sampling will be helpful.
| Store | Description |
|---|---|
| If you have a card, Costco has some great prices on food. This can be very useful on some items but you may want to be careful since the good deals are for bulk items that may be hard to use up or store while on the road. | |
| Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Giant Eagle is one of the largest and longest running independent grocery chains in the country. In recent years, some have grown to be massive in size in large part due to its Iggle Video mini-store. | |
| If you see a Giant supermarket and there is no eagle, look at the logo. Is it a futuristic orange font? If so, then you've found Giant Food of Pennsylvania. If it's a big serif capital G, then it is a separate chain also called Giant Food serving Maryland and Virginia. While unrelated, they both offer fairly good value compared to other large stores. | |
| This is a New England grocery store that has also expanded into New York. They have a line of signature items that include really good bakery products. | |
| Publix is another Southern supermarket choice and is located in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee. It has a good selection and includes a pharmacy and photo lab. | |
| Like Costco, Sam's Club has good food if you have a membership card, but it may not be the best option for a solo traveler. | |
| If you find a Shoppers, it's a good option for a grocery because you don't need a card to get special discounts. Beyond that, it's a decent grocery store with a little bit of a confusing layout, but very good selection and a nice international food aisle. | |
| ShopRite is a pretty typical grocery store, concentrated in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Delaware. It has a good selection and in some locations it has been expanding into having organic food selections. | |
| Stop & Shop has over 350 stores and is located in New England, New Jersey, and New York. They are usually large grocery stores will have all the typical groceries that you may be looking for. A Stop & Shop card can get you additional savings. | |
| This is a specialty store that has great prices on what is in stock, but a limited supply. It is not a good place to try and complete a full grocery trip, but it is the perfect place if you want to pick up frozen crab cakes or a one person dish of an international cuisine. These can be heated up for a great one or two person meal in your suite. | |
| Many Wal-Marts are incorporating supermarkets. This is convenient because it is open 24 hours a day. It is also an inexpensive option for grocery shopping. However, it does not always have a wide selection and if you have dietary restrictions, you may not find what you're looking for here. | |
| Reaching from Syracuse, NY to Woodbridge, VA, this chain redefines what it means to be a super market. They have among the largest selection of anyone including excellent international fare. | |
| If you're cooking on your own because you want high quality ingredients or have specific dietary restrictions such as being a vegetarian, Whole Foods is the place for you. They are more expensive, but they have good packaged ingredients as well as pre-prepared meals. | |
| Like Whole Foods, Wild Oats specializes in organic food choices. It has high quality food items and is great if you're looking to keep a healthy diet while on the road. It is more expensive than your typical supermarket option. | |
| This grocery store concentrates on its core market in the Southeastern United States. They have many locations in Florida. |
Regional Grocery Consolidation
August 18, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack
When you stay at a hotel with a kitchen, you have the opportunity to make whatever you want for dinner. So when you make use of this option, where are you going to go shopping? There are a number of regional, national, and specialty grocery stores that you may encounter on your travels. You may not realize how many of them are affiliated and really run by the same people that run your local supermarket at home. So you can visit a store that's not really all that different from what you’re used to, even if you're far away. Check out the chart below to find out how they're related. Then, you can go into a store and plan the perfect meal, wherever you are.
| A&P, Farmer Jack, Food Basics, Sav-A-Center, Super Fresh, Waldbaum's, Food Emporium | |
| C&S Wholesale | Bi-LO, Piggly Wiggly |
| Delhaize | Food Lion, Hannaford, Kash n' Karry, Sweetbay, Harvey's, Bloom |
| Kroger | Kroger, Ralphs, King Soopers, City Market, Dillons, Smith's, Fry's, QFC, Cala Bell, Baker's, Owen's, Jay C, Hilander, Gorbes, Pay Less |
| Safeway | Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Genuardi's, Dominick's, Randall's, Tom Thumb, Carrs |
| SuperValu | Acme, Albertsons, Bigg's, Bristol Farm, Cub Foods, Farm Fresh, Save-a-Lot, Shaw's, Jewel-Osco, Hornbacher's, Shoppers, Sunflower, SuperValu, TLC |
Travel Healthy
January 1, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had great holiday season. And now it's about this time every year when people begin their New Year's resolution. So what means of self improvement are you tackle in this time-honored tradition?
One resolution that I think many business travelers can appreciate is the desire to take better care of yourself while you travel. When on the road, nutritious food and adequate exercise are often hard to come by. In addition, more travel can mean more stress. All this leads to a higher rate of sickness and being sick when traveling is never fun. Look out for yourself this year with a commitment to healthier travel.
As business travel continues to rebound, more and more people are taking to the sky, roads, and rails. With this increase in travelers comes and increase in instances of people falling ill while away. This becomes an issue for both the traveler and the company they work for. Recently, the New York Times had an interesting article discussing the logistics and issues of sickness on business trips.
"…The perils of the road are reaching a peak, travel industry analysts say.
'Companies are realizing that their employees are at much greater risk while traveling than at home,' said Tim Daniel, the chief operating officer of International SOS, a Philadelphia company that coordinates emergency travel home for Americans who are injured or otherwise disabled overseas. The number of International SOS's rescue missions rose last year to 11,000.
"Not only are Americans exposed to greater dangers overseas, like the avian flu or inadequate health care, than they are at home, but they tend to suffer from higher levels of stress, Mr. Daniel said. In addition, he said, once overseas they are less likely to exercise and follow a healthy diet and more apt to forget medication or run out of it."
No one wants to get sick away from home. So in order to reduce the risk, this year you could make a commitment to take care of yourself while traveling. Make an effort to try and get more sleep. Look for the healthier menu options. Walk to your destination whenever possible and use a hotel gym when it's available to you. And the more you can plan ahead of time, the less stress you're likely to encounter. Those are just some thoughts and suggestions. I know; it’s all stuff you know but putting it into practice will be difficult. But isn’t the point of a new year’s resolution to give you the incentive to actually tackle exactly that kind of stuff?
Anyway, when I read the article, it made a lot of sense to me and that's what I thought would be a worthwhile resolution for the roadwarrior. Any other ideas?
Efficiency Cuisine
October 4, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (1)
One of the best reasons to pick Extended Stay Hotels is because every studio includes its own kitchen. Don't spend a fortune eating out all the time while you're on the road. Instead, take a quick stop at the grocery store and go back to your temporary pad to cook and relax.
If you eat in, you don't have to face the awkward situation of eating alone and yet can take a break from business for a meal, instead of eating with clients and/or coworkers all the time. Also, you don't need to depend on finding the local pizza or Chinese take-out place night after night if you cook for yourself. Instead, you have the option to have more variety and eat healthier. And, you can even prepare food that's faster than eating out or waiting for delivery, giving you more time to relax at the end of a busy day.
Cooking doesn't need to take long and it doesn't need to be difficult. You can even cook your own meals with minimal effort and few kitchen skills, but let's face it, you don't want clean many dishes. So consider making one pot meals. These dishes don't have to require a lot of ingredients, since you will most likely be throwing out the extra food at the end of your trip. There are great advantages to a room with a kitchen, so make the most of this valuable feature.
For some ideas on quick, one-pot meals for your next long hotel stay, take a look at the websites below for some great food options.
Save Money, Eat Well by Cooking in Hotels
May 17, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)
On the road, between dinner meetings and food options on the go, it is often difficult to stick to any diet or nutritional routine. With the stress of travel, food often serves as a comfort and this leads to choices high in saturated fat and calories. However, there is a nice article in Traveler Center Magazine that has some good tips.
It's a bit long, but has some good ideas. At one part it says:
Salge Blake suggests staying at hotels with kitchenettes, so you can prepare your own meals and know exactly what goes into them. That was one of the main strategies that Aileen Katcher, the Nashville public relations consultant, employed to lose her 45 pounds.
"I not only reduced calories," she adds. "You'd be amazed at how I reduced my food expenses, too."
Stock up the refrigerator with fresh fruits and healthy snacks.
