Traveling without a Stomach

Many people ask how difficult it is to travel without a stomach.  It does take more planning than before, but is easily doable.  When flying in particular, I overpack food.  I not only have enough snacks for the anticipated flight time, but have plenty extra for potential delays, especially, if we were to get stranded on the plane with no access to airport food, I want to make sure I am prepared.  I pack protein bars, nuts, cheese, jerky, peanut butter filled pretzels…pack whatever your go to snack is.  The last two times I’ve flown, they have had you take any food out of your carry ons to be scanned separately.  I think the TSA agents, and other passengers, think I’m nuts when I keep pulling out more and more food, but no one has said anything yet.

At home, I often bring home leftovers when we eat out and then warm those up for my lunch the next day.  Unfortunately, this doesn’t work as well while traveling.  I try to order just a sandwich and eat the meat without the bread or just an appetizer or something so there is less waste, but I’ve also tried to get over it and if I throw away food, I throw away food, and not let it bother me.

Smoked trout dip with pita bread and carrots

Another option is what we did one day on Mackinac Island during this trip.  There are so many wonderful places to eat that instead of just doing lunch and dinner, and me doing my normal snacks in between, we spent one day just doing appetizers.  Starting a little after 11am, we went to a restaurant and shared an appetizer, then a couple of hours later, another appetizer, a couple of hours later, another, etc.  We had the last appetizers about 8pm.  I had less of a need for snacks in between and I don’t think we spent any more money than we would have if we had two bigger meals.

In just two days, most of the 10 oz. package of dried strawberries are gone.

One highlight of this trip to Northern Michigan was stopping at the General Store in Good Hart.  It may seem odd, but returning to this little store in this tiny town is something I’ve been looking forward to for a year.  A year ago when we were there, I purchased some dried strawberries.   I like dried fruit, but very seldom have I encountered dried strawberries.  These were wonderful!  And the fantastic thing is I could eat several at a time and they didn’t bother me.  I was eating them like candy.  But unlike actual candy where I can only have one, or maybe two pieces at a time, I can eat several of these at once, and I'm fine, even though cane sugar is the second listed ingredient (behind strawberries.)  If I eat more than one or two pieces of candy, watch out! Dumping is not fun.  But I can eat these dried strawberries by the handful.  Most every time I snack, I make sure to have protein, but once in awhile, it’s nice to eat something just for the pure enjoyment of it.  For a year, I’ve searched close to home and never found dried strawberries.  Thus, the trip to Good Hart, to stock up on dried strawberries, both to enjoy now while on vacation and to take home with us.  The packaging says they’re good till June 2020.  I don’t think they will last that long.