Raw & Healthy Travel Goodies

I love to see what other raw foodies take with them on extended travels, so I thought I'd share some of the things I'm taking with me ...

First up, Lonely Planet's guide to South India. These guides really do help when you're travelling. It's packed with info, maps, phone numbers and Hindi phrases. There's also a bag of Pure Fun's organic ginger spice hard candies. These candies aren't raw, but after almost 19 hours of travel (including 1 stop in Abu Dhabi) and inhaling all that recycled airplane air, the chances of me getting a cold are pretty high. So I'm bringing these candies along to help soothe my potential sore throat. There's also my revamped passport wallet hiding in the back.

I also made several baggies of raw trail mix. Normally I HATE these plastic, disposable, landfill loving baggies, and would opt for a reusable container instead. But since there's a weight limit for my luggage (not to mention a limited amount of space) and the heavier it is, the more fuel needed to propel the plane, I decided the best option was to use these light weight baggies. Once I eat the contents I plan on washing the baggies and re-using them, so there's hope for the planet yet!

The trail mix contains:

• raw almonds
• raw pumpkin seeds
• raw walnut pieces
• raw cashews
• dried goji berries
• dried cranberries
• dried cherries
• dried blueberries
• dried apricots
• dried & unsweetened dessicated coconut

Like most things these days, the trail mix is pretty much me trying to use up things I have in my cupboard. Although I did purchase some of the dried fruit specifically for this trip. I used a straw to try to suck out as much of the air as I could from each bag to help them stay fresh.

Of course I'm also taking my Diva Cup, a girl's best friend if you ask me (it's the small purple bag, top middle). I'm so glad I don't have to waste space in my suitcase with pads, tampons, liners, etc. If you haven't switched to a Diva Cup, do it today and you won't be sorry!

I'll also be stocking my suitcase with raw bars. These bars can be a little expensive, but if you choose your bar carefully, it can be a great quick & healthy snack. My usual bar has been LÄRAbar, but I've recently discovered a new raw bar, Perfect 10 that are made in Canada (see the little Canadian flag in the bottom left corner?).

Since the average temperature in the part of India I'll be in is 30 degrees Celsius, I'll need something to protect my Canadian skin from all those rays. I looked up the least toxic sunscreens on EWG's Skin Deep. I ended up purchasing Badger's SPF 30 because it scored the coveted 0 on Skin Deep's scale and is reasonably priced. Some of the reviews said the cream doesn't absorb into the skin easily and leaves a white film on the skin, which I admit is true. But I still prefer that over using some chemical cocktail Coppertone.

Lastly is my rose quartz mala. A mala, or prayer beads are used to keep count for those lengthy 108 chants. I'm sure I'll be making good use of the necklace (there's also Lonely Planet's The Travel Book in the picture. I'm not taking it with me. I just needed another item for the picture that could add height and I thought this book worked).

Before I head off to India, I'll be spending the holidays with my family. A new niece or nephew is due any day now. Hope everyone has a peaceful bliss filled season!