How to Get Enough Protein While Travelling

At home, getting enough protein might be straightforward. You know what’s in the fridge, where to shop and what you usually eat after training.

Travelling changes that. Breakfast might be whatever you find before catching a train. Lunch happens between sightseeing stops. Your accommodation may not have a kitchen, or even a fridge.

The answer doesn’t have to be a suitcase full of supplements. A few familiar food choices and a backup snack can make eating enough protein much easier, while leaving plenty of room for the food you travelled to try.

Here’s a practical approach for travellers who want to keep training and eat well along the way.

1. Have a rough idea of how much protein you need

You don’t need to count every gram, but a rough target can help you understand what “enough” looks like.

For adults doing regular athletic training, sports-nutrition guidance commonly puts protein intake at 1.2–2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. Individual needs depend on training, goals and other factors; this isn’t a requirement for everyone on holiday (NIH sports-nutrition guidance).

For someone weighing 70kg, that range works out to approximately 84–140g daily.

If you already have an appropriate target at home, use it as a guide when travelling. If you prefer not to track, start by including a recognisable protein source at each main meal, then consider a snack if your meals are small or far apart.

If you have a medical condition that affects your protein needs, follow your clinician’s or dietitian’s advice.

2. Make breakfast an easy place to start

Breakfast is often a meal you can plan before the day becomes unpredictable.

At a hotel buffet or café, look for options such as:

• Eggs with toast.
• Greek yoghurt or a high-protein yoghurt with fruit and oats.
• Tofu, beans or lentils as part of a savoury breakfast.
• Milk or a suitable soya drink alongside your meal.

You can still have the pastry you’ve been looking forward to. Adding yoghurt or eggs gives the meal another source of protein.

For early departures, buy breakfast the evening before, provided you can store it safely.

3. Know a few everyday protein foods

You don’t need to recognise every product in an unfamiliar supermarket. Start with foods you know, then check the label and serving size.

Estimates, not guarantees for every product or recipe. Preparation, brands and portion sizes change the numbers (food-composition examples from an NHS protein guide).

For tofu, plant-based drinks and ready-made meals, checking the label is especially useful because products vary widely.

4. Build restaurant meals around an identifiable protein source

You can eat local food and keep protein in mind at the same time.

When browsing a menu, look for a dish containing fish, chicken, meat, eggs, tofu, tempeh, beans or lentils. Then choose the sides and flavours you want.

Depending on what’s available, that could mean:

• A noodle dish with tofu, eggs or meat.
• Fish with rice and vegetables.
• Lentil dal with rice or bread.
• A bean-filled burrito.
• A chicken or tempeh dish with local sides.

These examples won’t all provide the same amount of protein. What matters is the portion of the protein-containing ingredient, not just whether it appears in the dish’s name.

If a meal arrives with only a little, an extra egg, a side of beans or another portion of tofu may be an easy addition.

There’s no need to calculate an unfamiliar restaurant meal down to the gram. Use what you can see, enjoy it and keep your next meal straightforward.

5. Keep one backup snack for travel days

A delayed train or late arrival can leave you choosing from whatever happens to be open.

A small backup helps. Depending on your preferences, consider:

• A protein bar you already enjoy.
• Dry-roasted edamame or other roasted pulses.
• An unopened drink specifically labelled as shelf-stable.
• A single-serving sachet of protein powder.
• Nuts or seeds as part of a more substantial snack.

Compare protein per packet rather than assuming anything marketed as a fitness snack contains a large amount.

For international trips, check your destination’s food-import rules before packing food, particularly animal products or fresh ingredients. Buying snacks after arrival can simplify things.

6. Use supermarkets when you don’t have a kitchen

A supermarket can make the space between restaurant meals easier to manage.

If you have reliable refrigeration, you might buy yoghurt, milk, cooked eggs, ready-to-eat tofu or cooked chicken. Without it, choose appropriately labelled shelf-stable foods or buy chilled items immediately before eating.

Simple meals could include:

• Ready-to-eat chicken, bread and a prepared salad.
• Tinned beans with bread and vegetables.
• Yoghurt with oats and fruit.
• Tinned fish with crackers and a side salad.
• Ready-to-eat tofu or lentils with an accompanying grain dish.

Check whether products are ready to eat or require cooking. A microwaveable pouch is only useful if you have access to a microwave.

You don’t need to stock up for the entire trip. Buying enough for one breakfast and one snack is often a manageable start.

Keep chilled food cold

Yoghurt, cooked meat and other perishable foods need appropriate storage. Don’t leave them in your day bag while sightseeing.

USDA guidance says to refrigerate perishables within two hours, or one hour when temperatures exceed 32°C/90°F. An insulated bag with ice packs can help maintain safe temperatures (USDA food-storage guidance).

7. Plan a little further ahead if you eat plant-based

Useful plant protein sources include tofu, tempeh, edamame, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds (Canada's Food Guide).

When choosing a vegetarian or vegan meal, identify which ingredient provides the protein. A vegetable pasta and a lentil pasta dish may look equally substantial but offer different amounts.

A few practical habits help:

• Save nearby restaurants serving tofu, tempeh or pulses.
• Check the portion of beans or lentils in ready-made meals.
• Look at the protein content of plant-based yoghurt and drinks.
• Carry a plant-based snack you know you like.

Plant drinks are not interchangeable for protein. Soya drinks generally provide more than many oat, almond or coconut drinks, although formulations vary. Check the carton rather than relying on the type alone (British Dietetic Association comparison).

8. Use protein powder if it makes your trip easier

Protein powder is optional. It can be convenient when your usual meals are difficult to arrange, but food can also meet your needs (NIH guidance for consumers).

It may be useful when you’re packing light, moving frequently or staying somewhere with limited breakfast options.

If you bring it:

• Choose a product you already tolerate.
• Check protein per serving; powder weight and protein content are different.
• Bring a shaker you can wash properly.
• Check relevant airport-security and destination rules before flying.

Think of a shake as an option for filling a gap. Keep eating varied meals with carbohydrates, fats, fruit and vegetables too.

What could a day of eating look like?

Here’s an illustrative way to spread about 100g of protein across a travel day. It is an example, not a target everyone needs to follow.

The point is the pattern: several opportunities to eat protein across the day. Adjust the foods and portions to your appetite, preferences and needs.

And once you know where you’re eating, it’s worth knowing where you’re training: our guide to finding a gym day pass abroad covers the other half of a travel routine.

Make eating and training easier with Daily Sweat

A workable travel routine can be simple: a few reliable food choices, a backup snack and somewhere convenient to train. Use Daily Sweat to explore gyms and day-pass information around your destination. Once you have a gym in mind, look for a nearby supermarket or a meal you’d enjoy afterwards. A little preparation helps you spend less time organising your routine and more time enjoying your trip.

Search a city and use the map to find convenient options. Where available, listings show day-pass and weekly prices, how to buy access, facilities, opening hours, photos, and visitor notes. You can compare nearby alternatives and use website or map links to plan your visit. Chain pages show every branch of a brand with a confirmed pass, and day pass prices compares typical costs by country and city.

Daily Sweat is free to browse, and you don’t need an account to search. It’s a directory: you buy access through the gym or the booking option described in its listing.

Some details will still need checking, particularly when a price is missing or your visit depends on a specific facility. Traveller contributions and corrections help keep the information useful.

The aim is simple: spend less time figuring out where you can train, and more time enjoying the place you came to visit.

Chain policies referenced were read from the linked official pages in September 2026 and can change; always check the branch you plan to visit.