The Vacation is in Two Weeks, but the Prep Starts Now.

I am fighting a war with chronic lyme disease. My arsenal consists of a wide variety of weapons, including diet therapy, supplements, and various detoxification treatments. It’s all designed to work together, so when I travel, I take my show on the road, which is no small task.

To the extent possible, I keep my routine in tact, no matter where I am. I have learned this gives me the best possible chance to feel well on vacation. Plus it keeps my lyme war moving forward.

This requires a great deal of planning, and I usually begin at least two weeks in advance. Here is what I need to do every time we travel:

1. Check my inventory of supplements (top photo) and make sure I am stocked up on everything I will need.
2. Dispense my supplements into pill cases so I don’t have to lug all the bottles.
3. Purchase any food items I don’t think I will be able to find at our destination (lower photo).
4. If we are staying somewhere with a kitchen, compile any cooking items I will need (coconut oil, grape seed oil, etc.)
5. Call the place we are staying to determine what facilities will be available (kitchenette, etc.). Order a mini-fridge if there’s not already one in the room.
6. Find a local source for any items I either can’t or don’t want to bring on the plane, such as kombucha, raw organic sauerkraut and organic unsweetened hemp milk (you can’t just buy these things anywhere).
7. Think about what my food needs will be on the day we travel, and plan accordingly (airport eating can be challenging for me).
8. Make sure I have the right cooler for anything I need to carry with me or in my suitcase.
9. Bake and freeze any food I will need to bring with me (I eat paleo “bread” in the morning, and I usually have a paleo “dessert” after dinner. I need to make these items from scratch, as I can’t buy them).
10. Strategize for how I will get my various medications through security. I am often taking liquids that can’t go through the x-ray, and I don’t want to check them. I’ve been extensively patted down many times, but that’s for another post.
11. Think about any food I will need to bring for my daughter, who has gluten and diary allergies. Depending on the trip, I will often bake muffins and granola bars for her, as breakfast and snacks can be a challenge sometimes. 

This is the first time I’ve written out everything I do prior to vacation – I usually just keep a running tally in my head. Seeing it on paper helps me understand why vacation prep can be so stressful for me. Wow. It’s truly a project. And trust me, I’m not doing or planning a single thing that doesn’t need to be done or planned.

There are two ways I could eliminate this stress:

1. Don’t go on vacation.
2. Ditch my regimen while on vacation.

Neither is a viable option for me.

My family loves to travel, and I don’t want any of us to miss out on an experience that will make our lives bigger and more interesting. Plus, we tend to laugh a lot on vacation. So, we are going to travel no matter what. 

Ditching my regimen is not in my nature. I am determined to regain my health, and taking a week off will not serve me. 

So, I will plan, and plan, and plan. And I will make it as easy on myself as humanly possible.

And I will relax when we get there, secure in the knowledge I am doing every single thing I can to help my body heal.

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P.S. You might think it’s funny I bring my own mustard. Here’s the deal on that. I know we will be using mustard on this trip, and the Whole Foods organic mustard is cheap and contains ingredients I can tolerate. The same can’t be said for the mustard at the grocery store we will be shopping at on our trip. So, it’s pretty simple to just bring my own.

P.P.S. The packs on the bottom left of the bottom photo are coconut butter. Love those travel packs. They make life very simple, as coconut butter usually comes in a jar. Coconut butter is loaded with calories and fat, and I gob as much of it as I can possibly tolerate on my Paleo “toast” in the morning. Sometimes I have it as a snack too. Those packs are a definite “must have” on any trip.