Eating, Drinking, and Moving

Dining Out

Learn about popular foods before you go, and see if you can determine the carbohydrate counts ahead of time. This can also help you seek out the dishes and restaurants that interest you the most.

Feel free to try new things and order unfamiliar dishes, especially if you've done some homework. Just keep a few things in mind:

•  If you're eating at a restaurant, don't take your insulin until the food actually arrives, since you never know exactly how long it will take or how much you will eat.²
•  Monitor your blood glucose levels more often during the first few days to assess the effects of the dietary changes.¹
•  Make sure the water is safe. Find out if the water in the area you're visiting is okay for tourists to drink, or stick to bottled water. If the water can't be drunk, also avoid ice in your drinks.¹
•  Talk to your doctor before you travel for additional recommendations.

Snacks

While you may want to stop for tea or a quick bite at a local spot, always remember to take extra snacks with you wherever you go.¹ Crackers or cheese, peanut butter, fruit, or a juice box and some form of sugar (hard candy or glucose tablets) to treat low blood glucose make great choices. If you need emergency carbs, you can get them from glucose tabs or hard candy.¹

Being Active

Travel can go two ways. Either you're walking everywhere or sitting for long stretches. Just be sure to monitor your activity and compare it to your home routine. If you're more or less active than usual, additional blood sugar checks will give you a look at how the activity is affecting your blood sugar.

¹ American Diabetes Association. "When You Travel." Accessed February 9, 2007. Available at: http://www.diabetes.org/pre-diabetes/travel/when-you-travel.jsp

² National Diabetes Education Program. "Have Diabetes. Will Travel." Accessed February 9, 2007. Available at: http://www.ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/pubs/Diabetes_travel_article.pdf