Its a fact. At some point every caveman or cavewoman must take to the open road. This presents a little challenge when it comes to sticking to your Paleo food guidelines. However its not as difficult as it seems and usually just requires a little preparation if you have time. There are times however that requires us to pack up and go quickly allowing us very little time for preparation. Have no fear, Paleo on the go is not a 
big problem.
There are a number of reasons why someone may need Paleo on the go. A vacation is one example. This is one of the least difficult since usually there is plenty of time to prepare. Sometimes our business or jobs require us to pack up quickly and this too is a scenario for Paleo on the go. There are even more unusual unforseen reasons for hasty departures.
I had just started my Paleo lifestyle a couple of years ago. Things were going well and I was losing weight, feeling great and getting my food routine down to a science. This was about to change as my fathers health began to fail. After dozens of medical appointments it became necessary for him to see a specialist in the big city. Of course this was a bit of a stressful situation and I was concentrating on all the things I needed to do to get him to the doctor. It was right before I needed to leave that I realized that my Paleo lifestyle was being challenged. I am happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised at how well I did. I would say that my Paleo on the go experience stayed true to my guidelines over 90% of the time. Thats the great thing about Paleo. If you are following Paleo over 90%, you are doing just fine. I should mention that if you are following Paleo to improve or eliminate a health problem, you will want to stay Paleo 100% of the time. But for me and my goals, 90% of the time was fine, and it will probably be fine for most of you as well. If you do need 100% Paleo on the run, that too can be done without too much difficulty.
Be prepared. This is such a great motto. Being prepared can save you from so many troubles. This is certainly true with your Paleo diet as well. If you have leftovers, this helps a lot. Many times I will have left over chicken and I will put them in a cooler for my trip. Left over pieces of steak or london broil also work well and can be added to a salad or vegetables later on for a tasty meal. Fish or tuna fish also work well in this manner. If you love sandwiches you will learn to bake your own Paleo friendly breads and wraps and you can even purchase them ready made now at local health or whole food stores. So a tasty chicken salad sandwich on the go is definitely possible for Paleo on the go. In fact, i enjoy them on a regular basis.
You should always figure on fruits and nuts. Bananas are great to have on a trip as they are filling and give you energy. You can make or buy your own trail mixes for travel by combining your favorites and packaging them up for the trip.
But what about when you cant prepare? Fortunately there are a lot of good Paleo fast food options out there. Be sure to check our post on Paleo fast food. This article tells you quite a bit about what you can order at the usual fast food chains. Wendys in particular has a lot of good options for Paleo on the go. Its true that you will have to settle for quality to some degree, but you certainly dont have to abandon your Paleo guidelines or starve. You can actually find something Paleo at just about any of the fast food chains. In a worst case scenario, you could buy a burger and a salad and combine them for a Paleo meal. You will want to be careful with the sauces and such. It is true that many of these foods contain preservatives that you ordinarily would not want in your diet, but in an emergency, these foods will do.
Speaking of ready made, the above article also has a nice list of pre made Paleo treats that are readily available. There are protein bars such as Larabars, and even Paleo cookies that are great for Paleo on the go. Be sure to check here for some great ideas for Paleo on the road.
The above snacks and meals are easily assembled for your trip. This leaves only the bigger meals for consideration. The nice thing about that is that most better restaurants offer something that is Paleo friendly. On that particular trip with my father, I ate the sandwiches, meats, and snacks that I had brought along, and then treated myself to a good dinner at night or as a late lunch. Theh first night I chose a highly rated restaurant and ordered a surf and turf combo of salmon and steak. I enjoyed a favorite salad, the fish and steak, chose two of my favorite vegetables and was quite satisfied. I also allowed myself a glass of wine with the meal.
So all in all with my unexpected trip, I did fine. I actually ate pretty much Paleo the entire time. I said 90% to allow for the fact that I did eat some fast foods that probably contained preservatives. I allowed myself the wine, and Im sure some of the meats I ate were not grass fed by any means. But all in all, I avoided grains and other foods that dont agree with me, and stuck to my basic Paleo guidelines.
So all in all, be prepared if you can. Bring the good stuff with you. Improvise at the fast food stops, and treat yourself to a great dinner or luncheon. It may be a smalll challenge, but Paleo on the go is not that difficult at all. There are also some great foods for Paleo on the go in the Paleohacks Cookbook and especially the bonus book Paleo 4x.
