Carnivore Diet While Traveling: Stay on Track Anywhere

Staying on the carnivore diet while traveling requires a simple strategy: pack shelf-stable meat snacks, know what to order at airports and restaurants, and plan one grocery stop at your destination. The biggest mistake carnivore travelers make is failing to prepare, then finding themselves starving in an airport with nothing but pizza and sandwiches available. With 20 minutes of preparation, you can travel for days without breaking your diet.

What Should You Pack for Carnivore Travel?

Your travel food kit should include shelf-stable, TSA-friendly items that require no refrigeration or preparation:

The Essential Carnivore Travel Pack

• Beef jerky (4-6 oz): Look for brands with minimal ingredients — beef, salt, and maybe pepper. Avoid jerky with sugar, soy sauce, or teriyaki flavoring. Carnivore-friendly brands include Paleovalley, The New Primal, and Chomps sticks.
• Pemmican (2-4 bars): The original carnivore travel food. Dried meat mixed with rendered fat. Shelf-stable for months and incredibly calorie-dense. Make your own or order from specialty brands.
• Canned fish (2-3 cans): Sardines, salmon, and tuna in olive oil or water. Pack a small fork. Wild Planet and King Oscar are solid options.
• Hard-boiled eggs (4-6): Prep before leaving. These stay safe unrefrigerated for about 2 hours, or all day in a small insulated bag with an ice pack.
• Epic meat bars: Available at most grocery stores and gas stations. Not perfect (some contain fruit) but the beef liver and beef jalapeño varieties are close to carnivore.

Nice to Have

• Cheese sticks or blocks: If you include dairy, hard cheeses travel well without refrigeration for several hours
• Bone broth packets: Single-serve bone broth powder — just add hot water. Kettle and Fire and Bare Bones both make travel packets.
• Salt packets: Grab extras from any restaurant. You need more salt than usual when traveling due to dehydration from flying and being more active.
• Insulated lunch bag with ice pack: Extends the travel life of perishable items by hours

How Do You Eat Carnivore at Airports?

Airports have improved dramatically for meat eaters. Here is your strategy:

Before Security

If your home airport has a Five Guys, Shake Shack, or sit-down restaurant before security, eat a solid meal before your flight. A double bunless burger with cheese and bacon will hold you for 4-6 hours.

After Security

Scan the terminal for these options (in order of preference):

1. Burger restaurants: Five Guys, Shake Shack, Wendy’s — order bunless patties with extra meat
2. Sit-down restaurants: Most airport bars and grills serve steaks, grilled chicken, or fish
3. Mexican restaurants: Order carne asada or steak without the tortilla, rice, or beans
4. Convenience stores: Hard-boiled eggs (pre-packaged), cheese sticks, and sometimes beef jerky
5. McDonald’s or Chick-fil-A: Bunless burgers or grilled nuggets as a last resort

Long Layovers

If you have a 3+ hour layover, seek out an airport lounge. Many lounges offer hot food including eggs, bacon, sausage, and sometimes carved meats. Priority Pass gives access to lounges regardless of airline.

How Do You Eat Carnivore on a Road Trip?

Road trips are actually the easiest travel scenario because you can bring a cooler.

The Road Trip Cooler

Pack a quality cooler with:

• Pre-cooked burger patties (4-6)
• Hard-boiled eggs (1 dozen)
• Pre-cooked chicken thighs (6-8)
• Cheese slices
• Butter (for reheating stops)
• Cold water bottles

Gas Station and Rest Stop Strategy

When the cooler runs low, gas stations and rest stops offer:

• Bunless burgers from attached fast food restaurants
• Beef jerky (check ingredients — most brands add sugar)
• Hard-boiled eggs at truck stops (Love’s, Pilot, Flying J)
• Hot dogs (not ideal but carnivore-adjacent in a pinch)

Pro tip: Buc-ee’s (if you are in the South) has a massive selection of smoked meats, brisket sandwiches (ditch the bread), and high-quality jerky.

Planning Stops

Use Google Maps to search “steakhouse” or “burger restaurant” along your route. Plan meal stops every 4-5 hours at a sit-down restaurant where you can get a proper steak or burger. This breaks up the drive and ensures at least one quality meal on the road.

How Do You Handle Hotel Room Cooking?

Your hotel room setup depends on the length of your trip:

Short Stays (1-3 Nights)

• Eat out: Use the dining out strategies at local restaurants
• Bring pre-cooked food: Travel cooler with pre-made meals from your meal prep
• Use the microwave: Most hotel rooms have a microwave. Pre-cooked ground beef and burger patties reheat well in 90 seconds

Extended Stays (4+ Nights)

Book a hotel with a kitchenette or an Airbnb with a full kitchen. Then:

1. Grocery run on arrival: Find the nearest grocery store and buy:

   • 3-5 lbs ground beef
   • 1 dozen eggs
   • 1 lb butter
   • Salt
   • Optional: bacon, cheese, steaks

2. Portable cooking gear (if no kitchen):

   • A George Foreman grill or similar portable grill ($20-30)
   • A small electric skillet
   • Basic utensils and a plate

3. Cook in batches: Make 2-3 days of food at once, store in the hotel fridge, reheat as needed

The Microwave-Only Strategy

If all you have is a microwave:

• Scrambled eggs: Crack 3-4 eggs into a microwave-safe mug, add butter, microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring each time (total: 90-120 seconds)
• Reheat pre-cooked ground beef or burger patties
• Heat canned fish
• Melt butter over pre-cooked meat

How Do You Eat Carnivore While Traveling Internationally?

The carnivore diet is easier internationally than most people think. Every culture eats meat.

Country-Specific Tips

• Argentina: Carnivore paradise. Asado (BBQ) culture means incredible beef is everywhere and affordable.
• Brazil: Churrascarias serve unlimited grilled meats. Look for “rodizio” restaurants.
• Japan: Yakiniku (Japanese BBQ) restaurants let you grill your own meat. Sashimi is pure animal protein.
• South Korea: Korean BBQ is ideal. Request unmarinated meats.
• France: Steak frites (skip the frites). French butcher shops are incredible.
• UK/Ireland: Full English breakfast (eggs, bacon, sausage) is widely available. Pub grills serve steaks.
• Mexico: Carne asada is everywhere and inexpensive. Street taco meat without the tortilla works.
• Thailand: Grilled meats at street stalls. Be cautious of sugar-based sauces — ask for plain grilled.
• Italy: Bistecca alla fiorentina (Florentine steak) is one of the world’s great carnivore meals.

General International Tips

• Learn key phrases: “Just meat, no sauce, cooked in butter” in the local language covers most situations
• Find the local market: Every city has a butcher or meat market where you can buy fresh cuts cheaply
• Hotel breakfast buffets: Most include eggs, bacon, sausage, and sometimes smoked fish or cold cuts
• Grocery stores: Buy pre-cooked rotisserie chickens, deli meats, eggs, and cheese
• Avoid: Street food with heavy sauces, marinades, and breading

What Emergency Carnivore Foods Should You Always Carry?

Keep these in your bag at all times when traveling:

1. Beef jerky or meat sticks (2-3 servings)
2. Canned sardines or salmon (1-2 cans)
3. Salt packets (5-10)
4. Pemmican or meat bar (1-2)

These emergency rations ensure you always have 500-800 calories of carnivore food available, enough to bridge the gap until you can find a proper meal.

Tracking your intake while traveling is especially valuable since routines get disrupted. An app like Vore makes it easy to log meals on the go and keep your nutrition on track even when your schedule is unpredictable.

Traveling does not have to mean compromising your carnivore diet. For more practical lifestyle strategies, visit our Carnivore Diet Lifestyle hub.