It turns out that planning a 40-day/40-night cross-country trip is a LOT of work! (Who knew ??!) Wendi and I seem to be spending every waking moment planning this thing, which may explain why we've missed a day or two's posts here on Pure Jeevan. But, we're gearing up for something absolutely amazing -- and it all starts next week!? So, if there is a quiet day or two this week, just keep in mind that the rawsome content is going to be absolutely insane here starting late next week and continuing through March into early April!

Today, we wanted to extend a huge thanks to Jeff and Helen Rose, owners of Natural Zing, for offering to sponsor the snack portion of Wendi and KDcat's trip. Jeff and Helen understand that, being a raw foodie, it can be a little tough to be on the road for such a long time. Sure, Wendi and KDcat will probably be snacking on a lot of fresh fruit, but it's also nice to have some packaged raw goodies as well while you're traveling. So, Wendi and KDcat will be loading up on some of their favorites -- botija olives, Love Force breads, Gopal's power wraps, some nut butters, some raw chocolates, and more. So, in thanking Natural Zing, we'll be running banners and so forth along with our content during Pure Jeevan's trip.

Traveling while raw can indeed be challenging. I know we've written about this before on the blog, so you may want to do a blog search for "traveling" if the topic interests you. It can be very easy to slip back into cooked foods and/or junk foods while you're on the road, so you really need to pay attention to careful planning if your goal is to stay raw while you travel. I know that a favorite travel food for me while I'm on the road is dates! Give me a big bag of medjool dates and maybe a bag of raw almonds, and I'm absolutely content to cover hundreds of miles at a stretch without dozing off at the wheel! (In truth, stuffing a date with a few almonds or a brazil nut rivals the best candy bar I've ever tasted.) LaraBars, Pure Bars, Lydia's Organics' bars -- all good traveling snacks as well.

Apples are another major travel food for me. I recall reading somewhere that an apple can wake you up better than a cup of coffee! (And, for me, that's absolutely true!)? Also good are pears, bananas, grapes, and any other fruit that can easily be consumed on the road. (Things like pineapple, cantaloupe, and honeydew are great, too, but you have to remember to prepare them before leaving.)

You know, much of the challenge to staying raw on the road is acknowledging the emotional attachment some of us have to "road food." I don't know about you but, for me, being on the road as a cooked foodie always meant that I kind of had freedom to really indulge. I can't really speak for Wendi here, but I know that the two of us shared certain traveling indulgences over the years. For example, we always shared a favorite brand of barbecued potato chips (called Middleswarth) that you could only get in central to northeast Pennsylvania. It would not be uncommon, years ago, for us to pick up a couple of their largest bags to snack on while driving. We would stop at restaurants quite often as well -- sometimes getting huge bags of Indian takeout that would last the whole trip.

I realize that these were unhealthy habits, but have to admit that those were often fun times in their own way. The "food = fun" thing is absolutely drilled into our consciousness from an early age. (What kid doesn't point longingly to those Golden Arches billboards along every highway on earth )?So, I think it's important when you want to stay raw on the road to consider this fun aspect. In terms of food, what raw foods could you bring that would be fun for you? And, realizing that fun is not limited to food, what other things could you do while traveling that would also be fun? Play road games, bring along your favorite music to sing along with, enjoy time to really talk with your family about anything and everything, take time to stop and enjoy the scenery (raw picnics are awesome!), take in an antique mall, take snapshots of interesting things you see, sketch, write in a journal, ride with all the windows down and feel the joyous wind whipping through the car!

What else can people do while traveling to make the experience more fun without resorting to pigging out on cooked junk food?