Inevitably there are days when we shuttle from country to country, whirling through stations and airports, only resting in transit. Modern lives demand travel. And often it’s no bad thing; taking you somewhere new or, at least, beloved. But joyous reunions and exciting adventures aside, also waiting at the other end is that repellent sludgy feeling induced only by dehydration and packaged food.

Now, I will concede that finding a fresh broccoli, avocado and quinoa salad is harder when on the move, but excuses are excuses and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is very possible, as long as you plan suitably and subdue temptation. Some ideas on how.

1. You’ll need adequate supplies. It is foolish to think that you’ll fill your limited hand luggage with three sets of tupperware, but a bag of raw nuts, two pieces of fresh fruit, and some celery or cucumber chopped and wrapped in cling film is all realistic. They travel well and, combined, can easily replace one full meal, should all else fail.

2. Drink throughout your journey – still, rather than sparkling water: you don’t want to end up with a tummy like a balloon on arrival. This requires a certain amount of timing. Buy a bottle to drink on the train before you get to the airport. Buy another bottle once through security. If you’re offered a free drink on the plane (a rarity in the modern age), water is the only thing you’re interested in – or perhaps herbal tea.

3. Don’t rely on the food you can buy on trains or aeroplanes, which is invariably junk. Even if packaged as something ‘health-giving’, salt and sugar will abound to appeal to the tastes of the average tongue. But you definitely still need to eat, because travelling requires energy for lifting heavy bags, marching down departure halls, and running for punctual trains.

4. Along with your pre-packed snacks, make sure to buy food from a sensible shop along the way. Seek out somewhere, even if it means a small diversion, which will have at least some of the sorts of food you’d be willing to eat. And anticipate the extra ten to fifteen minutes it will take you to browse the shelves of M&S or Pret a Manger at Victoria or Gatwick, for example, to avoid a rush.

5. Food ideas include a combination of M&S salads – though avoid any with a sweetened dressing (extra sugar will only add to your fatigue). Perhaps mozzarella and sundried tomatoes, plus something leafier, or just the nicoise. Big leaves with small packages of cheese or flaked smoked salmon for protein would also do. Pret’s breadless offerings are equally suitable. Soup will most likely be too stodgy and salty. Leave off any desert other than fruit. In addition to the apples in your bag, you may want to indulge in a pack of freshly cut fruit – there’s something terribly pleasing about picking berries out of a box with a fork on a plane in November. (I know, the environment … But just this once is okay.)

6. Most travel is by nature sedentary, with extended periods where any vigorous movement is near impossible. But around the hours you’re bound to spend sitting down, there are opportunities for exertion just waiting to be seized.  Walk everywhere, no matter how heavy your bag. Bound up the stairs, even when there’s an escalator – preferably two at a time. Never dawdle – especially when you have long distances to cover. Carry your bag, instead of pulling it, and don’t shy away from offering to help little old ladies with theirs. You’ll be doing both a good turn and stretching your arms.

7. Always travel with a good book. If you find yourself holed up somewhere, watching numbers tick round on a screen, with “to be announced” still flashing next to your flight, immersing yourself in a story will go much further than any magazine in staving off temptation for chocolate, coffee or sushi. If your mind is truly busy, it won’t have time to dupe itself into believing that what in reality is really unpleasant food might be just what could hit the spot.