It’s Okay to Be Hungry, and Other Vacation Wisdom From My Wife

Vacations have a magical way of doing two things at once: expanding your worldview… and convincing you that you should eat everything within a five-mile radius before someone else does.

The food is part of the experience. The tacos taste better. The bread basket feels emotionally supportive. Desserts arrive with confidence. And suddenly your inner voice sounds less like “How do I want to feel later?” and more like “We’ll figure this out Monday.”

And honestly? That’s okay. Vacations are supposed to be fun. They’re not the time to diet, restrict, or treat yourself like you’re on some sort of culinary probation. Enjoy the food. Try the local thing. Order the dish you can’t get back home. One meal, or even one week of meals, is not going to derail your life.

That said… there is a difference between enjoying vacation food and aggressively disrespecting your digestive system.

Experience has taught me that certain foods, especially fried, heavy, or “this seemed like a good idea at the time” foods, don’t make me feel great afterward. So now I try to bring that wisdom with me on trips. Not as rules. Just as awareness. If I know something leaves me nauseous, sluggish, or needing a nap that feels medically necessary, I try to pause and ask: Is this worth it?

Fueling your body and feeling good on vacation is actually the cheat code. It makes everything better, walking, sightseeing, laughing, existing. That might mean not snacking mindlessly at happy hour because you know dinner is coming. Or ordering a smaller entrée because the appetizer was basically a full meal and emotionally fulfilling. Balance without restriction. Awareness without guilt.

Now, let me introduce the true hero of this story: my wife.

One day, back at home, but this applies everywhere, I was standing in front of the pantry, door open, staring into it like the answer to life was hiding behind the cereal boxes. I wasn’t really hungry. I was bored. Restless. Possibly procrastinating.

After watching me rummage for far too long, my wife calmly said, “It’s okay to be hungry.”

That was it. No lecture. No PowerPoint. Just a sentence so simple and so devastatingly accurate that it stopped me in my tracks.

I laughed it off at the time (because admitting she was right at that moment would’ve opened a door I was not prepared to dance through), but she was right. When I’m searching for something to eat and nothing “sounds good” until I’m eyeing the cheesy doodles like they owe me money, that’s usually boredom, not hunger. Craving and nourishment are very different conversations.

And somehow, that same truth follows us on vacation.

It’s okay to be hungry sometimes. You don’t have to eat every time food is available. You don’t have to snack just because you’re near a pool, an airport, or a hotel lobby that smells faintly like waffles and poor decisions.

On vacation, I like to pick my moments. I’ll usually choose one meal a day to really lean into, something local, something special, something I can’t get back in Grand Rapids (though to be fair, our food scene is improving every year). Show me the best Chicago dog. The best taco. The soup dumplings everyone swears by. I’m in.

The rest of the day? A little more dialed in. Eggs if I can get them. Some ham or turkey. Trying not to go full simple-carb avalanche. Not because carbs are evil, but because I want enough energy to actually enjoy the trip and not feel like I need a mid-afternoon nap that turns into missing half the day.

Alcohol gets the same approach. Vacation drinks are plentiful, but moderation matters. Skinny cocktails, diet mixers, zero-calorie sodas, mostly because my body is already working overtime processing everything else. Piling sugar on top of that just makes everything harder. And nobody wants to feel sluggish, foggy, or regretful on a beach.

I also try to sneak in a little movement. Nothing dramatic. Sometimes it’s a hotel gym. Sometimes it’s just an early walkabout before the rest of the family wakes up. It’s less about “earning” food and more about jumpstarting my body so it’s easier to listen to it later. When I move a bit, I naturally make better choices and I’m much more likely to pass on that second beignet without feeling like I’ve lost something meaningful.

And here’s the thing: none of this cuts out the fun. It actually protects it. Because I enjoy vacation food way more when I don’t feel overly full, sick, or sluggish. Balance lets me say yes to the good stuff without turning every meal into a competitive eating event.

So yes, eat the thing. Drink the drink. Enjoy the moment. Bring snacks if that helps (carb + protein is the satisfaction sweet spot). But also remember the wisest vacation nutrition advice I’ve ever received came casually from my wife while I was elbow-deep in our pantry:

It’s okay to be hungry.

And it turns out, it’s even better to listen, to your body, to your experience… and especially, to your spouse.