Summer and New England have only just made things *official*, and already this is the most traveling I have ever done on a summer layoff- hands down.

From New Zealand, to the Berkshires, to Maine and soon enough Colorado (more details on that soon), M and I have been zipping around this globe like hummingbirds dipping our little beaks in here and there and everywhere. In the process we’ve learned a thing or two about what makes travel more enjoyable for us. My biggest lesson learned, if you’re interested…

Slip: Airport food, airPLANE food, or worse- lack thereof! You’re roadtripping, you’re sight-seeing, you’re checking in after hours and hanger strikes. It is not pretty.

Tip: Pack snacks! Guys, I filled my backpack so full of treats before heading down under, it was pulled from the belt to be inspected by TSA. “Dried mango?”, the inspector shot me a puzzled look as he turned over the vacuum packed scraps of golden goodness. “You see something new everyday here, I swear.” Also in my backpack, awaiting a peckish point on the plane: a big bag of trail mix, gooey homemade chocolate banana bread (SO good), and an impressive array of protein bars.

Traveling days tend to be a marathon of dehydrated foods, and for a vegetarian lady like myself, macronutrients can be tough to pin down. So when I heard about vegan macro bars from Gomacro, I knew I wanted to try them.

These delightful little snack bars arrived on my doorstep at the perfect time- just after I’d arrived home from New Zealand, learned the true importance of packing protein and was re-packing my bags for a week of dancing in the Berkshires. Driving to and from the studio, dancing all day, staying in B&Bs at night- a kitchen and fridge full of fresh ingredients were not an option, if ya catch my drift.

Taking on this taste-testing challenge with all the fervor of my scholarly side, each morning I would snatch a different bar to bring with me and look forward to devouring it during a break. While I normally gravitate toward chocolate-nutty flavors when it comes to these things, I actually preferred the refreshing tartness of gomacro’s fruitier flavors. No matter the flavor though, when paired with some green juice and tea, these bars really kept me going all week long. Seriously, since most restaurants in the Berkshires close around 9 and we rehearsed until 8:30, my diet was 80% gomacro, 20% Middle Eastern tapas.

Due to the high protein content (we’re talking upwards of 10 grams for most flavors) gomacro bars have a nice, gummy texture to them, something I really dig as a proponent for chewy treats over crispy ones. The lovely folks at gomacro make their products on a farm with all natural, organic ingredients. Yay! They are completely vegan and soy-free, but beware; Not all bars are created equally. I found these bars tended to be high in sugar- natural sugar, yes, but still something to look out for if you are trying to monitor your sugar intake. Luckily, for a full day of dancing, some sugar (and lots of protein!) is a welcomed thing.

My conclusion: for an exercise-filled day, these protein dense bars are a yummy, worthy choice. So travel, dance, and snack on, friends.