I travel for a living too, and you sound exactly like the guy I ran into in the exercise room at the hotel a week or two ago with a secret oatmeal recipe.

I don't want to hijack the thread, but what you say is right. When you travel it's no fun to eat alone, and you get real sick of restaurants and the pounds they pack on.

I compensate by buying all my food fresh each day on my way to the motel, and I carry a dinner kit that I put together from thrift store stuff. I set out a tablecloth, and cloth napkins, and put out the real ceramic dinnerware, and metal utensils. I fire up my electric hotpot with light soup or whatever, roll up 2 or 3 ounces of meat, cheese, or fish in a low carb wrap, and slice up fresh green peppers to dip in salsa. I finish off with an apple and green tea (lately with pomegranate). Then I make my breakfast and lunch for the next day, pop it in the mini fridge or cooler, and wash the dishes.

This not only insures that I eat healthy food, it keeps me busy by stretching out the meal process, and that keeps me from getting bored and pigging out at a restaurant. The company doesn't object to paying grocery store receipts instead of restaurant tabs because I save 1/3 to 1/2 of my meal allowance each day, and there's no tips to pay.