Whether we are taking a day trip or traveling hundreds of miles, I always pack travel snacks and meals for everyone!
Travel Snacks and meals for your next roadtrip
The worst thing you could ever do, especially with small children and hangry husbands, is FORGET the snacks. It is ALWAYS better to be over prepared rather than under in this category if you ask me. This I have learned more than once and considering we travel full time I think I know a thing or two about travel snacks and what comes with it.
Let’s not waste time and start getting into what I pack for snacks and meals on travel days! There is a combination of my staple store bought items as well as make ahead foods that make your day a LOT easier! Also, don’t forget to leave a comment on your favorite travel snacks and meals because we can ALL use all the help we can get.
Do your kids only eat “snacks”? We are currently in that stage therefore I refer to meals as “travel snacks”….call them what you must but let’s dig in…no pun intended…or maybe it was?
KIDS READY TO GRAB TRAVEL SNACKS
The kids are my main priority when it comes to just about everything in life but especially when there is food involved. I am not happy when I am hungry and they exceed my hangry-ness by 110%.
Each of the girls get their own little lunch box filled with their non-perishable food items. I try my best to get items that won’t make a massive mess and require cleaning of them and my car but the kids are at that age where anything can be a mess. MOST of these are store bought but they consist of:
- Popcorn (lesser evil in the .88 oz packages are our go to!) OR I make and package my own the night before using coconut oil and salt for our flavoring
- Beef sticks (Chomps or Archers)
- Bars
- Dried fruit
- PB&J sticks (Trader Joes has two flavors now)
- Nuts
- Granola bites
- Trail mix
- Fresh fruit such as apples and bananas that will not rot
- Homemade goldfish snacks
Adult and Kid Travel Snacks
Bento boxes have been my thing for traveling and they fit really well in our AO Coolers. Gives the kids a few options while making me feel fancy like I’m creating a charcuterie board for a party or something. I do a variety of items and it changes because I can’t seem to eat the same thing every travel day. Here’s a few ideas!
- Hummus paired with pretzels and veggies
- Fresh fruit (sometimes I include chocolate hummus I make from scratch OR you can get the Boar’s Head brand)
- Energy bites which are REALLY easy to make and require no baking
- Protein bars
- Protein shakes
- My husband calls these fancy shakes because I like to blend them with frozen fruit, nut butter, spinach, etc
- Fresh veggies
- Bell peppers, sliced tomatoes, celery, broccoli, carrots, cucumber etc
- Fresh fruit
- Beef sticks/jerky
- Nuts/seeds
- Raisins
- DIY trail mix
- Rice cakes with nut butter
Travel Meals
We always pack dry snacks no matter the distance we are going. We also pack meals rather than eating out because it’s cheaper and healthier. Plus my kids can never make up their minds so it’s safer to pack than attempt to buy food they will refuse to eat, even if they have eaten it a thousand times before. Travel snacks are ESSENTIAL.
A good cooler is a requirement for travel. We use our AO COOLER in combo with some great ice packs since we cannot access our refrigerator in our RV on travel days without opening a slide.
Food not kept cool enough can be a real problem so be smart about this!
PRO TIP
I also highly suggest keeping disposable or reusable cutlery, plates, wipes, napkins and a trash bag in your vehicle. ESPECIALLY the trash bag considering I have been teaching my kids that the floor is not the trash can in my car.
BREAKFAST
This is one meal (or breakfast travel snack) is used often. It does tend to be more of a snack considering the kids eat before we leave but by the time we get in the car they ask for snacks within 10 minutes of leaving. Instead of being frustrated per the usual I decided to just pack more snacks and breakfast type items.
Breakfast is more homemade options with the occasional store bought:
- Protein pancakes (my go to I make the night before)
- Chia pudding (made night before)
- Homemade bars OR granola bars of some sort
- Bagels and cream cheese
- Fresh fruit
- Homemade banana bread
- Overnight oats
- Hard boiled eggs
- Fresh fruit
- Yogurt
LUNCH TRAVEL SNACKS
Lunch can be used as dinner options unless your kid is like mine and complain that it’s “not hot”. These I try to pack ahead of time and sometimes I pack the ingredients to make when we do a potty/stretch break. Depends on how much planning you do as well as the amount of space you have in your cooler.
My lunch options are cold and everyone can eat them:
- Egg salad/sandwich or with crackers
- PB&J sandwiches cute with this maker from AMAZON also make a lot of these at one time and freeze them! Great for easy travel snacks and hiking snacks!
- Salads Either premade OR I like Trader Joe’s salad options
- Tortilla roll up/sandwiches
- PB&J
- Meat and cheese
- Hummus and veggies
- PB&banana
- BLT
- Chickpea salad (sandwich, with crackers or alone)
- Tuna salad (sandwich, with crackers or alone)
- When all else fails try cold leftovers!
Dinner
For dinners I love making things that I can heat up quick in the microwave at a bathroom/fuel stop or when we arrive at our destination. AGAIN planning is key so if you make it to your destination on time you can make meals ahead and leave them in the fridge for a quick reheat/cook. We try to make it to our destination before dinner considering that’s just a long day for everyone which can be miserable for more than one of us….but occasionally we end up packing something.
Dinner Ideas:
- A lot of the lunch ideas can be dinner options as well!
- Burritos
- Tacos – especially if it’s Tuesday!
- Quick meals (again we like Trader Joe’s for some frozen meals)
- Spaghetti and meatballs
- Pasta salads
- Breakfast for dinner! Always an easy one!
Beverages
My kids drink water and so do we but we will pack caffeine at times. So here’s a list of beverages we might occasionally take with us.
Beverage ideas:
- Waters — I usually pack larger water bottles to fill everyone’s smaller cups that fit in cup holders
- Make coffee ahead of time and mix in your sweetness or creamers. Pop it in your cooler the next day with a ziplock bag of ice, don’t forget a cup!
- Canned drinks (you’ll only find bubble waters in our coolers)
- STOPPING. Yes you can stop for drinks as well but remember it all adds up as additional travel costs.
Pro Tip: The Right Travel Snack Accessories
A few items we use every travel day that have been successful in keeping our food cool and having enough room as well as making life easier!
- Bento Boxes
- I use these for all four of us for lunch and also use one more each for the girls for a snack. Sometimes this is easier than digging through the cooler to find what they want
- Snack spinner
- These are a fun way for the kids to have options for snacks!
- Ice packs
- I swear by these! We have blow through so many ice packs (cheap and expensive) and these have held up while keeping of food cool for longer
- Uncrustable sandwich cutter
- My kids love when I use this. You can prep these and freeze them for a quick on the go snack! PRO TIP: use the left over crust to make croutons, make an overnight French toast, or keep the center and fry an egg in the middle for breakfast.
- AO Cooler
- This cooler is our favorite and we can vouch for how well they work! We use them for traveling, boating, off reading, etc
Travel Snack Wrap Up
Let us know what snacks you go to for travel days! I would like to think our many hours of travel and food prep expertise will help others in a rut.
For now, that’s a wrap! Don’t forget to follow us on social media and send us an email if you have any questions or topics you would like to see next!
Safe and intentional travels to all,
Four Season Travelers – The Brownings
Make sure to check out this page if you’re planning on flying with kids anytime soon >>>
