Reader Question: Best Foods to Pack for a Road Trip
This reader question comes from Juliana. She was wondering if anyone had any tips or recommendations on packing foods for a road trips.
Question:
I’m planning a long road trip (New York to Arkansas and back) for next month and I was wondering if you had suggestions on good snacks and/or meals that would travel well that I could stock up on now. I’ll have my 3 year old daughter and my 50 year old mom with me; we’re trying not to have to stop and eat out too many times.
Do you have any advice for Juliana?
If you have a questions you would like to ask the LRWC readers, you can send it to questions@livingrichwithcoupons.com. Put, “Reader Questions” in the subject line.
A cooler packed with lunch meats! That’s what i do. Bring bread, and condiments, and make sandwiches the whole way! Two bags of ice in that cooler will most definitely keep everything fresh
And pudding snacks…too keep your 3 year old smiling!
Definitely bring carrots, especially for when you might need a little pep. The crunching is great for keeping you awake through the boring stretches of driving, and who doesn’t love carrots? Ritz cracker sandwiches, but the tiny ones are great for snacking, they aren’t too dry and because they are bite size, you don’t get crumbs all over the car (especially good with the little ones). As far as drinks that taste as good warm as they do cold, all that comes to mind are drink boxes of any type.
Grilled chicken and whole wheat pita pockets can be easily assembled in the car and are good carbs and protein (grill chicken at home and cut into strips you can also pack some lettuce and ceaser dressing YUM!), another good protein is cheese sticks. Have FUN and have a safe TRIP=)
You can freeze your drinks and use them as ice packs. They will be icy cold and serve as a freezer pack. I also pack the squeeze apple sauce packets or the yogurt that comes in tubes. No spoon required, and you can put the top back on if they don’t want the whole thing. I also pack lunch meats, rolls, 1 tomato and a plastic knife. You can get condiment packets at any gas station, rest stop. A bag of chips, a can of your favorite nuts or trail mix. If there are only 3 of you in the car keep everything in a bag within the car so it is completely accessible and no stops are required to grab snacks from the trunk. The other thing I can suggest is a container with a lid for your 3 year old, this has been a complete lifesaver. The lids has an opening so they can stick their hands in it to grab food, but if they drop the container, everything stays contained.
When I make the round trip from NY to SC I pack a cooler with cheese sticks, yogurt, hard boiled eggs, fruit ( grapes, raisins, apples,bananas ) ,
nuts ( almonds, peanuts cashews) and crackers. I throw in a few protein drinks and bottles of water. I also keep a case of water in the car to refill the cooler. A garbage bag for the car is a must.
String cheese, almonds, Clif and/or granola bars, jerky, yogurt tubes or smoothies, bananas, boxes of raisins, and lollipops (to help keep the driver alert) As for the drinks, what about all of the free iced tea/lemonade we’ve been getting this past month? I’ve had it when it’s warm and it’s not too bad.
Have a good trip!
Agree with the sandwiches, and anything snacky- to keep from having to stop. Fruit, veggies cut up, crackers, goldfish, etc. It might help to pack a picnic lunch too- like pasta salad, etc. that you can keep in the cooler and stop to eat. that way you don’t have to eat out.
Agree with the frozen drinks as ice packs, also trail mix with nuts and dried fruit, grapes and carrots travel well in a cooler, those crackers and cheese or peanut butter packs, and Pringles don’t get crushed. As for meals, lunchmeat wraps take up less space than hoagies or sandwiches and won’t get crushed as easily. Cheese sticks, crackers and ring bologna could be a meal. Or protein bars.
my kids and i make the drive from New Jersey ti Indiana a few times a year. I cut up fruit (bananas, strawberries, cantalope, mangos, watermelon, etc) and freeze it in plastic storage containers. I also freeze those tubes of yogurt for the kids. the frozen water is great as well, as long as you empty a bit out of the bottle first otherwise they will explode when they freeze. we take Mio with us to put in the drinks if we want some flavor. I also get Uncrustables and freeze a few of them as well. the kids love them and they dont make a huge mess.
I have to agree with Elizabeth, I have a 3 year old and a 1 .5 year old and uncrustables are great for road trips! They are also perfect airplane food as they are individually wrapped. We’re set to make our third drive from NJ to VA next weekend, so we’ll be packing travel foods as well. Perfect timing for this post. Thanks Cindy!
Being military, we do tons of road trips, from coast to coast and I hate fast food. I keep a cooler with lunch meat, chicken salad, wraps, chopped veggies, go-go squeeze apple sauce, and fruit. I’m a space fanatic, and everything has to fit perfectly, so I hate bottles of mayo and mustard- I alway grab extra packs from chik-fil-a and keep them in a container. I hate to buy go-gurt because it’s just sugary crap, but it works great on road trips and you can freeze them. I also freeze juice boxes and water bottles and use those in a cooler as ice, as they melt the kids have a nice cold drink. I keep a rubber maid container with boxes of cereal (my kids love cheerios), almonds, granola (for me, the kids make a mess with it), pouches of tuna and bread, this eliminates a lot of the stuff getting squished. I avoid crackers, chocolate, and cookies- they make a mess and a sugar high on a road trip is not fun! I also keep a bottle of febreeze, clorox wipes, a roll of paper towels, and an all purpose cleaner in my car because everytime we go on a road trip the kids manage to make giant messes.
I like packing fresh green salads. I usually grill chicken (on my panini grill) early morning and cut up into bite size pieces and add that to a spring mix salad. I add some feta cheese, bite size avocado, tomatoes, cucumber, tomatoes and it holds up nicely all day in a cooler filled with ice packs. I put my own dressing in a separate container and add it the moment I’m about to eat. I usually break these salads up into single ziploc containers so everyone has an individual serving. I also like cutting up fresh fruit (frozen grapes, watermelon, pineapple, strawberries). I’ve recently made my own protein shake in a blender, froze it and drank it later in the day and it held up well (of course, you have to mix it a little before you drink). It also satisfied our hunger so we weren’t craving snacks during our trip. I try to stay away from the sugary items so you don’t have the crash and burn feeling later in the day. Enjoy your vacation!
HI:
Please remember to pack Granola bars because they don’t take up much space and are individually wrapped so are good for travel. And coupons are always available for these.
Also get a case of milk packs that DON’T require refrigeration & I think the straw is included. Just remember to put a few into your cooler before using!
I always look and find “buy 1 get 1 free nuts” (unsalted) in a can which is good for energy and helps when your are on the road & hungry.
Be safe & Enjoy the trip.
I like making trail mix, you can make a lot of it for cheap. There are millons of different ways to go about doing this, so you can make a different one for each day. HTH.
JIM
Thanks for all of your great ideas! I’m definitely going to use many of these ideas. I’d never thought to freeze juice boxes to keep the cooler cold. And the green salad in individual baggies will be great! I could just go on gushing about how much more manageable you all have made this. LRWC readers are the best!
Tuna in the pouch! I don’t like a lot of mayo so I eat it out of the pouch when I’m on the run. I also make a salad and put it in a ziplock bag (minus the dressing). You also could bring mini dinner rolls and a small tub of soft butter. Mini bagels with Philly minis, and lots of organic snack bars. I would put a sheet over the whole back seat so if there are any “accidents” you can just take it off and throw it in the wash, a tub of wipes,a “picnic” basket to hold non-cooler items, garbage bag and a roll of toilet paper. Those rest rooms always seem to run out!
Lynn, I love the sheet idea! I have small kids and they are always eating on the go. This is such a great idea! (although most of the food falls on the floor…lol)
We go cross country a lot and here’s a list of some of the things I pack for those trips:
Bananas
Baby carrots (in individual baggies)
granola bars
apples
yogurt tubes (I freeze them to keep in the cooler)
drink pouches (freeze these, too)
tortillas
peanut butter
nuts or homemade trail mix)
case of water
tuna pouches
crackers
individual dressing packets
mini boxes of raisins
On a related note I also pack a boredom bag for each person with fun little things that they enjoy but don’t let them open it until in the car as a surprise. I like to put in books, yarn and straws (to make keychains or if you have a crocheter or knitter) crayons, a metal tray with homemade magnets to play out stories, road trip bingo, extra batteries for video games, little dolls or cars and maybe a book or 2.
i agree, not only you need snacks but bring along paper towels, toilet paper, baby wipes and sanitizer for those sticky hands.
Frozen grapes and blueberries works great.
pretzels
I am not a fan of brining bananas in the car, the smell is overwhelming and it gets worse in a hot day. besides you also run into the problem that everything will either taste or smell like bananas.
Pita bread travels best, you can buy the pepperridge farm goldfish shape flat bread, your kid will have fun and enjoy a healthy meal.
i usually bring a small bag with M&Ms or skeettles that and i only give each of my kids about 5 pieces as a special treat (it might not be healthly but every kid, including the mommies, can enjoy a sweet treat now and then)
for drinks i rather pack water, is better for you and even if they spill a litlte bit it doesnt become a sticky mess by the time we get to stop.
and Like Elizabeth P. bring something to get them entertained, nothing with small part as you will be constantly picking them up when they fall on the floor, The crayola magic works best, it only colors the special pages and not their faces or clothes.
When we bring the movie player along we only turn it on when they have grown tired of playing & eating.
good luck
Best investment I made was to buy a thermoelectric cooler. It plugs into cigarette lighter, no ice needed and the converter allows you to plug it in, inside your hotel room. I usually team my cooler and electric skillet to save money on home cooked meals while we are way to save money and eat better. It’s also great for warehouse clubs to keeps frozen items cold on my hour long trip back home.