Going on a road trip? You will definitely need some road trips snacks! I don’t know about you, but when we travel (especially on a road trip), I tend to be a bit more lenient about what we eat. Like most moms, I try to eat a balanced diet of healthy foods during the normal day to day and I try to get my kids to eat that way too (you know the drill…eat your broccoli and all that jazz).
But on vacation…all bets are off (well, maybe not completely, but you get the idea)! Road trips are a great time to loosen up a bit on the rules and indulge in some of the things we usually deny ourselves. You can also take this opportunity to make normal food a little more fun!
As we prepared for a super long road trip, I did a little brainstorming to come up with some fun & easy things we could eat in the car. I also asked a bunch of other busy moms for their recommendations. Here’s the final list I’ve put together. I’ve included some healthy stuff, some sugary stuff, and a bunch of in-between!
PRO TIP: Throw in a small ice chest & dry bag of goodies within reach of the kiddos. We use a small yeti style cooler and put gel ice packs in it (instead of ice cubes that can get everything wet & messy). The cooler will usually stay cold enough for a couple of days.
Healthy(ish) Road Trip Snacks
Veggie Sticks with Ranch Dip or Hummus
For our last trip, I cut up some celery & carrots and bought these little disposable plastic containers for ranch dip. I put 1 container of ranch plus 4-5 celery sticks and 4-5 carrot sticks all together in a sandwich size zip lock bag. It was the perfect, easy-to-grab, healthy snack. Don’t want to make your own ranch? Ranch To Go is perfect!
Sliced Apples with Peanut Butter
Put a few slices of apple & peanut butter containers (Like the ones I mentioned above) in a sandwich zip lock bag to make it easy to grab on the road. Don’t want to make your own peanut butter containers? JIF To Go makes it supper easy!
PRO TIP: Buy a variety of apples and have everyone do a taste test for fun.
Trail mix
Buy it or make your own ahead of time.
Sandwiches
I like to make these ahead of time. My family likes chicken salad. I just make some before our trip and then the morning we are leaving, I’ll make up a few sandwiches. Use regular bread or, my favorite, Hawaiian rolls!
PRO TIP: Have little kids that don’t like the crust? Use fun cookie cutters (you can get these super cheap at the dollar store) to cut the sandwiches into fun shapes.
Pepperonis, Cheese & Ritz Crackers
A favorite of ours. You can prepare a little by cutting the cheese slices in 1/4’s. Put the pepperoni’s & prepped cheese together in a zip lock bag so it’s easy to grab.
Beef Jerky
Protein Bites
A great healthy option. Here is a yummy recipe I found on Pinterest. There are a TON of recipes on Pinterest, so if you don’t like this one, you can definitely find one that will be a great fit for your family!
Tortilla Wraps
Like sandwiches, these are quick and easy to prepare before you go and are fairly non-messy options for the car.
Granola Bars
We always have granola bars at home, but I try to buy a different type or different flavors for road trips To mix it up a bit.
Cliff Bars
A quick easy grab. We like the crunchy peanut butter ones (Ummmm…can you tell we like peanut butter?)
Not as-healthy, but OH SO Good
Variety Pack of Mini Cereal Boxes
The yummy sugary kind you don’t usually buy. Easy to grab and each kid (and adult) can have what they want.
Variety Pack of Individual Bags of Chips
Everyone can pick their favorite!
Goldfish
An oldie but a goodie!
Pretzels
Try out some fun flavors. I actually like to dip mine in peanut butter (are you surprised?) so I prep a few bags with pretzels & peanut butter (like the apples above).
Candy
I don’t typically pack a ton of candy, but I will buy a few things. The dollar store near us has an AWESOME selection of movie theater style boxes of candy. I like the boxes as road trip snacks because they don’t get squished as easily.
Cheez-Its
Fruit Snacks
You can choose the gummy style fruit snacks or fruit roll-ups!
Drinks
Obviously, you’re going to need a drink or two to go along with all these snacks. Water is always good. You can also try HINT water (a HUGE favorite at my house) or get a few of those small (7.5 fl oz) sodas as a treat.
Easy Cheese & Crackers
I NEVER have this stuff at home because, honestly, I could eat the whole can in one sitting….ummm, not a healthy option. But it’s a perfect road trip snack!
Oatmeal Cream Pies
This is the perfect example of one of the things we never have at home, but splurge on when we are on vacation! We LOVE these things! Thank you Little Debbie!
Well, that should at least get you started – Ha! Didn’t see something you love? Help us all out & leave a comment sharing YOUR favorite road trip snack!
PRO TIP: ALWAYS throw in a roll of paper towels!
Now What?
Now that you know what road trip snacks to pack…what on earth are you going to do to pass the time on your trip? I’ve got you covered!! Check out “Road Trip Games Everyone Will Love” for 23 great games & activities that will help you all pass the time together and actually enjoy it!
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Until next time…
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Fritos and bean dip always!
OMG – Yes! I love bean dip…I might have to get a few cans next time 🙂