Road Trip Food Ideas: Snacks & Meals

If you’re about to hit the road for an adventure of a lifetime, packing road trip food might be the last thing on your mind—but it shouldn't be. It's tempting to grab a snack or meal at every stopover, but this can result in spending beyond the budget for your trip. Plus, there aren’t always healthy options available.

Instead, consider planning your road trip snacks and meals ahead of time. You don’t have to plan a gourmet meal, but you need things that are easy to grab if you don’t have time to pull over and eat. With careful planning and preparation, you’ll be able to bring food for yourself and your family or friends that is healthy, delicious, and affordable.

Best Road Trip Snacks

The best road trip snacks are convenient, nutritious, and cost-conscious. You'll want something to munch on in between meals, especially if you’re the one driving.

Instead of greasy gas station food, why not prepare some road trip snacks at home that you can take with you?

Savory road trip snacks

If you’re into salty snacks, try packing road trip eats like:

• Beef jerky
• Cheese sticks
• Crackers
• Nuts
• Popcorn
• Pretzels
• Seaweed snacks

You can also consider making your own healthy road trip snacks, with options like:

• Baked vegetable chips (beet, kale, sweet potato)
• Toasted seeds (pumpkin or sunflower)
• Trail mix

Sweet road trip snacks

Satiate your sweet tooth with snack ideas like:

• Banana chips
• Brownies
• Cookies
• Chocolate
• Energy bars

Healthy road trip snacks

There's a lot to be said for simple fruits and veggies. Some ideas include:

• Carrot sticks with hummus
• Celery with peanut butter
• Cucumber sticks
• Dried fruit (apricots, dates, mango, raisins, etc.)
• Fresh fruit (apples, berries, cherries, oranges, etc.)

Road Trip Breakfast Ideas

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and just because you’re on a road trip doesn’t mean you should skip it.

Many hotels include free breakfast, but if you head out early before breakfast is served, you’ll need energy for the long hours behind the wheel. Make it a point to eat a healthy breakfast that will keep you satiated for the drive ahead.

You may want to consider bringing along some non-perishable breakfast items—especially items that are easy to hold so you can eat them while driving.

Non-perishable breakfast road trip food ideas

• Dry cereal
• Granola bars
• Toaster pastries

Easy-to-hold breakfast road-trip food ideas

• Bagels
• Banana bread
• Breakfast bars
• Breakfast burritos
• Hardboiled eggs
• Croissants
• Fresh fruit (apples, bananas, etc.)
• Muffins
• Peanut butter sandwiches
• Bottled yogurt or smoothie drinks

Road Trip Lunch Ideas

For lunch, you’ll want something a little more filling than breakfast. You can opt for food that’s pre-packaged and ready to eat or bring ingredients that can be easily assembled.

It might be a good idea to have a cooler to keep perishable items and/or a thermos so you can keep soup or pasta warm.

If you’re traveling with children, you can prepare them the same meals you will be eating or choose more kid-friendly options.

Easy-to-eat road trip lunch ideas

• Avocado toast
• Charcuterie box (cheese, cold cuts, crackers, dried fruit, olives, etc.)
• Pasta salad
• Pita with turkey or ham and cheese
• Pre-made sandwiches
• Salad in a jar packed with veggies and grilled chicken
• Soups in a thermos
• Wraps

Road Trip Dinner Ideas

For the last meal of the day, you may want to check out the restaurants near the hotel where you’re staying. It’s a great way to get a taste of the local flavors.

If, however, you haven’t reached your destination by dinner time, you can still prepare and pack your own meals for dinner.

You can get some inspiration from some of the lunch options provided or try something entirely different. As this is the last meal of the day, make sure that the food you prepare can be easily stored in containers and won’t spoil immediately.

Easy-to-eat dinner road trip food ideas

• Cold pasta salad
• Chili or soup in a thermos
• Quesadillas
• Salads
• Sandwiches
• Wraps

Plan & Prepare Your Meals in Advance

The key to having a great road trip experience is preparing and planning ahead of time for every aspect of your trip—from the stops you’ll make to the things you’ll pack, including food for snacks and meals.

While packing food for your road trip may seem overwhelming at first, remember that the best road trip foods are those that are affordable, nutritious, and easily transportable.

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