Road Trip Snacks to Pack
Spring break for elementary school! We're taking a road trip from Boston to Georgia, stopping for sights and family along the way. What are your favorite road trip snacks to keep everybody happy when in the car for up to ten hours at a time?
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21 Comments:
When we went on vacations that involved long car rides, my parents always used to pack a cooler full of fresh fruit, various bags of pretzels and chips, boxes of cereal and crackers, and a little bit of candy (my mom was addicted to Twizzlers). Now, my friends and I usually take trail mix/mixed nuts/dried fruit, boxes of cereal, fruits and veggies, supplies for PB&J, and some Powerbars. And s'more supplies if said road trip involves any camping!
cycorider at 11:00AM on 04/14/09
Laughing Cow individual cheeses don't need to be refrigerated. Great for dairy lovers. Trader Joe's makes all different types of trail mixes and dried fruit mixes. I'm a personal fan of bringing some yum sourdough bread to nosh on--who cares about the crumbs--you can wipe it out at a pit stop.
kgiuffre at 11:02AM on 04/14/09
childsized sedatives? sorry thats the first thing that came to mind. how about things like crackers and nut butters, of maybe granola bars? I'd stay away from the commercial bars because of the sugar content, even a little sugar of caffeine can make a long stretch in the car awful at a young age. Nuts, crackers, even a cooler with string cheese. Most importantly lots of games and books, try not to get in the habit of eating out of the boredom of being in the car. And dont forget lots of water! Good luck! oh yeah also an economy sized bottle of excedrine migraine?
huneybumper at 11:05AM on 04/14/09
Jerky, Babybell cheeses, granola, sandwiches, fresh fruit or dried (be careful though - too much dried fruit can lead to tummy aches), nuts or trail mix. Lots of water, maybe juice boxes? A little bit of candy - think fun sized. Sounds like a great trip - Enjoy!!
thinkingincrayons at 11:30AM on 04/14/09
little clementine oranges are always good because they dont need to be refrigerated- also try pretzel sticks but make sure to bring lots of water because they'll make the kids very thirsty. If you're going to bring candy dont pack too much because it'll make them crabby later. Also be sure to bring toys/books to entertain them. I hope you're trip is great!!
camille at 12:12PM on 04/14/09
Beef jerky and beer. Oh, right, family ... elementary school break ...
Lorenzo at 12:24PM on 04/14/09
DAMN @ Huneybumper, I was gonna say Valium for the kids!
Pavlov at 1:29PM on 04/14/09
We took lots of road trips when I was a kid, and always brought along Snyder's preztel rods, several pounds of carrots, apples, oranges, twizzlers, and plenty of water and diet coke. When I became a vegetarian, I would also pack a lunch, since fast food vegetarian food is (or at least was back then--I think Subway has raised the bar slightly) pretty much nonexistent. Have fun!
ChristineB at 1:33PM on 04/14/09
My family did a zillion road trips when we were kids. Bringing a cooler is worth the extra space it takes, because then you can bring real sandwich stuff like cold cuts, cheese and mayo, plus have cold juice boxes and sodas for grownups. I don't know what kind of car you have, but we always had a minivan and put the cooler on the side next to the sliding door. It makes a nice little platform for snack assembly, which of course makes the person sitting next to it in charge.
Oh, and hide a secret stash of chocolate only to be brought out in an emergency, which always happened sometime during the second day in my family!
Embackus at 1:48PM on 04/14/09
@Pavlov sorry ;-)
huneybumper at 2:31PM on 04/14/09
I like crackers and cheese.
@Pavlov lol you crack me up but I 2nd that idea.
pjracz10 at 2:32PM on 04/14/09
Try sandwiches made in wraps for a more filling and relatively "crumb-less" meal. Cold pasta salad or fruit salad in small tupperware containers with plastic silverware is good too. And for a filling drink, make fruit and yogurt smoothies ahead of time, and portion into individual thermoses. Baby carrots, celery sticks, pre-sliced cucumbers are perfect for dipping into small containers of peanut butter or hummus. The important thing is to keep a balance of complex carbs, lean protein, and healthy fat - this will keep you full the longest. And water, too, of course since traveling tends to make most people really dehydrated. Oh, and napkins/paper towels, plastic silverware, straws, wet-wipes, and a couple trash bags!
kimberlymac at 3:01PM on 04/14/09
I love fruit leather; it's better than candy but tastes like candy! And you get a full serving of fruit for each "leather" strip... we also used to bring cold pizza. I know it sounds weird, (I love cold pizza) but if you make pizza at home you can cut it up in little squares for kids and since it's cold it doesn't make a mess or burn anyone ;)
kmgagne at 3:34PM on 04/14/09
agree with the cereal. i know it sounds stupid but this saved my parents from having to either 1) get mcdonalds every morning or 2) drive around frantically trying to find somewhere to have a fast but healthy-ish meal during our road trips from colorado back to boston. you can find a little carton of milk anywhere from a gas station to well, mcdonalds, so we'd just use a tupperware as our bowl and have breakfast on the run.
megannesta at 4:16PM on 04/14/09
When my best friend and I go on road trips together, a large package of Twizzlers are a must! Not necessarily the healthiest thing to bring with...but, it's a road trip. Who says we have to be good? ;-)
jmfors at 4:25PM on 04/14/09
Once you hit the Carolina line stop for some boiled peanuts.
Poultrygeist at 7:04PM on 04/14/09
Goldfish crackers or other animal-shaped crackers are tasty and entertaining.
runnereater at 7:17PM on 04/14/09
I agree with all the above, but no matter what pack a few surprises for the kids. There's nothing like a treat to pick up a grumpy kid.
Another few non-food ideas though: a good book on tape is fun for everyone and makes the time go by. Your local library should be able to suggest something that will be entertaining for everyone in the car.
ALSO, my parents used to play the quarters game with my sister and me when we went on long car rides. Each of us got a few dollars worth of quarters (usually $2, I think) and everytime we wanted to ask "are we there yet?" or "how much longer?" we needed to cough up a quarter to the front seat---worked like magic at keeping us quiet.
Have FUN!
veggieout at 7:35PM on 04/14/09
Peanut-butter filled pretzels, homemade granola bars, mini reeses, and homemade empanadas. Yummm!
bitchincamero at 7:40PM on 04/14/09
one bourbon, one scotch and one beer....
dmcavanagh at 7:46PM on 04/14/09
An air-conditioned stretch limo with driver.
annien at 3:36PM on 04/15/09