Authored by Vera Miller
Did you know that in the 1950’s people almost never went out to eat? Not only was it too expensive, there also weren’t too many places to go. Going out to eat and even enjoying a soft drink was something that most people enjoyed once a month or so – at the most.
But today, people eat out on average 4 to 5 times per week and spend around $1200 a year on fast food alone. If you’re on a road trip without an oven or even a microwave, that number can be a lot higher. If you want to save a little money on food costs, here are some suggestions for your next road trip.
Breakfast
You can find individual bowls of cereal in most big grocery stores and especially the bulk stores like Costco. Keep some milk in the cooler along with some plastic spoons and you have an instant breakfast.
If you don’t like cereal, you can go with something like granola bars or pre-made sandwiches with bacon, sausage, egg and cheese in any combination. These can be eaten cold with no problems but they can also be put into a thermal lunchbox and kept warm for hours.
Some people prefer to bring along some bagels with cream cheese or butter. They won’t be toasted but your kids won’t mind. You can also have a great breakfast with hard-boiled eggs and string cheese.
Lunch
When it comes to lunch, sandwiches are the perfect road trip food. Not only can you simply pack the bread, meats, cheeses and condiments so that everyone can make themselves the perfect sandwich, you can create amazing sandwiches that will stay good in your cooler for a long time.
You can pair sandwiches will all kinds of portable foods that will easily keep on a long road trip. Individual bags of chips are an excellent choice but if you want to go healthier you can pair sandwiches with trail mix, fresh carrot sticks or peanut butter and cracker packages.
Dinner
Dinner is a little trickier because of the desire for hot food. But here’s a trick that you can use.
Put some hot dogs or ‘Lil’ Smokies’ into a thermos and fill with boiling water. They will be ready to eat whenever you are and you can just eat them by themselves or use a bun along with some condiments.
You can also use thermos for soups and this can be a delicious dinner as well. Pair your main course with something like potato salad or macaroni salad that will keep in the cooler and then go with something sweet for dessert like a candy bar.
Snacks Between Meals
You definitely want some snacks between meals because even if you plan to stop for dinner at a restaurant, you and your family are going to get hungry at some point. Snacks that make perfect “in-betweeners” include string cheese, peanut butter/cheese and cracker packs, chips, individually packaged cookies and desserts like moon pies or Hostess treats.
Of course, you may want your kids to eat healthier snacks than that so you can go with carrot sticks with caramel dipping sauce or ranch, individual salads that you can keep in a cooler; you can also get little packages of nuts or trail mix.
If you go to one of the bulk discount stores like Sam’s Club or Costco, you will find many bulk packages of individually wrapped snacks in every shape and size.
Beverages
One of the main ways that you’re going to be able to save money is if you ensure that you have access to cold beverages throughout the entire road trip.
A great way to save money on beverages is to buy (or fill) bottles of water and mix these with a packet of powder drink mix. Flavors like Kool-Aid or Hawaiian Punch sell in boxes of 6 or 8 in most places for about a dollar. Of course, you can also organize soda, particularly if the grownups need a caffeine boost while driving.
You can also explore options like lemonade and iced tea. The biggest thing to remember is that you’re going to save by buying before-hand; gas station drinks have an extraordinarily high mark up.
FOOD STORAGE WE RECOMMEND FOR THE ROAD: CLICK PHOTO↓
|
|
|
SPREAD THE WORD! PIN THIS TO YOUR TRAVEL PINTEREST BOARDS ↓
-
- Food tips for road trips
-
- Food tips for road trips
If You Liked This Post You May Also Like:
19 Comments
Awesome tips! I wish I had some of these when I backpacked around Iceland!
I love doing road trips and can’t wait to do ur huge one from Vancouver, BC to St Johns NL in Canada next year (which we allowed four weeks to do). As we need a lot of gas money, we will try and avoid eating out and buying food from the supermarket instead and doing things are way. :D Your tips are very useful for those who are thinking of doing a long road trip and I would follow your advice as well. If I didn’t, I be suffering with open wallet surgery after the trip :D
I prefer to eat light for breakfast anyway, and I love to stop off for picnics when it’s warm. If I eat out several times a day I pile weight on so these are great suggestions
Years ago, we used to pack food, but not just go out. Experiencing the local cuisine is one of the things we enjoy most when we travel. If you’re just recreating your foods from home, you’re not really fully experiencing your destination. At least that’s our take. On a road trip, the incremental food costs are almost negligible when compared to other big expenses of travel.
Absolutely agree, Lance! While I think these tips fit for an American road trip, they just don’t work elsewhere.
Actually, those little single serve bowls of cereal the author discusses cost €11 per bowl and the only one available is Lucky Charms in the teeny American section of the grocery stores here in France. The whole car could have a freshly baked croissant and fresh squeezed orange juice, which is a typical French breakfast, at any patisserie for less than the cost of one bowl of €11 cereal.
I am all about picking up a baguette, cheese and charcuterie though to stop for a picnic lunch.
But I won’t sacrifice dinner out. The local food is part of the travel experience. And I do agree you’re missing out on a big part.
I know this girl who travels super frugal. She only flies the European budget airlines. She only does free things in her destination. And she packs and brings food from home. She only ever stays 48 hours at most and then calls the country “done”. But I can’t help but wonder what, if anything, she’s actually even experiencing.
To each his own, but that isn’t any enjoyable way to travel in my eyes.
All really great trips for eating on the move. But I have to say the hot dogs in the thermos is my favourite. Have never thought of doing that one before, cool idea.
I love a good road trip and this is a great way to save some money. I love the idea of pairing a hot soup in a thermos with a cooler kept cold potato salad for dinner. That actually sounds perfect! Be prepared with meal options and snacks will also save time if you’re wanting to stay on the road and maximize the time for your trip.
Great tips. Perfect when you are on a long road trip with a person like me who is always peckish. I love carrying granola bars to snack on and for an energy boost. We carried soups and coffees in a thermos when we went to Iceland. That does help in the cold climate.
Very Interesting, I just love this post! As a mom of 3 who has traveled extensively, I have spent so much time thinking of how to feed the kids on the road, or in airports, or on long drives that this is just great! I love that idea of lil smokey’s !
I love thermos for hot soup!! I use them all the time for lunch at work! Nothing like butternut squash in the middle of the day. :) These are some seriously great suggestions for road trips. I’m a bit hopeless with cooking AND packing things properly (including food), so I’ll definitely refer back to this post!
Great ideas for portable food. There’s another reason besides saving money. It also saves time. If you already have your food packed you don’t have to make any extra stops to eat! When you make road trips as much as I do, sometimes all you want to do is get where you’re going and not drag out the trip.
Some great tips here! My biggest expense is towards beverages since I am a coffee addict and need to have a few every day! I have cut it down mostly but I think I should find some ways to minimise the cost :) And true, snacks in between are the biggest culprits!
Thanks for this post. So super helpful. I’ve always struggled with food on trips, most times I just skip or have irregular meals. I can’t remember having beverages (minus coffee) on trips. But with this post, I’ve found ways to eat cheaper on road trips. And the thermos is quite multi-purpose. Hoping to get one soon.
Reading this blog post is making me hungry! Hehehe! A thermos of coffee sounds just right for a long road trip. We should keep that in mind, considering the bus trips in our country are quite long.
good blog
Hi Meg,
Thank you for your great efforts. It is quite important tips while you are going on a road trip. Great post. Keep it up.
Great tips! I’m planning for an adventurous trip so your post is exactly what I’m looking for. Thank you so much for your useful post. Good jod! Keep going!
Excellent tips, some I knew and some are new!
Megan, you really know how to trave without not forgetting anything! When me and my friends hit the road we like to make some sandwiches at the morning before leaving, we only make a stop in a shop from a gas station to buy some sodas and chips, some times to save some money we only buy chips and we pack bottles of water so we don’t spend on soda! We pack everything in a cooler so it stays cold!