Summer time is time for road trips, right? And, whether they be long or short trips in the car, it’s always good to be prepared, because honestly no one likes to be in the car with a rumbly tummy… Everyone wants to get where you’re going as quickly as possible, right?
Well, at least that’s how we operate in our car. We pack up snacks, drinks, and often times even breakfast or lunch so that many of our stops are reserved for bathroom breaks. We just want to get to our destination quickly, because that’s where all of the fun is!
Here are our favorite road trips snacks, treats, and tips:
Food Tips:
- Make it healthy! No need for candy treats, that will simply cause sugar crashes and more grumpy children.
- No mess. Don’t pack anything that will melt or that is too crumbly!
Here are some of our favorites:
Cheese and/or Peanut butter crackers, Granola bars, apples, fruit bars and fruit snacks, squeezable applesauce, and goldfish. I’ll be honest, I always hope to make some of our car snacks rather than buy them, but the rest of the packing tends to get in the way of that. If you are looking for some good car snacks to make yourself you can try these No-Bake Cranberry Oat Cereal Bars, these No-Bake Energy Bites, or these Thick and Chewy Granola Bars.
Container Tips:
- Save those restaurant cups! After a quick wash out in the restroom those kid cups from restaurants make perfect travel cups. Use the cups to hold snacks while in the car. They are easy for little hands to hold, and fit perfectly into car cup holders!
- Pack a few straws for kid cups too.
- Paper treat cups from the store work nicely for snacks as well.
Keep it Clean Tips:
Regardless of how hard you try, there will be some mess with car snacking, but if you are prepared those messes can easily be cleaned up.
- hand wipes and hand sanitizer
- zip lock bags for extra food storage and/or trash or really leaky messy messes (my daughter is notorious for getting car sick! Ick!)
- trash bags to collect trash so that you can easily dispose of it at your next pit stop.
- hand towels and paper napkins for messy hands and faces. we often use our kitchen towels as “bibs” to catch crumbs.
- small bottles of water to aid in clean up as well.
- For drinking water each person typically has access to their own non-disposable water bottle. Give younger children smaller bottles since they are more likely to spill them.
Keep It Organized Tips:
My favorite way to keep all of the above tidy and in its place while bumping over the highway is a metal utensil caddy.
These caddies are sturdy, stand up, and have the perfect compartments to tuck everything inside.
PS. I also like to tuck a mini first aid kit, travel ice packs, and stain pen into my “non-food” caddy.
Once you’ve got all of your goodies tucked in you are ready to hit the road with no need to stop for snacks!
Also, as I mentioned at the beginning, I often pack a small cooler as well filled either with “egg muffins” and fruit for breakfast, or sandwich fixings for lunch on the road. If we are having breakfast or lunch to go I pack little plastic baskets (like these) to make it easier to hold the meal on your lap.
Happy travels!
Where are the metal caddies purchased from?
If anyone is in the UK, I always stick to Goodies Organix brand of ‘crisps’, crackers and flapjacks for little mouths, to keep the sugar and salt away. Usually some deals on them too.