So we took a family road trip last week by renting a one way RV ( read my previous blog on Tips For Renting An RV ) from Los Angeles to San Francisco absorbing the scenic route along the pacific coast highway.
Anyone that knows me, knows that road trips are one of my favorite types of family vacations because they allow my hubby and I have some awesome family bonding time with our lovely kids.
The temptation to grab a snack or a bag of candy at every gas station, as well as to eat out at restaurants or gorge on fast food, can really start to add up in terms of money and of wasted time. Not only does having a great road trip food list give you more freedom as you drive and explore, it prevents you from having to eat awful, overpriced food from gas stations.
One of the most important parts of preparing for your journey is coming up with some of the best road trip food ideas. With a little road trip planning, it gets a lot easier. You just need a solid road trip food list and the right gear.
What exactly should you take on your road trip?
To make packing it up much easier, I’ve broken this down into 3 categories;
- Foods that require a cooler/refrigeration
- Easy-to-store snacks
- Non-food items
The Cooler – Road Trip Food List
This list of road trip food ideas requires you to take some form of refrigeration. This could be in the form of a cooler box filled with ice packs, or a mini-fridge that runs from the car battery.
- Chopped veggies – carrot, celery, and cucumber sticks, cherry tomatoes
- Pickles
- Olives
- Sandwiches/wraps
- Fruit – apples, oranges, berries, and grapes are great for snacking on!
- Assorted cheeses
- Deli meats – salami, pepperoni, ham
- Chicken wings and drumsticks
- Sausage rolls, pastries, pies
- Salad
Easy-To-Store Snacks – Road Trip Food List
- Chips
- Pretzels
- Bread Buns
- Crackers
- Rye Bread/Crisp Breads
- Nuts
- Dried fruits – apricots, apples, raisins, banana chips
- Tinned fish – mackerel, sardines
- Granola bars
- Candy bars
- Cupcakes/muffins
Non-Food Items – Road Trip Food List
It’s easy to get carried away with planning and preparing to eat all this exciting food, but don’t forget all the non-food essentials that you’ll need!
- Paper towels or napkins
- Coffee cup/thermos flask
- Plastic plates (re-usable)
- Cutlery (again, preferably re-usable)
- Sharp knife for chopping
- Chopping board
- Wet wipes
- Garbage bag
- Foil
- Tupperware tubs
- Washing up items – bucket, liquid, sponge
- Corkscrew/bottle opener (how else are you going to crack open the good stuff once the day’s driving is done?)
Don’t Forget!
The night before setting off for a road trip is when the final preparations are made. Make sure that you have everything from our Road Trip Packing List ready to go, and your alarm clocks are set!
