Knowing what people pack for road trip snacks is, for me, like knowing what they pack in their carry on. Sure, I know what snacks I like to eat – but what if I’m missing out on something awesome? Well, I asked a LOT of bloggers what they like to eat on road trips. Turns out, I am missing a lot of great food.
Check out what they’ve said below and let me know in the comments what you like to snack on.
Growing up my family hit the road a LOT. The best part of the adventure was knowing my mom was going to make one of my favorite road trip snacks.
What was it? A road trip only chicken. She’d cut bone-in chicken breast into three parts, marinate it overnight in soy sauce, lemon, and garlic – then deep fry it before we left. By the time we ate it, it was cooled down and delicious. So much flavor. And absolutely AMAZING with rice. I loved this dish, but it was one we only ate during road trips. And I can’t help but think that the road trip was made better because of this dish. And the dish only tasted good if we were on a road trip.
Nowadays I’m a lot lazier. We have a road trip coming up with the kids and it got me thinking. What do other people eat? So, I asked. And a lot of people responded:
First things first
You don’t have to make it difficult. Our first road trip snack reminder comes from Meals and Mile Markers offers a simple solution. Pack your favorite snack. But do it responsibly.
When traveling, take your favorite snack! Instead of buying individual baggies, get a family-size bag. This will prevent you from having trash pile up throughout the trip! Meals and Mile Markers
The fruit and vegetable aisle
Frequent road-trippers, especially those that travel the world, should rely on healthy foods – fruit and veggies – which are found at all supermarkets. Makes snack shopping easier. Here are some favorite road trip fruits and veggies. One of the things people like about them is that they’re healthy. They also like that many come ready to eat.
Fresh Fruit for the win
When we take our son on road trips we always make a homemade fruit bowl to bring with us of chopped apples, grapes, oranges, and strawberries, and it goes down a treat with everyone, even my fruit/vegetable averse husband. Passports and Adventures
My favorite road trip snack is a banana with some almonds or peanuts on the side. Passport Explored
Road Tripping in Australia can be hot and humid so to get that sugar hit, stay healthy and keep focussed I pre-cut tropical fruit like Pineapple and Mango keeping them in easy to access containers in a soft Cool Pack in arm’s reach. Budget Travel Talk
Since my son has a nut allergy, we like grapes, apples, or any fresh fruit as our go-to road trip snack! More than Main Street
The snack that comes in its own wrapper is the best one for road trips – banana. Families Magazine
Sliced apples in a sandwich bag are the best: easy to access, no mess and delicious! Mapping a Better Life
We always take bananas. They are sweet, filling and can be consumed even if you have tummy issues on the road. Another favorite is mozzarella, either sticks or balls – also pleasantly tasting kid favorite and it is full of protein and calcium. Family Road Trip Guru
For any road trip, the best snack is one you can eat with one hand and no fuss – apple, every time. Get Out with Kids
Our favorite road trip snack is cutie oranges because they are easy to peel, sweet, and make the car smell amazing. Adventures in San Antonio
A bowl of fruits can keep us going when the road gets too dusty. On My Canvas
Dried fruit for the crunch
I munch on dried mangoes on every travel as it helps me get the sugar I need to energize my body while traveling and it calms my nerves! I always pack some whenever I travel. Dive.in
Dried fruit is one of our favorite road trip snacks; it doesn’t take up much space and you don’t have to worry about it going bad or getting bruised up like normal fruit! Explore More Clean Less
Dried fruits, they are convenient, fairly healthy, and usually super popular with the kids. Living out Lau
Freeze-dried strawberries are a healthy road trip snack that are slightly sweet and crunchy without all the guilt. National Park Obsessed
Dried mango with a sprinkle of chili powder a little sweet and a little spice – yum! Nomading About
Dried fruit! Especially apricots and mangoes. Helps keep a balanced diet among the junk food it’s all too easy to gorge on while road tripping. Valerie & Valise
Dried fruit. This road trip snacks is convenient, simple to pack, easy to eat in the car, and will ensure you keep smiling mile after mile. A Rai of Light
Veggies are mess-free and delicious
As a healthy road trip snack, we love to take olives and other vegetable sticks like carrots as there are mess-free and good for them. Wandermust Family
We love carrot sticks – they are healthy, not sticky and come without plastic packaging! Four on a World Trip
Road trip and dip (or spread)
Having something with a dip (or spread) is another favorite. People love their hummus and rice crackers, but not together.
Hummus and veggies or hummus and…
My favourite is carrots and hummus, lots of fibre and protein to keep you fuller for longer. The Wanderlust Within
We love hummus and pita chips as a healthy road-trip snack. Travel Car Seat Mom
Sugar snap peas are crunchy and slightly sweet while still being healthy. Dip them in hummus or eat them straight out of the bag! Wandering Wheatleys
Our go-to road trip snack is a bag of pretzel sticks. You can eat them plain, or as dipping sticks in hummus or with cheese. They are the perfect snack to replenish salts and who doesn’t love pretzels? No Back Home
Rice cakes alone or with…
While it can be a little labor-intensive for the co-pilot, our favorite road trip snack involves adding cream cheese to large rice cakes. Websites from a Van
Rice cakes – gluten-free, sweet or savoury, the perfect fuel for the road trippers! The Magic Act of Traveling
We love apple rice crackers. Filling, tasty, healthy, and reasonably mess-free. Petite Capsule
We’re regular road trippers, and our favourite road trip snack is large rice crackers with cream cheese and a small tin of smoked tuna, made up fresh at a picnic table during a pit stop! Run Sleep Eat Repeat
Pre-packaged goods
Pre-packaged foods make road trip prep easy. These are also things you’ll most likely find on the road at gas stations. And people love them.
Pre-packaged bars
On road trips, we love MadeGood products – they’re tasty, allergy-friendly, and even sneak in hidden veggies for our kids! The Stoke Fam
We like to pack cliff kids bars on road trips, the oatmeal cookie one is the best! Step into Jordan
Cliff Bars are perfect for road trips-relatively healthy, individually packaged, & you don’t have to worry about them getting hot or cold! My Travel Obsession
Pre-packaged snacks
My favorite road trip snack is popcorn because it’s healthy and yummy! The Prosperous Blonde
My favorite road trip snack has to be Cheerios as it’s plain, healthy, and easy to share without making a mess. Wanderlusting K
Pretzels are my go-to as you can pick them up from service stations everywhere and they’re easily passed around the car. Sarah Sees the World
Smart food popcorn. Daily with Dani
My favorite road trip snack is coconut chips and they’re perfect for when you’re craving something sweet and something semi guilt-free. Disha Discovers
My favorite road trip snack is kale chips– they are delicious and super healthy! Go Fam Travel
Our go-to road trip snack is pretzels, pretzels, and more pretzels. Diane Alkier
Jalapeño kettle-cooked chips are the best road trip snack they’re extra crunchy, salty, and a little spicy. Meghan the Traveling Teacher
My kids are obsessed with breadsticks. The long thin ones which I think you’re supposed to dip in things but they just eat them on their own in the car. Cruise Mummy
My favorite road trip snacks are Pringles all the way. Travel Connecting
Plantain chips? Stores well, tastes, great taste, and not messy. La Passion Voutee
Road trip charcuterie board ingredients
No one said that want a charcuterie board on the road trip, but with all the dried meats, fancy cheeses, and nuts and seeds – that’s where my brain went. Whether you prefer them separate, or together, they remind you that road trip snacks can be fancy.
Dried Meat
I love bringing dried meat sticks. They’re salty and have protein so even a small stick can help tied me over until I get a full meal. My preference is to buy them from Whole Foods since their brands tend to have fewer additives. And Then I Met Yoko
Our favourite road trip family snack is Beef Jerky, easy to pack and no need for a cooler bag to keep it fresh. The Passport Kids
Nuts and Seeds
We love whole raw almonds to keep hunger at bay while traveling, plus there’s no prep work required. Plan Ready Go
Yoghurt covered nuts or fruit, they’re both tasty and packed with energy! Beyond Auroras
Sunflower seeds are a great salty snack for road trips. They satisfy you without carb overload. Best Carry on Backpack
Sunflower seeds are delicious, good for you, AND fun to eat! Ruhls of the Road
I carry flavoured fox nuts on road trips as they are low in sodium content, are naturally gluten-free, protein-rich, high in carbohydrates and high in nutrients making them an ideal snack for mid-meal hunger pangs. Munni of all Trades
Pumpkin seeds are a nutritious snack great on their own or easy to pair with other seeds or nuts. Cultures Traveled
Everyone loves cheese
My kids and I love to snack on a round of brie, with rice crackers, or at a pinch, corn chips. It’s a quick and easy go-to, that fills up our tummies until the next meal. Roam the Gnome
I love a cheese like Brie or a sharp cheddar wrapped in prosciutto, salami or another dry-cured ham. Full of flavour and protein to keep me going on the road. Kwa Fare
One of our favorite road trip foods is cheese and crackers. It’s satiating, easy to pack and bring along, and is something everyone in the family enjoys. Well-Traveled Nebraskan
Whenever we set out on a road trip, we like to bring Kind bars and individual packages of cheese to go with some grapes. Two Travelling Toques
Road trips are all about the junk
There are two times to indulge in the sweets: Holidays and vacation (or, for my British audience, holidays and holidays.) Road trips are the perfect time to get all the calories in and some bloggers were ready to admit their favorites to me.
Maybe borderline healthy
I love carrying muffins on road trips because they are filling, yummy, ideal for all age-groups and need no preparation. Couple of Journeys
Chocolate raisins? Chocolatey goodness yet a tiny bit healthy?? Eco-Conscious Traveller
Fruit strips (aka adult fruit roll ups) or popcorn (pseudo healthy = guilt-free). The Down Lo
Embrace the sugar
Because of multiple food allergies, our guilty pleasure road trip snack that everyone can eat is Skittles. Veravise Outdoor Living
Caramel M&M’s, fell in love with these bad boys the first time I tried them. Live Adventure Travel
Red licorice has been our road trip staple forever, even though we know we don’t need those extra sugar calories we just can’t resist grabbing a bag. Walking the Parks
Pocky sticks are my travelling snacks of choice for that instant chocolate hit with a biscuity crunch. The Flashpacker
Kit-Kats. Traveling Honey Bird
Choco pie – soft, sweet and delicious dessert to quickly fill your hungry tummy. Dreams Taking Wings
Variety is the spice of road trip snacks
If you can’t pick just one – don’t. Pick a little bit of everything. Road trips get boring if there’s only ONE thing to eat after all.
Have a little of everything available
Since we have littles, our favorite road trip snacks are animal crackers, Cheerios, bars, and Cutie oranges. My husband and I enjoy sunflower seeds and gum. Amy Price Lanham
Our kids love dried fruit, apple slices, and Annie’s bunnies as a snack on road trips. Holistic Lifestyle Refresh
On-road trips, we love to eat pretzels, goldfish crackers, granola bars, honey roasted peanuts, and chocolate bark. DQ Family Travel
I can not think of other snacks than banana chips and peanut honey chocolate bars when I am traveling. Wandering Minimalist
We pack dried cranberries, mangoes and macadamias. The combination of it helps to keep energy up but sustained throughout the day. Travels in Germany
Or try your favorite pre-packaged or home-assembled trail mix
My family and I love to create mixtures of nibbles bought in bulk for our road trips, which are usually nuts and dried fruit but sometimes includes chocolate pieces too! Loved it on our recent trip from Adelaide to Uluru. Small Footprints Big Adventures
Trader Joe’s Omega Trek Mix is tasty and filling but has no ingredients that melt! Semi-Budget Travel
Ranch Chex Mix perfect for kids as well. This snack mix is loaded with peanuts, cheese crackers, pretzels, and rice cereal.
Live and Learn Canada
I always take along a bag of Chex Mix and pick out my favorite pieces to eat first as an easy distraction. Harbors and Havens
My favorite road trip snack is trail mix! I generally mix my own and leave out raisins because I don’t like them. A great combo is M&M’s, peanuts, cashews, and pretzels! Sequins and Sales
Our favorite road trip snack is a make-your-own snack mix. Everyone makes their own and it can consist of cashews, almonds, yogurt chips, chocolate chips, goldfish crackers, cereal, pretzels, and maybe even m&ms. Free to Travel Mama
My two MUST-HAVES for any road trip – “A Handful of Everything” Trail Mix from Target and pampelmousse la croix. The snack mix is part healthy (nuts, dried fruit) and part indulgence (chocolate chips and again, dried fruit which is nice and sweet). The la croix, I love at room temperature and I love the fizz! Momma to Go
We always road trip with almonds and a mix of dried fruit. These snacks are healthy and filling, and the dried fruit adds that taste of sweetness. Fabulous and Fun Life
Make it ahead
If you’re starting your road trip from home, there are plenty of fun foods to make in advance.
Make-ahead favorites
Hard-boiled eggs. It’s easy to prepare and store. Africa Wanderlust
Air-popped popcorn because it’s easy to make and portion into separate containers, healthy, my kids love it and I can eat it whilst driving without making a huge mess! Our Spanish Life
Yoghurt muesli pots are a great snack, as they are quick to prepare, healthy & easily portable. Mix your favourite greek yoghurt with a muesli of your choice, & you have a tasty snack for travelling. Inspire Family Travel
Roasted chickpeas are the best snack. They’re delicious, filling, healthy, cheap and super easy to make at home. Experiencing the Globe
On a long road trip we love to make raw bliss balls – a blend of peanut butter, cocoa, honey, almonds and dates, they are a guilt-free treat the kids love to eat. Adventure and Sunshine
Our favourite family road trip snack is homemade popcorn as I can whip up a big batch for about $1 and it satisfies that crunchy, salty craving! MY RIG Adventures
Our favourite snack when we are on a roadtrip is tuna mayo sandwich as it is easy to make and fills you up. Monday Feelings
Homemade dehydrated fruit. I dehydrate mangoes, strawberries, peaches, apples, etc from my backyard or from the farmers market. We carry them on every trip. Story at Every Corner
Healthy muffins are a yummy make-ahead snack that are easy to take on the road. Simplify Create Inspire
We love to make our own bliss balls, packed with nuts to keep you full and cocoa because everyone loves chocolate. Backyard Travel Family
Homemade banana and honey muffins are easy to make ahead and freeze, then take them out the freezer right before we head off on the road. Mum on the Move
Fruit cut up into pieces is a healthy and light snack – preparing it before your trip means you aren’t left with the peels and cores to dispose of. Navigating Adventure
Peeled hard-boiled eggs are nutrient-rich and filling; to make them even tastier, add a sprinkle of black truffle sea salt. Second Half Travels
For the kids, we always bring blueberries that they can pick at themselves with some smarties to keep them going to our next rest stop! Baby Vine
Wraps go down a treat on our road trips as they aren’t messy, fill you up, and you can make them before or on the side of the road with little more than wraps, meat and anything else we can find. Trip Chiefs
Get something local
If your road trip is in another part of the world, there are specialty items to pick up on the road. Plus, several people shared their favorite Indian snacks.
Road trip snacks from around the world
On our recent summer road trip through France, we would pick up a baguette, houmus, and cheese. No preparation and super easy. We travelled with an electric cool box that plugs into the car to keep food items cold. Travelynn Family
This peanut (regular peanut coated with a mix of egg whites, flour, and seasoning) from Indonesia keeps me awake when it’s my turn to drive, and I’m glad I know how to make it. Two World Treasures
When I’m doing a road trip in Canada, I love having Timbits from Tim Hortons since they’re small and come in a variety of flavours! She’s Catching Flights
Onigiri! (It’s a JAPAN thing) Tokyo Spark
The best snacks are the ones you can forage for yourself – I regularly found wild blueberries on my trip to Alaska and found the very unique cloudberries on my drive to the Arctic Ocean. The Hot Flashpacker
Our go-to snacks are not as healthy as the others posting, but we love gummy bears and peanut butter pretzels. We’re Americans living in Europe so we get these each Christmas when we have to drive from Philadelphia to upstate New York to see all the family in a short period and it’s always the same snacks that we miss the most. Robe-Trotting
My family loves biltong (it’s a South African thing – similar to beef jerky). As well as crisps, sweets, clementines, apples, cereal bars and filled rolls (we drive far in South Africa!) Liberty on the Lighter Side
Meat pies are an essential for any Australian road trip! Every convenience store has them available and they’re delicious. Lolapan Travels
I love chocolate Pocky sticks! They’re a delicious Japanese chocolate treat that’s convenient and easy to eat. Best of all, they’re not too messy and they sell them at Costco. The Adventures of Panda Bear
You’ll find me in the sausage aisle looking for Polish Kabanos (or similar). Bangorni
After having lived in Korea so long, my go-to snack has now become kimbap, basically rice and a protein rolled in seaweed, like sushi. Once in a Lifetime Journey
I’m British so you’ll never catch me in South America without a packet of biscuits (but wishing I had a cup of tea to accompany them.) Your Green Grass Project
And a lot of Indian food
Our favorite road-trip fuel is the ‘Kaju Barfi‘ – the diamond-shaped mouth-watering confluence of milk & cashew nuts enrobed in edible silver. A pick-me-up for all ages! Travel Indians
The Samosa is a triangular savory pastry filled with spiced vegetables or meat, and is so delicious and filling, it’s our most favorite roadtrip snack! Our Backpack Tales
Indian savory snacks, especially the crunchy Fried Lentils which are high in proteins and fibre. A very spicy savory thing which, I always keep them on my road trip. Travel with Me 24/7 Blog
Snacks for the protein and energy
While a lot of the food people love was healthy – some people specifically picked food because it was packed with protein. If someone said “protein” I put it here. I also highlight some favorite peanut butter bites for road trips.
Protein-packed
My favorite road trip snack is beef jerky, tasty and full of protein! 9 to 5 Voyager
I love eating protein-rich varieties of trail mixes on road trips, specifically with different forms of nuts like cashews and almonds. Adrift Aesthetic
I love to pack protein bars for car road trips. The kids like them and they are extremely easy to bring along anywhere. Blissmersion
When I think of road trips, I can’t help but think of junk food. We get plenty of that but I always like to have some nuts like almonds on hand. High in protein and healthy, they counteract all that junk. We Get Around Travel
Powerbar Performance Energy Bars are indestructible, don’t melt or go stale, and can replace a meal in a pinch. Worldwide Wilbur
Peanut Butter treats
My favorite roadtrip snack is peanut butter pretzels– they’re delicious, salty, and filling! Alli’s Grade Escape
Peanut butter energy balls, which are delicious, relatively healthy and fill your stomach. The Coastal Campaign
Peanut Butter Protein Balls – super easy to make, healthy, delicious and my kids love them! Caffeine Cardio
I love peanut butter granola bars. Lots of protein and really yummy, which is perfect for when I want to hit the trails during my road trip. Uncovering New York
Time-consuming snacks that are their own activity
Lots of family bloggers like the idea of time-consuming snacks. It gives the kids something to do besides just whining “are we there yet?” The Salty Mamas calls these snacks a “SNACKTIVITY” and as a mom, I agree that these make the best road trip foods.
Raisins in tiny boxes. They take kids forever to eat so it keeps them happy for a long time! Bring the Kids
I’ve moved cross country twice now and have had several other road trips. I always look for snacks that don’t need to be kept cool and that won’t spoil quickly. After cutting out junk food, my favorite snacks are pistachios. Not only are they delicious, but popping them open one at a time is weirdly fun and time-consuming! Stack Your Dollars
Sunflower seeds are a snack AND an activity- a snacktivity, if you will- that can keep me awake even through long stretches of highway. The Salty Mamas
Each of the girls has their preferences, but both agree that for an occasional treat pistachios are the best. Splitting the shells open is fun, and at times the empty half shells have found a second life as tiny toy boats. The Travelling Twins
Tea
One of my favorite things to see were the people who need their tea. I’m a coffee drinker, so I know what it’s like to need that caffeine kick on a trip. What I wasn’t expecting is that no one said coffee. Only tea! I may need to rethink my drink choices when I’m in the car.
It may sound funny, I drink a lot of tea along with biscuits and potato chips. Holiday Story
Healthy nuts aside, nothing soothes my throat over the long hours of road trip karaoke than a thermos of hot tea! Photospired
As Argentinian, I can’t conceive road-tripping without having my Mate -South-American traditional tea– at hand at all times for a healthy energy boost, plus a handful of crunchy roasted almonds! The Global Curious
What are your favorite road trip snacks? Let me know in the comments.
