Everyone knows that food is an essential part of a successful road trip. No one wants to sit in a car all day without some good snacks! This road trip food list will give you some ideas of snacks and meals to eat, as well as general tips for eating during a road trip!
Before you go on your exciting road trip, make sure you have these road trip essentials! As well as food, there are a few things you will definitely need. Not being prepared for a long road trip will only lead to dread and boredom.
The car ride of a road trip is supposed to be half the fun! Something about being in a car with your loved ones, jamming to music, having good conversation, and having some good food is an experience in itself! Don’t squander this by not being prepared.
If you are a parent, things might be a bit different. Make sure you are prepared with these road trip games for kids, so you can help keep them busy. You won’t want to hear, “Are we there yet?”, for the hundredth time this hour!
Additionally, you might be bringing your furry friend too! You might think they only need a few things, but you want them to be comfortable during your long journey. Make sure you know what to pack for a road trip with your dog!
Let’s get started with some general tips on our road trip food list!
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Taking a long road trip? Be sure to you are prepared and don’t make these road trip mistakes!
Looking for a way to help keep track of all your road trip meals? This road trip planner includes over 10 pages, and even has a road trip meal planning template! Click here to learn more about the road trip planner, or click the image above!
Road Trip Meal Prep
In order to set yourself up for a successful road trip, you will need to do a little preparation. One tip is to plan your meals and snacks the night before you plan to leave. Planning your food might not be on the top of your to-do list, but it should be!
The day or two before you leave, plan out what you will eat and head to the grocery store. Once you get home, take some time to prepare everything! Chop up some fruits or veggies, pre-make some sandwiches, or make some meal boxes!
Get a large Tupperware container, and make yourself some meals. For example, get a container that has multiple sections, like this one. This way, when it’s time for lunch or dinner, you will already have something prepared and ready to go!
Additionally, make sure you have the right supplies. Make sure you have napkins, utensils, wet sipes, silverware or plastic wear, and a garbage can (or at least a garbage bag). You can read more about preparing these in this guide of what to bring on a road trip.
Also, if you are planning to bring foods that need to stay cool, make sure you have a good cooler and ice packs. You can even get one of these car mini-fridges, which is pretty cool, in my opinion!
Road Trip Food List: Breakfast
If you are one of those people who just don’t eat breakfast, just skip this one! However, I LOVE breakfast, and could eat it for every meal! When on a road trip, try to make breakfast easy. Chances are, you will be hitting the road pretty early in the morning, so you won’t want to be fussing around with getting breakfast ready.
Consider this handy tool for making eating in the car a breeze (and mess free!)
Here are some ideas of what you can eat for breakfast in the car. Prepare these before you leave, so you can grab and go! :
- Overnight oats
- Muffins (or pancake muffins!)
- Bagel with peanut butter
- Breakfast burritos
- Granola bar
- Fruit salad
- Yogurt parfait
- Breakfast cookies
- Breakfast wraps
- Banana bread
- Banana with peanut butter
- Fruit smoothie- or pre-made like Naked Juice
- Protein shake
- Mini cereal boxes
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Premake egg sandwiches
Road Trip Food List: Lunch & Dinner
Once the afternoon rolls around, you will probably start getting hungry for lunch. Instead of stopping and getting fast food (which we all know we shouldn’t!), make sure you have lunches planned!
Looking for a warm lunch or dinner, even in your car? Check out this electric lunch box that plugs right into your car, giving you a hot meal without ever needing to stop to find a microwave!
Here are some ideas of easy road trip lunch ideas:
- Classic PB&J sandwich
- Deli meat sandwich, chips, & veggies
- Ham and cheese roll-ups
- Salad with chicken
- Chicken salad/tuna sandwich
- Crackers with meat and cheese
- Pita pocket sandwiches
- Burrito
- Grilled chicken sandwich
- Pizza
- Wraps
Road Trip Snack Ideas
The most important part of our road trip food list: snacks! You’ve gotta have something to hold you over between meals, and just to help pass the time!
Need somewhere to hold your snacks while in the backseat? Check out this headrest tablet holder and food/drink tray! It can safely hold your drinks and food, AND your tablet so you can snack and watch your favorite shows hands free! This is perfect for taking a road trip with kids!
Here are some of my favorite road trip snacks you should definitely consider packing!
- Trail mix
- popcorn, pretzels, chips
- Dried fruit
- Fresh fruit (Pro tip: Separate bananas from other foods- sometimes they make all your food taste like bananas!)
- Veggies and hummus
- Raisins
- Granola bars
- Jerky
- Fruit with peanut butter
- Chex mix
- Crackers with cheese/meat
- String cheese
- Veggie chips
- Cereal
- Applesauce
- Chips and salsa or guac
- Animal crackers
- GoldFish
- Fig newtons
Road Trip Drink Ideas
Your road trip food list wouldn’t be complete without some drinks! However, if you are anything like me, you don’t like to drink a lot in the car because I have to stop every other hour to use the bathroom!
However, to stay healthy while traveling, you need to stay hydrated! Personally, I usually only drink water, but you might want some other options as well.
Another tip is to make sure you fill up your water bottle at every rest stop. This will ensure you always have a full bottle of water!
Tired of your drinks always spilling? Check out these coasters specifically made for your vehicle!
- Sparkling water – to get your soda fix without all the extra sugars
- Iced tea
- Capri suns/other kid’s drinks
- Lemonade
- Flavored water – you can even buy those flavor packs to shake into a water bottle
- Coffee or tea – get a good thermos and fill it up before you leave!
- Orange juice, apple juice
- Gatorade
Connect with Us!
Thanks for reading! We would love to have you join the World Sights Tribe! Simply join our newsletter and you will have access to exclusive travel news and discounts! Also, you will get a FREE travel planning itinerary guide!
