Published Mar 24, 2023

Best Road Trip Snacks: 50 On-The-Go Food Ideas

Provides a comprehensive list of snack ideas and organizational tips for road trips.

Published Mar 24, 2023

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Road trips are one of the greatest American pastimes. What better way to see the country than by car? And when you set aside enough time on a road trip, you can stop and check out countless manmade and natural attractions as you head to your destination.

When we're road-tripping around our home states and beyond, having snacks is absolutely essential. But some planning is involved unless you want to stop every so often at a gas station to fuel up the car and grab a bite to eat. However, that can get expensive and isn't always a healthy option as when you can bring your own snacks. Here are some ideas for the best road trip snacks the next time you're game for a road trip adventure:

Road Trip Snacks For Adults

A couple enjoys a scenic drive in a convertible, with golden fields and a sunset in the background. — Thomas Barwick/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Snacks aren't just for kids. Adults can feel quite "snackish" as well, especially on a long road trip. But what should we bring? This is an age-old question of indecision when it comes to bringing food on the road. Of course, you can always opt to grab a snack at a rest stop, which may not be the healthiest idea. But why do that when you can bring your own? Here are some road trip snack ideas for adults:

Jerky

As an adult, you can't go on a road trip without some sort of jerky. It's practically rule #1 in the guide to road trips! Of course, we are kidding. But seriously, jerky should be a part of everyone's road trip. They are high in protein and nutrient-rich, so they will satisfy your hunger as you travel hours at a time on the road.

Now, there are many types of jerky out there, and here are some you may like:

Protein Bars and Granola Bars

Both protein and granola bars can give you almost an instant boost of energy. Some protein bars can contain things like whey or pea protein, chocolate, dates, nuts, egg whites, and yogurt powder, while granola bars normally have ingredients like nuts, oats, seeds, chocolate chips, dried fruit, and honey. Here is a list of some of the best bars to consider as snack options:

Salty Snacks

Some of the best travel snacks are salty foods like chips, popcorn, and even string cheese. There's nothing more satisfying than a salty snack at times. Here are some of our favorites:

Sweet Snacks

At some point, you'll probably want a snack option that's on the sweeter side. So, how about some chocolate, some gummies, or some cookies? Here are a few sweeter, sugary choices for you:

Road Trip Snacks For Kids

A young child sits in a car seat, focused on a pink lunchbox, with a tablet nearby. Sunlight streams through the window. — Cavan Images/Cavan via Getty Images

When taking the whole family on long drives, it's essential to pack some good road trip snacks for kids. Often, they get hungry at the most inconvenient times (like when there's no rest stop or gas station for over 40 miles). Here are some ideas of food to pack for a road trip when you have kids onboard (and, luckily, most of these are mess-free):

Packaged Fruit Snacks

While fruit snacks aren't technically a fruit, many of them do contain real fruit juice. Furthermore, kids love them! Individually portioned and packaged, these fruit snacks are also mess-free. Here are some your kiddos may want on the family road trip:

Yogurt and Applesauce

A healthier alternative to fruit snacks is applesauce and other types of fruit sauce as well as yogurt. You can purchase them either in individual containers or pouches, both of which are easy on the go. Here are a few options:

Mott's Applesauce
GoGo Squeez Applesauce
Mott's No Sugar Added Applesauce
GoGo Squeez Happy Tummiez Pear Carrot Raspberry Pouch
GoGo Squeez Yogurtz
Go-GURT Kids Low Fat Yogurt (Pro Tip: Freeze these before your trip for a nice cool snack on the road. Kids love frozen yogurt tubes!)

Pretzels, Pirate's Booty, and Crackers

While pretzels, Pirate's Booty, and crackers aren't exactly mess-free, they can make a fun and satisfying snack for any kiddo. Here are some delicious savory snacks they'll enjoy:

Healthy Road Trip Snacks

Three friends enjoying a picnic by a lake, laughing and sharing food from a basket while sitting by a car. — gahsoon/E+ via Getty Images

When we're on the road, many of us will stop where it's convenient like, say, a gas station or a fast food joint. These places are all along major highways and are just easy to hit when we're traveling, especially when we have to gas up a vehicle. However, you can rarely find healthy road trip snacks at these places. Sure, chips, cookies, candy bars, and greasy fast food can be fun treats but they don't always make us feel good. Here are some road trip snacks healthy and delicious to take the next time you're on the road:

Nuts and Nut Butter

Nuts are nutritious, low in carbs, and provide healthy fats for our bodies. They certainly make a great snack! You may want to purchase cashews, pistachios, walnuts, almonds, or academia nuts. If you prefer a nut mix, perhaps something like Planters Deluxe Lightly Salted Nut Mix is a good choice.

Nut butter also makes a great snack as you can either eat them on their own or use them as a dip for pretzels, crackers, apple slices, or celery sticks. You can try Justin's Gluten Free Vanilla Almond Butter that's great on plain crackers or right out of the packet on its own. Or maybe JIF Squeeze Creamy Peanut Butter which can be squeezed right on a cracker or produce of your choice.

Fresh Fruit and Vegetables

Cut up some fresh fruit and vegetables, and you have a healthy snack that will fill you will nutrients and fiber and make you feel good! Apple slices, oranges, grapes, berries, carrot sticks, baby carrots, cucumber slices, celery sticks, and cherry tomatoes all make great snacks. Dried fruit is also a great snack. And they are quite easy to throw into a snack bag or cooler for the car.

Healthy Proteins

Proteins are essential to our bodies and luckily, there are plenty of options out there. And there are plenty that can be taken on the road. Here are a few ideas:

Easy, On-The-Go Snacks

A person in the passenger seat enjoys food while sunlight streams through the car's interior. — CasarsaGuru/E+ via Getty Images

Looking for some easy on-the-go snacks to take on one of your long trips? There are plenty of convenient options you can pick up at just about any grocery store. And sometimes the best road trip snacks are store-bought and the easiest ones to grab.

Convenience Items

Today, there are so many convenience items that you can find at just about any grocery store or gas station. If you don't want to purchase these items on the road, you can certainly find them at your local grocery or big-box store before you go. Here are some of our favorite easy, on-the-go snacks:

Road Trip Lunch Ideas

A woman in a car eats a sandwich while using a GPS on the dashboard and a coffee cup is in the cup holder. — Karina Bostanika / EyeEm via Getty Images

Road trip snacks are great and all, but what about when you need a full meal? We have some road trip lunch ideas for you to consider. These are easy travel meals that you can put together or purchase before you hit the road.

Sandwiches

When traveling for long distances, you may want something a little more substantial than just a snack. Sandwiches are always a great idea as they are easy to make and easy to transport. Before your trip, buy some bread, perhaps a loaf of Dave's Killer Bread. Kids may like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

You can get some cold cuts and cheese to make sandwiches for the adults.

Salads

Salads are also wonderful options for lunches, and they are also easy to transport with the right containers. Just grab some fresh lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots, a protein like hard-boiled eggs or tuna, maybe some quinoa, and whatever else you desire. And place a smaller container of your favorite dressing in with the salad. Also, don't forget to bring some utensils!

Snack Organizers For Vehicles

If you're bringing snacks on the road, you'll need a way to organize them. If you have perishables, a way to keep them cold is also a necessity. Here are some ways to organize the food you bring on the road:

Organizing is essential on a road trip unless you want to stop and search your vehicle every time you need a snack or a drink. But there are many organizational tools for your snacks and ways to keep things cold if you need them.

Car Fridge

If you need to keep drinks or something perishable like fruit and veggies cold, consider purchasing a car fridge like this Koolatron 12V, 4L Portable Mini Fridge. Best of all, you can use this in your home after your road trip!

Snack Organizer

A great way to keep kids happy is a fun organizer for their snacks. There are plenty of options out there with fun colors like this one from Wayfair that can hold both hot and cold food for a long car ride.

Portable Cooler

A portable cooler is also a great idea, especially if you plan on picnicking along the way. Just stash some drinks and perishables inside with a few ice packs, and you're good to go!

Reusable Food Storage Bags

One eco-friendly way to pack snacks for long trips is to use reusable food storage bags. They are perfect for things like apple slices, carrot sticks, potato chips, pretzels, or some other of your favorite road trip snacks.

So, which of these best road trip snacks are you most excited about? Do you have any road trip food ideas to share? Please do so in the comments. And don't forget to check out our Road Trip Essentials Packing List with some helpful gear for your next road trip excursion.