It won’t be long before Jesse and I leave on a weeklong road trip. Preparations have been in the works for weeks. Packing lists are being created and re-written, and reservations are verified. And great road food has been planned for.
But I would be remiss if I didn’t stop for a minute and talk about food. Food is the real reason why we travel.
Since we will be spending a fair amount of time in the car this time around, I need to talk to road trip food. What to snack on in the car and how where to go stuff as you drive.
Jesse and I like to keep things simple (as you know). But here are a few tips to get great food on the road.
Grab snacks from the grocery store (not the convenience store)
I have a few favorites snacks I grab for road trips: Sundrop, Combos, Pringles. My husband has a soft spot for Corn Nuts.
A few days of chips are not suitable for anyone, but when you are on the road and planning on munching in the car, your choices are limited.
So instead of hitting up the gas station or convenience store, head to the grocery store instead. I grab cut up veggies (I usually pay a bit more for the pre-cut stuff), cheese, beef sticks, apples, and oranges.
Bring Goodies from Home
One of the best thing about road trips is you can bring along pretty much anything you want. Or at least as much as your car will carry.
To be clear, I do not recommend this.
But road trips are a perfect time to save some money by bringing some food from home.
Plan out all your meals if that is your jam. Or bring along a few things to keep on hand for those days when all of the driving and site-seeing leave you exhausted.
I usually bring along a handful of things: enough eggs and sausage or bacon for a breakfast or two, cheese and summer sausage to snack on while driving, and some burger or brats and fixing for a quick grill out. If we have room in the cooler, I even throw in a frozen pizza, just in case.
Go Old-School
I don’t know about you, but I cannot go to a chain restaurant for a salad without feeling like crap afterward. Feeling good is pretty important when you have a day of activities planned or have a 10 + hour drive ahead of you.
When you are out on the road, look for a Mom-and-Pop diner, an old-school supper club, or any restaurant where it seems like has been around for 30 or 40 years.
There is a reason these places have stood the test of time.
The service is usually excellent, and the food is actual food, not questionable items that came frozen in bags or out of a can. Not to mention that you get a pile of food for cheap and leave feeling pleasantly stuffed, not like you ate a bad burger.
That’s it, friends, with a little bit of planning (and a whole lot of self-control) you can get some great food while on the road.
Tell me, how do you find great food on the road?
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