I see many good suggestions up above. Here are mine:

1. Hard boiled eggs are a great suggestion and, if not peeled, can last 4 hours (and sometimes more) if it is not too hot in your vehicle.

2. Fruit

3. Keep several trash cans/bags available to prevent too much mess. You could even have a contest to see which child keeps their seat cleanest. That always works with mine.

4. Driving overnight works for us if there will be opportunity to rest up when we get to our destination. We like to leave a little before the kids’ bedtime for the kids. This limits the need for food and pottying (a big issue for our 5 children between the ages of 10 months and 8 years) for the kids and may prevent restlessness. Of course, the drivers may need caffeine or music to stay awake. Some children do not sleep well in the car, and some drivers are better at getting up early than staying up late, so this idea is not for everyone.

5. If you plan to stop for meals, drive a car, and it is cold enough outside, you can keep your main meals in the trunk. Keep snacks at hand while the meals stay nice and cold.

6. Sunflower seeds, M&Ms, and raisins are good for keeping the driver awake if you eat them one by one and savor them instead of eating them by the handful. If your sunflower seeds have shells, removing the shells with your teeth help keep you awake. We usually make a homemade chex mix or muddy buddies (see chex site) for our trips.

7. I 2nd the homemade food idea!

8. Other non-perishable ideas are kool-aid (in a plastic juice jar with lid), dry cereal, peanut butter crackers/sanwiches, homemade biscuits with bacon or jerky, fruit strips, carrots, nuts, and granola bars.

Hope this is helpful and not totally redundant, as I read about a third of the comments and then just skimmed from there.

1. Hard boiled eggs are a great suggestion and, if not peeled, can last 4 hours (and sometimes more) if it is not too hot in your vehicle.

2. Fruit

3. Keep several trash cans/bags available to prevent too much mess. You could even have a contest to see which child keeps their seat cleanest. That always works with mine.

4. Driving overnight works for us if there will be opportunity to rest up when we get to our destination. We like to leave a little before the kids’ bedtime for the kids. This limits the need for food and pottying (a big issue for our 5 children between the ages of 10 months and 8 years) for the kids and may prevent restlessness. Of course, the drivers may need caffeine or music to stay awake. Some children do not sleep well in the car, and some drivers are better at getting up early than staying up late, so this idea is not for everyone.

5. If you plan to stop for meals, drive a car, and it is cold enough outside, you can keep your main meals in the trunk. Keep snacks at hand while the meals stay nice and cold.

6. Sunflower seeds, M&Ms, and raisins are good for keeping the driver awake if you eat them one by one and savor them instead of eating them by the handful. If your sunflower seeds have shells, removing the shells with your teeth help keep you awake. We usually make a homemade chex mix or muddy buddies (see chex site) for our trips.

7. I 2nd the homemade food idea!

8. Other non-perishable ideas are kool-aid (in a plastic juice jar with lid), dry cereal, peanut butter crackers/sanwiches, homemade biscuits with bacon or jerky, fruit strips, carrots, nuts, and granola bars.

Hope this is helpful and not totally redundant, as I read about a third of the comments and then just skimmed from there.

for a special treat she would make biscuits in 9×13 pans just before we left with cinnamon and raisins and glaze over the top (like the ones at hardees!) and we would have those for breakfast in the car. Yum!

we filled a gallon-size ziplock bag with whole hard boiled eggs, salt, and a pile of mayonnaise. We could keep the bag sealed and dry in the cooler and then for the second day’s lunch, pull it out, snip the corner off with a scissors and squirt it onto bread. It was low mess and could be thrown away immediately after. This saves knives and mixing trouble and gives you fresh food the second day.

For the second day’s dinner, we would bring cooked chicken, a big bag of lettuce, croutons and stuff and make giant chicken salads, coupled with banana bread or something.

Delicious and nutritious, even the second day of a trip.

We always travel with a 5 gallon jug of ice water and cups from home. Other than the coffee (see below) it’s all we have to drink.

I make out a rough outline of a menu, and then I run through it completely in my head. For example, PB and J sandwiches will need the P and the J, and two disposable knives (with back ups) plus the bread, and sturdy plates, napkins and wipes, a flat surface, a trashbag, etc.

I find that running everything through in my head in advance leaves us very well prepared.

One more thing. We have a bit of an iced coffee adiction, and surprisingly it isn’t available all over the country. We discovered that we could stop at a gas station or truck stop and buy one small hot coffee and ask for a very large cup filled with ice to pour it over. The ice coffee is far less expensive this way, and the gas station coffee is usually strong enough that it turns out just perfect.

Have a great road trip!

I also take hand wipes for when soap and water aren’t available. Also take grocery bags to use as trash bags.

http://www.roadtrucker.com/12-volt-cooking/12-volt-cooking.htm

These are great as we get tired of cold food, and who doesn’t like something warm to eat in the middle of winter! I always carry a small bag with paper plates, utensils, cups, napkins, can opener and condiments.
We also do the traditional car food such as sandwiches, snack type items, drinks, and we love the boxed donuts as one pack will last us several days. We frequently bring a thermos and packs of cocoa and apple cider. I find that most rest stops will not charge you for hot water.

Pets do well on road trips, besides feeding them there treats and dog food we also share some human food. They are ok to eat veggies such as carrots, celery, cabbage, and fruits like apples, bananas, and berries.

DeeDee http://www.small-budget.blogspot.com/

Another consideration for this when travelling in December, depending on where you are, is the possible to need to plan where you stop. Certainly in many areas of the country, just pulling over for a picnic, will not be as pleasant as it would have been in PA today.

Good luck!

Or- we are a PB&J family- you don’t really need it cold and the kids love it! Fresh fruit along side it makes it a healthy fast food alternative.

Instant soup packets work well with the above mentioned hot water trick too.