One of the easiest ways to save big on road trips and family vacations is to pack your own snacks and food whenever possible. It doesn’t need to be complicated or difficult! Check out this list of easy and healthy road trip snack ideas!
How We Save on Road Trip Snacks in Our Family
Whenever we travel, I always bring our own snacks and food, because it saves SO much money! Here are some of my top tips:
- Use what you already have on hand at home! (You’d be surprised what you can scrounge up from your pantry and fridge!)
- Don’t forget about homemade snacks!
- Start looking for deals on snacks a few weeks ahead of time, so that you have a nice variety for your trip without spending a ton of money out of pocket.
- For last-minute trips when you don’t have time to stock up on snacks, bring a box of baggies and stop at the store for snacks on the way out. Buy a few larger containers and divide them into individual servings with the baggies you brought along. (This saves so much money instead of paying for the pre-divided snack packages!)
- For an easy lunch, stop and grab a jar of peanut butter, jar of jelly, loaf of bread, bag of baby carrots, and some fruit! This is so much less expensive (and healthier!) than stopping for fast food.
Simple, Healthy Road Trip Snacks
We recently went on a road trip with our three youngest kids and here’s what we brought!
- Mandarin oranges
- Energy bites
- Freezer PB&J
- Danimals
- Pumpkin Bread
- GoGo squeeze
- Frosted Shredded Wheat
- Sliced Peppers
- String Cheese
All of these were things I already had on hand and almost all of it was stuff I had bought on sale. SCORE!
More Road Trip Snack Ideas:
Here are a bunch more road trip snack ideas from our Facebook followers!
- Granola bars, Kind bars, Z-bars, NatureValley bars, etc.
- Fruit bars, Nutri-Grain bars
- Muffins and breads
- Trail Mix
- Chex Mix
- Go-Gurts or yogurt
- Pop-Tarts
- Dried cereal in baggies
- Pretzels & Goldfish
- Whole fruit (apples, bananas, pears, plums, etc)
- Baggies of grapes or apple slices
- Dried fruit and/or fruit leather
- Baggies of raw veggies (chopped up and washed)
- Rice Krispie treats
- Cookies
- Cheese cubes
- Beef Jerky sticks or bites
- Mini pepperoni or salami
- Popcorn, kettle corn, or chips
- Peanut butter crackers
- Juice boxes or other special drinks
- Licorice, candy, and lollipops
Other Homemade Snack Ideas:
Looking for even more healthy snack ideas and tips? Check these out!
- 25 Budget-Friendly Snack Ideas for Kids
- 30 Quick & Easy Protein Snack Ideas
- 25+ Healthy Cheap Snacks for Kids
- How to Save on Snacks: Minimize the Cost per Serving
- 10 Healthy & Cheap Vegan Snacks for Kids
- 8 Delicious, Freezer-Friendly Homemade Snack Ideas
Sarah says
My husband raided the pantry and fridge before a last minute road trip years back. We were eating anything that didn’t involve cooking, including croutons!
Crystal Paine says
Too funny!! 🙂
Tiffany says
What is that chocolate granola bar stuff?? Looks fantastic!
Jordan says
I think this is what you are looking for: Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Bars! I hope that helps! -Jordan, MSM Team
Mel says
I always check the local closeout/short date store for single serve items before a trip!The extra in gas always pays for itself.
Jordan says
What a great idea!! -Jordan, MSM Team
Crystal Paine says
That’s a great idea!