We go on a lot of roadtrips.  We have traveled all over the western half of the United States.  We have visited thirty-three national parks.  We even lived out of our trailer for a month straight, traveling over 5,500 miles.  That’s a lot of time in the truck!  Which means lots of eating in the truck :). 

So what are some easy roadtrip snack ideas?

Full disclosure

First, I’m going to be honest.  I have a total sweet tooth.  And I don’t try too hard to be super healthy when we are driving. I try to be simple and fun.  So if you are really strict with your health and diet, this post may not be for you.  And that’s okay!  This is just the Hunt way of doing roadtrip snacks 🙂

We have done our share of letting the kids pick something out at the gas station, but that usually takes forever because Sadie can never decide what she wants.  Plus, if ever we don’t feel like buying something, we never hear the end of it.

Sometimes I’m smart

Lately, I’ve been taking the kids to Dollar Tree or Walmart before the trip and let them pick out something fun.  See? Sometimes I can be smart and plan ahead. The quantity is pre-determined by me based on how many drives we will be doing and how long they are.  I usually let them pick one treat/snack per 6-8 hour drive.

For our last trip, Lily picked pretzels and Andes mints.  Ethan picked jelly beans and gummies.  Sadie picked airheads and taffy.  So you can see, my kids like candy. 

And yeah, I don’t worry about it when we are traveling.  We pack their own personal snacks in a separate bag that they keep by their seat.  I got them cute little bags from the dollar store.

So in addition to the inevitable candy picks, I try to have a few other options that I keep in a communal snack bag up by me in the car.  Pretzel rods are a must.  My kids say the salt helps them not get carsick.

Charlie likes beef jerky, Pringles, and trail mix.

I like Chex mix and licorice nibs.

Sometimes I’m healthy

Over the years we have done popcorn, corn nuts, granola bars, wheat thins, triscuits, cheez its, Oreos, chips a-hoy.  If I have a cooler bag, we have done green beans, peas, string cheese, strawberries, and applesauce. See? I can be healthy sometimes too…  

Sometime I’m not smart

Also, the one thing I have to be careful of, and yes, I forgot again this last trip, is leaving anything with chocolate in a hot car!  I love trail mix that has chocolate chips in it.  I left it in the car while we floated the river.  I totally forgot about the trail mix.  Remembered it the next morning.  And found that all of the chocolate chips had melted and then hardened back together during the chilly night. The trail mix was a big chunk of chocolate and peanuts.  Not exactly easy to eat.  Maybe some day I’ll learn my lesson 🙂

Extra Stuff

Lastly, in addition to the snacks, I always bring little cups to pour the loose snacks into.  I use these ones found here. 

I also pack ziplock bags, bag clips, napkins, wipes, and a grocery sack to collect garbage.

Basically, I bring things I know my kids like and try to let them get something fun that is a little out of the ordinary.  Hopefully that gets you thinking for what to do for your own family. Remember, easy roadtrip snacks are whatever works best for you and your family!

Happy roadtripping!

~ Rachel

Free Roadtrip Snack Ideas Printable!