what are good road trip snacks

THE ULTIMATE ROAD TRIP FOOD LIST: 50 Scrumptious Travel Snacks

Post Summary: The definitive road trip food list with 50 snack ideas and meals to keep you happy the entire car ride. Plus, tips for what else to bring and recommendations for the best road trip coolers.

Road trips are the classic adventure that everyone needs to do at least once in their life, whether you’re traveling solo, with your best buds, or packing in the whole family. What’s the secret to a great road trip? Besides having your maps already downloaded to your phone (travel must #1), it’s to have a collection of the best road trip food at your disposal. Being prepared with good travel food will ensure you don’t:

Kill your travel mates because you’re hangry.
Get killed by your travel mates because they’re hangry.
Get lured in by every gasoline stop and somehow end up with bright orange Cheetos and Slim Jims.
Waste your travel budget dining on Subway and Wendys road trip meals.

After road tripping with a toddler for half a year around the US, we’ve figured out the ultimate road trip food list so we can enjoy the journey together feeling nourished and happy. Our list includes road trip food ideas for adults and kids as well as healthy car snacks.

After the road trip food list, we’ve included non-food items you’ll want to bring and some tips on choosing the best road trip cooler.

Need More Road Trip Tips? Check out our other articles below:

The Ultimate Road Trip Packing List: 41 Essentials For The Road 160 Fun, Deep, and Sometimes Silly Road Trip Questions 41 Fun and Challenging Road Trip Trivia Questions 17+ Fun Things To Do On A Road Trip How To Survive A Road Trip With A Toddler 40 Must Have Items To Have In Your Camper

*This road trip food list post may contain affiliate links, which means we might earn a small commission if you purchase from them. This is at no extra cost to you! We only recommend products and services we genuinely think are helpful.

The Ultimate Road Trip Food List

Healthy snacks for a road trip

We’ll start with healthy snacks for the road. I don’t know about you, but when we go on road trips, we tend to fall back on fast food and junk food. In an effort to have a quasi healthy road trip we make sure to include some healthy options so we can at least feel like we’ve balanced out all our snickers bars and Wendy’s frosties. Here’s our list of the best road trip foods that won’t leave you feeling sluggish at the end of the day. We also added in a few recommendations of some of our favorite brands.

Healthy Snacks For Car Rides 1. Fruit: Bananas, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, grapes, apples, oranges 2. Sliced veggies: carrots, cucumbers, celery, bell peppers, pickles, radishes 3. Cherry tomatoes 4. Olives (buy the pitted kinds) 5. Salsa 6. Deli sandwiches or wraps (already made from home or pre-purchased) 7. A simple charcuterie spread (summer sausage, pepperoni, sliced cheese, dried apricots, olives, crackers, etc.) 8. Popcorn 9. Yellow corn chips, blue corn chips, kale chips 10. Granola Bars and Energy Bars ( Munk Bars are our favorite! ) 11. Dried Fruit 12. Crackers (cheese crackers, saltines, whole wheat crackers, these almond crackers are my favorite!) 13. Pretzels 14. Nuts (almonds, peanuts, cashews, macadamia, walnuts, pecans) 15. Trail mix 16. Tuna (Get the kind that doesn’t need to be refrigerated! It can become a snack on crackers, a sandwich, or added to a salad) 17. Coconut chips ( Dang chips are our favorite. ) 18. Dark chocolate 19. Wasabi peas 20. Fruit leather 21. Whole-grain muffins 22. Bread (pretzel rolls, pita bread) 23. Water (Preferably in a water bottle like a Hydro Flask that will keep your water cold for hours.) *The following are all still healthy snacks for a road trip but will require a cooler. Skip them if you are going sans cooler. Further down, we’ll talk about the best road trip coolers. 23. Hard-boiled eggs 24. Small yogurt containers or drinkable yogurts 25. Humus 26. Guacamole 27. Pasta salad 28. Lentil salad 29. Grocery store salad kits (Can be eaten out of the bag! Just cut the top, pour in the salad dressing, and shake it away. You can also opt to do salads in a jar) 30. Cheese

Essential Road Trip Snacks

These road trip snacks might not be the healthiest, but look…you can’t always be perfect!

Road Trip Snack List 32. Beef Jerky 33. Chips 34. Fun candy (Any kind of candy that brings you joy for your road trip. Gummy bears, reeses pieces, airheads) 35. Ranch dip to go with your healthy veggies 36. Fun drinks (Just make sure the drink is able to be resealed or small enough that you’ll drink it all quickly. My favorite road trip drink is coconut water!) 37. Cookies

Road Trip Snacks For Kids And Toddlers

While we don’t put a distinction between road trip food for the adults and road trip food for kids, here are some fun ideas you can add in addition to the travel food listed above. We found that allowing for leniency with what we let our kid snack on will mean a more fun time for everyone in the car.

Road Trip Snacks For Toddlers and Kids 38. String Cheese or Babybels 39. Peanut butter pretzels 40. Clementines 41. Squeezable applesauce 42. Squeezable nut butters (peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter) 43. Graham crackers 44. Goldfish 45. Fruit snacks 46. Fruit roll ups 47. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich 48. Dry cereal 49. Nutella 50. Snap pea crisps ( I love the wasabi ones from Harvest Snaps . I can only get them online because my grocery store never has them!)

Essential Non Food Items

Now that you’ve got your travel food and made your road trip food list, let’s talk about non food items to have on your road trip packing list. We are both advocates for minimal waste living so we do advise using reusable items like real utensils, glass containers, and reusable straws rather than single-use items. I know it can feel like a nuisance, but once you get used to doing it, it’s easy to integrate it into your habits. We’ve provided links to different products, so you can check out some good options.

-Trash bags (old shopping bags work well) – Stackable glass or plastic containers (While glass may feel like a hazard, I find that most of them are built for endurance and would require some extreme throwing around to actually break. Either way, bringing containers rather than an entire bag of snacks is a great space saver.) -Reusable straws (we like this multipack option here ) -Bento boxes (another option is to make individual bento boxes with everyone’s preferred snacks put in. It’s essentially a healthier version of a Lunchable. Great option if you’re traveling with kids.) Check out these cute bento boxes here . -Utensils -Plates -Paper towels -Hand sanitizer -Ziplock bags -Wipes -Cups if you want to share drinks -Ice packs for the cooler (We prefer to use reusable ice packs like these , but frozen water bottles or ice cubes in a ziplock back will do the job as well.) -Reusable grocery bag to carry your non-perishable stuff -Plastic tub (If you’re going on a long road trip and will have lots of snacks, a good option is to pack all your non-perishable items in a tub like this .) -Cooler

Related : A Comprehensive Guide To the Best Toddler Carriers For Traveling

Best Road Trip Coolers

If you’re going on a long road trip, you’ll definitely want to bring a cooler so you can have more options for the journey. Things to consider when deciding what kind of road trip cooler to bring.

How much space will you have in your car?
How many days will you be driving and subsequently how much food will you need?
Cost of the cooler
If you road trip or camp a lot and will use a cooler several times a year.

Yeti Roadi 24 Cooler

Our choice for the best road trip cooler is the Yeti Roadi 24 Cooler . It’s a mid-sized cooler that can fit a bottle of wine standing upright. We like its lightweight design and that its compact size can fit on the ground behind the passenger seat.

It has a mid-range price point, so if you are wanting something more economical, you’ll probably want our next pick.

Igloo MaxCold Cooler

Igloo Maxcold 40-100 Qt Commercially Insulated Coolers

If all you need is a no-frills cooler to keep your food cold, the Igloo Maxcold Cooler is a great option. The thin design also makes it a great choice for someone wanting to save room in the car.

Arctic Zone Titan Deep Freeze

If you like a soft cooler, the Arctic Zone Titan Deep Freeze consistently offers the best bang for your buck.

Yeti Tundra 45

Lastly, if you are wanting a high-end cooler that will be great for camping and can take the wear and tear of consistent use, the Yeti Tundra 45 is your best bet. Yeti is the reigning champion of coolers and you can’t go wrong with anything you purchase from them.

Before you head out on your epic road trip, we suggest packing the night before. Alleviating as much stress as possible on the day you leave, especially when you’re doing a road trip with a toddler , is key to enjoying the road trip journey. We find that the night before, it’s best to:

Wash, cut, and peel all vegetables and fruit.
Pack up all non perishable food and supplies.
Prepare any road trip sandwiches you plan to eat.

Lastly, don’t forget to make sure all your tasty road trip snacks are within reaching distance in the car.

We hope you enjoyed our complete road trip food list. Happy road tripping!

** For more road trip inspiration follow us on Instagram . We travel… a lot.

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Hi, we’re Christina and Brad, Idaho based writers and photographers who live to explore. We did a short stint of traveling full time with our two year old and discovered we're much happier as part time nomads. What does that mean? We travel a lot! And then we go home. We love helping fellow parents and everyday adventurers discover new places and experiences.

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25 Best Road Trip Snacks That’ll Fuel the Family

They're sweet, salty, healthy, and everything in between!

Every item on this page was chosen by a The Pioneer Woman editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.

It's been years since the entire Drummond clan took a proper family road trip, but Ree took the kids on lots of by-car adventures when they were younger, especially as part of homeschooling lessons. Ree got the kids in the car bright and early to avoid traffic, and would always make sure to pack a Thermos of hot coffee. "Mornings are my favorite part of the day to be on the road," she says. "Most people are just waking up, the roads are significantly less populated…coffee tastes better."

No matter where you're traveling this year, these road trip snacks will fuel you and your family through even the longest drives. Have a safe trip!

Country Archer Beef and Turkey Jerky Variety Pack

Ditch the carby snacks and opt for beef or turkey jerky when you're craving some protein. This variety pack comes with six different flavors and is big enough to share!

That's it. Fruit Bars Variety Pack

For a satisfying chew without the added sugars, try fruit bars. They're healthier than candies and gummies but still bursting with fruit flavor for when you want something sweet.

Combos Pizzeria Baked Pretzel Snacks

You'll find these filled snacks in the chip aisle at most gas stations. They're low-crumb and delicious.

YumEarth Organic Gummy Bears

Who said gummy bears are just for kids? These gluten-free gummies are great for the whole family—and they taste delicious, too!

Kar's Sweet 'n Salty Trail Mix

Is the highway kind of like a trail for cars? Either way, this sweet and salty trail mix will satisfy your hunger on long trips.

Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP Sweet and Salty Kettle Corn

For the ultimate sweet and salty snack, try this kettle corn. It's made with 100% whole grains and is gluten free and non-GMO, so it's a snack you can feel good about!

JUSTIN'S Classic Gluten-Free Almond Butter Squeeze Packs

Whether you're spreading it onto another snack like an apple (without any mess!) or enjoying it on its own, an almond butter squeeze pack is a great on-the-go snack.

CLIF BARS - Mini Energy Bar Variety Pack

These miniature energy bars are perfect for giving you a little boost when you're on the last leg of your trip. Buy this variety pack to find your favorite flavor.

Newtons Soft & Chewy Cookies Variety Pack

Satisfy your sweet tooth and skip the crumbs with a few Fig Newtons. This variety pack comes with fig and strawberry cookies.

Goldfish Crackers Big Smiles Variety Pack

Goldfish are always a crowd-pleaser. Get the variety pack so everyone in the crew can enjoy their favorite flavor!

Happy Bites 3 Flavor Covered Coffee Beans

When you need a little caffeine but can't stop for coffee, reach for these chocolate-covered coffee beans. Just be sure to keep them away from the kids. 😂

Garden Veggie Straws

The whole family can enjoy this snack, from toddlers to teens to adults. Try a fun flavor like Zesty Ranch to mix things up.

Organic Roasted Seaweed Sheets

Get your greens on the go with these roasted seaweed snacks. They're kid and parent-approved!

Dried Mango Slices

Traveling with fresh fruit can be tricky—it's so frustrating to reach for a banana, only to find it smushed at the bottom of a bag. Plus, what do you do with that pesky peel when you're on the road? We recommend packing dried fruit for no-fuss snacking.

Fritos Scoops! Corn Snacks

Satisfy a salty craving with some simple corn chips. There's a reason they've stayed popular for more than 80 years. And if you're looking to dip, Scoops! will help you avoid a mess.

Honey Nut Cheerios

Cereal is delicious even without milk. Fill a baggie with your favorite kind for a great on-the-go snack.

CraveBox Care Package

If you're heading on a cross-country road trip, one or two kinds of snacks might not cut it. So buy a wide variety instead! This CraveBox comes with a mix of 45 different salty and sweet snacks.

Snyder's of Hanover Pretzels

Skip the plain salty pretzels that just leave you feeling parched. These twists are seasoned with a buttery blend of spices including onion, garlic, and pepper.