Ask the Readers: Food ideas for a road trip?

Cherilyn emailed and asked:

We are planning a 16+ hour road trip in December with three adults, two kids, and two dogs - yikes! The decreasing gas prices are a blessing but we would like to save even more by taking most of our own food. We don't want to have to stop for every meal. Can you give me some ideas for inexpensive ideas for eating on the road? Ideas beyond bottled water, beef jerky, and muffins are appreciated since that is all I can come up with. Thank you! -Cherilyn

I know many of you will probably be doing some traveling to visit family and friends over the next two months so I'd love to hear any and all ideas for road-tripping on the cheap--especially when it comes to food. What are some of your favorite frugal foods to pack and eat on the road? What ideas do you have for keeping food fresh and tasty while traveling? I'm anxious to hear!

Comments

[Monica]

A box of cereal makes a good snack. It easy to eat and not to messy.

[Chelsey]

We always used to have little pocket sandwiches. My mom would make up a wheat bread mix, then instead of doing loaves she would put small bits of lunch meat and cheese inside them, roll them into a ball and bake them. You can freeze them, so at the beginning of a road trip she would bring the frozen bag of pocket sandwiches. By the time it was time for lunch, they'd be thawed out. I wish I could remember more details, but it was at least 10 years ago when I was much younger.

[Robin]

We have found these foods to work well:

In cooler:
Drinks, cheese, grapes, mayo, mustard (you could put sliced meat, we don't eat it though)

And in a box:
Bottle water, boxed crackers, granola bars, apples, chips, sliced bread.

[Michelle Hughes]

We always take a small cooler and have string cheese, sliced cheese, lunch meats, carrots, celery, and juices in it. Fresh fruit is always good too - apples and oranges (the satsuma mandarins this time of year are great - easy peel and seedless!) Crackers to go with the cheese. We also take a loaf of bread, peanut butter and jelly along with some paper plates and plastic knifes - you can stop and make sandwiches at a rest stop and eat while taking a break. Trail mix - make your own or buy in bulk at Winco - I let my kids pick the kind they want to take. Make sure you have a box of wipes for easy cleanup and enjoy the trip.

[Brenda]

Growing up my family of 4 used to take 2 week roadtrips in a 4 door sedan. Things were tight, but we made it work.

Before the trips mom would always hit Sam's Club for non-perishables, like cookies and chips. We would eat these with meals or as our snacks during the day.

She would also pack a small with lunchmeat so we could make sandwiches for lunch and to keep some drinks cold. We would fill the cooler with ice each morning at the hotel and stop at rest stops or state parks to eat our picnic.

[Holle]

Hi!
Depending on the age of the children, I've found that finger-foods work really well. We pack our own home-made "lunchables" consisting of diced chicken/turkey/ham, crackers, and small slices of cheese. One time I was able to find neat little re-useable containers that had compartments. The kids thought it was cool.
Other ideas: Grilled cheese sandwiches chilled and cut into "fingers," cheese quesadillas chilled and cut into wedges (can also add lunchmeat), fruit chunks (use toothpicks for eating).
We sometimes use a soft-sided cooler for food when we travel. It fits into tight spaces much easier than a hard cooler. You could also pack several small insulated lunch bags with different foods, as these would fit easier into various small spaces.

[$5 Dinner Mom]

"Car Picnics" is what I like to call them! I had several readers share their ideas about this very topic! Come by to see their answers in the comments section!
http://www.5dollardinners.com/2008/10/grocery-shopping-discovery_18.html

Happy Roadtripping and Happy Holidays!

[Letty]

We make a 23 hour drive at least once a year with two adults and 3 small children- so I feel your pain! We often eat one meal out (a fast food dinner or lunch), and cereal, muffins, and fruit at a rest stop for breaksfast. We always bring a cooler filled with juice boxes and string cheese and grocery bag full of crackers, bars, and other snacks. Sometimes I make sandwiches and pack those in the cooler as well. We spend very little money on food on the road this way. Another idea is to visit a grocery store along the way to get deli fresh sandwiches. The kids love exploring a new grocery store and it is a good way to stretch your legs (and use coupons for products your local store may not carry!).

[Candi]

In my area local bakeries make thier own pizza which is served cold. SO SO yummy, they are a standard treat for us when travelling.

[Catherine]

Here are some of my favorite road-trip foods! Make sure you bring a cooler for anything that might be perishable.

- Sandwiches (peanut butter travels the best, but any kind will do, bring a squeeze bottle of mustard or mayo and add that just before you eat it)
- Bottled water & Juice boxes/soda
- Pretzels, ChexMix, chips (bring the whole bag and some small snack cups - yogurt containers or small margarine tubs work wonderfully - so you can portion snacks out as you go)
- Crackers and cheese (slice the cheese before you leave and you won't need to bring a knife along)
- Fresh fruits like apples, bananas, grapes, and oranges (might want to peel them ahead of time)
- Dried fruits like raisins, apricots, or dried cranberries
- Snack cereals like fruit loops, cheerios, and other finger-food cereals. These are great for munching on without milk.

[Alyssa]

Make your own trail mixes. Mix cheerios, raisins, m&m's, and mixed nuts together in a gallon ziploc bag. Either eat right out of the bag, or take small cups for scooping out a serving( a better option if you don't want all the m&m's to get eaten before everything else! lol!)
You can vary this to suit your tastes, or you might want to take a few different mixes. Try chex cereal, chocolate chips, peanuts, almonds, other dried fruits, small pretzels, etc. Use any combo you like! Happy snacking!

[Carolyn]

You can start now by freezing any leftovers that can be eaten cold or at room temperature. If you have chicken, turkey (Thanksgiving leftover idea!) or roast beef between now and your trip, make up sandwiches with the leftovers and put in the freezer. If you have single-serving containers available, pack individual pieces of pumpkin pie. My kids think of it as a dessert, but it is so high in vitamin A, I silently consider it an occasional vegetable serving! Carrot cake would also be an idea to bake ahead of time, cut into individual pieces and serve on the road. Most fruits and vegetables can be served raw and are easy to snack on, and cereal is easy to pop into snack bags and either eat dry as a snack or empty into a small bowl and add milk. You can make vegetable soup or a stew ahead of time, freeze it and then quickly heat it up the morning you leave, putting it in thermos jugs to keep the heat until lunch, saving cooler foods for later in the day. Potato soup can be eaten warm or cold, and while it does not freeze well, it could be made a day or 2 ahead of time. Hope these ideas help, and have a good trip!

[Heather]

excellent suggestions already, and I would also add hard boiled eggs to the list of cooler items. You could even peel them before you leave to reduce the mess. If you don't want to take a cooler, sandwiches like cucumber & cream cheese would be ok for a few hours.

[Audra]

I have heard of using a crock pot in a car, using an electric adapter, but that could be very messy. I guess if it is very cold, warm food would be tasty. Or you could try warm soup in a thermos.
I would think about fruit(peeled and chopped or not), pasta salad(kept in cooler), or tortilla wraps. Just get a large flour tortilla and layer what you like, such as mayo, turkey, lettuce and cheese. Then roll it up and you have a wonderful sandwich.
Fresh veggies and dip would be good. I love Hummus, but my kids don't. Homemade salsa and baked chips are healthy and give veggies into the diet.
Have a great trip!

[kp]

We found eating while we drive helpful so our stops were spent running around and moving our legs and not sitting again to eat. It was also helpful to leave super early (like 2 or 3 am) so 1/3 to 1/2 the trip is over by the time the kids wake up.

[Chelssya]

We're used to making 18 hour car trips with a family of 4 and a large dog twice a year. In the summer, it's easier because you can have picnics at rest stops. The winter is more difficult because we travel through areas with lots of snow and very cold weather, so roadside stops are out. usually make at least one stop at a McDonald's that bridges over the interstate with an indoor playland so we can all stretch our legs and the kids can play. And my oldest loves to watch the semis zoom underneath him! For winter trips, I make a batch of muffins, cookies, and chicken salad. I pack the chicken salad in individual-sized plastic bowls with lids so we can eat it in the car, as making sandwiches in the car gets messy. I also pack crackers, sliced cheese and summer sausage. Fruits that don't require peeling like grapes, raisins, orange slices or cut up melon make clean-up easier. I'll often throw in some granola bars, mini-carrots, and trail mix. We bring along water, juice boxes, and milk boxes. I also make sure to bring several bottles of breastmilk so I can bottle feed rather than having to make emergency roadside stops to feed a crying baby. (I know in some states it's legal to nurse a baby in a moving car, though I'm not sure why. Recently where I live a mother was nursing her 5 month old in the backseat while another adult was driving. They were struck by another car, and the baby was thrown from the car and died. Sorry, that's off topic. I just want people to be safe instead of convenient!)

[Crystal DuBois]

I love to cook hotdogs, and store them in a thermos. You could fill up the thermos with hot water to help keep them warm. You could do the same with meatballs, and make meatball subs. (minus the water of course) A good thermos will keep this warm for quite some time!

I also stop at rest stops to eat. We make it more exciting by collecting rocks from each stop, and writing on the rock with a sharpie to identify where it was collected. I find that the kids look forward to finding the next treasure, and aren't so bother by the fact that they are eating PB&J AGAIN! Then at the end of the trip, we have a great discussion on why the rocks are so different from stop to stop.

[jc]

We take long car trips too with 3 kids. One thing that makes a nice first meal is to fill a water tight thermos with boiling water right before you leave, put in warmed up hot dogs and they will still be nice and hot when you stop for lunch that day.
We do sandwiches, but make them as we go, they were not that appetizing already made to us.
Don't bring bananas with unless you like all of your other food banana flavored.
One thing I do that saves money and just makes the trip more enjoyable is to make sure you have some yummy treats packed. If you try to be super healthy, all those things you see at the gas stations seem too tasty to pass up, especially for little ones.
Even though you may spend more at the grocery store to get some more treat or special type of food, it is much cheaper than buying meals on the road!

[Sheila]

For long trips we pack a cooler with sandwich fixings: turkey, cheese, mustard, mayo, etc. Lots of snacks & drinks too. We plan a place to stop along the way and have a little picnic to stretch our legs.

[Becky]

Thanks for all these great ideas! We have a huge roadtrip coming up next week. (we are moving from South Carolina to Utah) so I am taking notes!

[Melanie]

I have 5 kids ages 10-3. We make several 13 hour trips a year. My husband and I have gotten pretty creative lately. I usually pack a couple sippy cups of milk (it helps use up the last of the milk so it doesn't go bad while we are gone) and then some water bottles and juice/Gatorade. Also if we are traveling at night I usually pack some caffeinated beverages for my husband and I. ;)

As far as food goes...we always have some standard foods and then we try to take whatever else is in the fridge to use up.

-Snack size ziploc bags with grapes and cheese cubes
-Bananas, apples, strawberries, and oranges
-Baby carrots, broccoli pieces, and cauliflower pieces
-Granola bars
-Pretzels already in snack size ziploc
-Oatmeal breakfast cookies and Special K Meal Bars
-Orange juice boxes for breakfast

This year we are going to be traveling after Thanksgiving. I've already decided that we will have ham for Thanksgiving and then I can make ham sandwiches to eat on the way. Peeled hard boiled eggs work well too. I usually always pack some fun surprise item for the kids---when the trip starts to get long it's always nice to pull out something special to help.

We usually have a soft cooler that I pack and try to fit everything in...whatever I can't fit in I put in a second cooler. The biggest thing for me though is not buying a whole bunch of special things at the store, but using most of what I already have in the fridge and cabinets.

I hope that helps some. =)

[Gina Cocking]

We always take our food on long trips,
For breakast, I pack yougert, bagles and cream cheese, and fruit.
For Lunch, I pack lunch meat, bread cheese ect. and a loft of bread.
I always take a cooler and fill it with what we are taking, also pack things like cheese sticks and drinks.
For a treat I pack chips and home made cookies.

[Rebecca]

Peanut butter and crackers, juice boxes, ants on a log, meat and cheese sandwiches without mayo. Mayo doesn't travel well. Fruit such as bananas and apples. Plastic grocery sacks for the trash. Pudding packs depending on how old your children are. I'd get water bottles with the sports caps to minimize spills.

[Teresa]

I just did a post on this on Friday, October 30! We, fortunately, live in an area that doesn't get very cold weather. We pack lots of food and stop frequently at the rest stops. If the weather is bad outside, I have the malls mapped out, and I know which ones have great play areas!

We always pack popcorn, homemade goodies (cookies, muffins, waffles), and goldfish (it's fun to play with and eat).

[Mandi]

Breakfast- Granola bars, croissants, peanut butter on english muffins, trail mix
Lunch- sandwiches (peanut butter), fruit (bananas, pears, apples, oranges), crackers, cookies, trail mix, chips
Dinner- We usually stop at McDonalds or Subway. These places are cheap and you can find some healthy menu items.

We avoid taking a cooler because it takes up a lot of room, and you have to buy ice to keep it cold. It's also not very accessible in a car because you have to stop to get to it.

[Daina]

One of my favorites, growing up, was cucumbers! My mom would cut them into slices, lay the whole sliced-up cuke on a piece of tin foil, and wrap it up. We'd have salt and pepper with us and I always loved salting and peppering my cucumber slices at the rest stop! It always felt so special.

[Margery]

Our standard fare is peanut butter sandwiches, apples, and baby carrots, with refillable water bottles. Nothing really can spoil. Pretzels work better than chips, too, because they are not greasy. Sometimes we bring raisins, graham crackers, or cookies, too.

[Mich]

I know you asked for convenient foods to take with you, but what we do as a family is use car trips as the only time we eat fast food. We don't ever eat it any other time. So when we go on a car trip, McDonald's is a big treat, and the kids actually look forward to the ride! We like to find ones with play areas so the kids can run around and stretch their legs. We order off the dollar menu and supplement with food we have brought - such as our own drinks, string cheese, and baby carrots.

We bring our snacks as well for times in the car other than lunch or dinner. Peanut butter crackers, cheese, cut-up fruit, drinks, dried fruit, and cookies. No need to do anything elaborate. Have a safe trip!

Michele

[Kristen]

I haven't had a chance to read through all comments, so forgive me if I duplicate any ideas. We just trekked from the DC area to south TX and back, and I was also concerned about food prices. Here is what we did: the day before we left I made a large batch of scones (in 2 varieties) for breakfast in the car, plus cut up fruit (sprinkled w/ lemon juice to prevent browning). For lunch I made, and pre-sliced, homemade bread, had a container of egg salad, along w/ peanut butter and homemade apple butter, so that everyone could choose which type of sandwich to eat. For snacks I had a container of boiled (and peeled) eggs for quick protein for drivers, plus a large batch of granola bars w/ craisins mixed in, and our snack splurge was a bulk-pack of string cheese. we had a few caffeinated sodas for drivers, plus coffee thermoses, but stuck to only water for kids (not only cheaper, but cuts down on bathroom stops, as they only drink what they need instead of guzzling soda or juice constantly). This kept all 3 adults and 7 kiddos happy for both trips. good luck!

[Tara]

My mother usually fed our family of 6 on road trips with Egg Salad Sandwiches. Hers were delicious (just boiled eggs, mayo and salt, but she always made it in just the right proportions.) Egg salad is great because it gives alot more protien at a lower cost than a roast beef or ham sandwich. There were also PBJs for my picky brother, some fruit, maybe some chips or cookies. The only time we usually stopped for a meal is if we found a McDonalds with a playground so that the kids could run around and burn some energy.

[Amanda]

I second all the food ideas listed. Grapes, chesse, crackers, sandwiches, etc are all great car snacks. Be sure to pack some sandwich baggies to pass out the food. I portion out food into sandwich baggies and then pass it out to my kids. The bags are small to pack and then we throw them away. It's more convinent then plastic containers and the kids don't spill the baggies. Also, small portions means less waste so that helps your food to go further. I would encourage you to buy some candy at the grocery store or on sale at CVS before the trip to pack with you. My husband and I are always prone to buy candy at the gas station. What a waste of money! Thinking ahead saves us money (even though we don't need the candy at all!).

[Gabrielle Blake]

We've used the following--
carrot sticks and other veggies, grapes and other fruits that are easily contained, homemade crackers and cookies, granola bars (the granola tends to be too messy), cheese sticks, bacon and sliced ham/turkey, the usual sandwhich ideas are also good. If you think you'll stop at a picnic or rest area to eat, boiled eggs travel pretty well. If your trip is more than one day and you might be staying at a place with a microwave, we often will freeze things like chili and soup, use the frozen food as an extra way to keep the drinks cooled, and eat them the next night. I like bringing things like tea bags, instant oatmeal, and ready mac to have as "just in case" items. We usually bring our own milk, prepared tea, and juice too.

[Amy]

We took a trip that was about 12 hours long when my daughter was almost 3 years old. We had a DVD player in the car and we borrowed some DVDs from friends that she had not seen.

We packed a small suitcase (I think it was one of the "Going to Grandma's" suitcases) and filled it with coloring books, crayons, stickers, paper, paper dolls, small dolls, matchbox cars, and other small toys.

We stopped a couple of times along the way at Wal-Mart. For my daughter just to get to look at the toys and press all the buttons was almost like having a new toy. It was a great place to walk around. We usually let her pick out a small toy to play with in the car. It was new so it kept her entertained for a little while.

I packed a few bags of treats (candy or snacks we didn't eat very often) and pulled them out during the times my daughter started to get tired of sitting in the car. The treat kept her distracted for a little bit.

I wish you luck in your trip. I guess with 3 adults, you might was a few distractions for them also. I might suggest word finds, crossword puzzles, or puzzle books. My husband also enjoys trivia, so I found a trivia book and read the questions to him while he was driving. It kept the trip interesting.

[Martha Artyomenko]

I grew up traveling alot, and when we were first married we lived in MN and traveled at least once a year or more to see my family 24 hours away. We were really poor so we did not stop for food usually.
Homemade cookies that do not crumble easily
Dried fruit and nuts
A favorite was carrot sticks and celery sticks with homemade onion dip. This was really easy and the crunchy vegetables were not sticky and were wonderful
A soft sided cooler with frozen bottle of water to keep it cold and then you could drink the water when it defrosted.
in there i remember one time making a pasta salad which we ate for our first lunch and it was so good. Cooked cubed chicken is nice, you can freeze it and when it defrosts serve it with a green salad which a bag of salad with small thing of dressing and grated cheese makes a nice meal that is easy to shake up in the car.
Make a batch of roll dough and put slivers of meat and cheese to bake inside. This is much less messy than a sandwich or making sandiwches.
Popcorn
Pretzels- much less messy than chips
I do not every allow children to have dip in the car of ay kind as from past experience the spills happen. Sippy cups even for children past the age or non spilling cups are great.
Bring a thermos along. Gas stations will let you fill it up for cheap or free with coffee or hot water and if you bring tea bags along, hot drinks.
We loved something hot once on the trip so we would allow ourselves to stop once for something. Make it fun to pick what you are going to do!
Cheese sticks are great snack too, crackers.

[Diane]

I love some of the comments I've seen so far. Especially the hot dogs in a thermos. Sounds great for kids.

But there is one thing I'm surprised no one has mentioned yet. Road trips are a great time to use up all those small food samples we've been getting in the mail through out the year.

I keep a plastic tub in the kitchen where I throw all the sample granola bars, fruit roll-ups, Kashi Cookies, mini-Cereal boxes, etc. Then when we are going to be on a road trip or spending the night in a hotel, I'll throw the tub in the car along with the sandwiches, cheese sticks, etc others have mentioned.

[Amiyrah]

we travel a 6+ hour trip to Ohio every holiday(including our boy's birthday and labor day). Out of necessity, I've had to come up with food stuffs to keep in the car. They biggest money saver has been fried chicken. Maybe not the healthiest, but it does satisfy and is a great "hand food" for the car. I even make tenders for my son. Grapes are a great one as well and so are homemade rice krispy treats and granola bars. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a bit on the kid side, but made on whole wheat bread, they can do the trick of filling up all. Anything that is left over when we arrive, is nibbled on in our room during our stay.

[Shayleen]

My mom always used to pack all the fixings for sandwiches (or tortilla wraps) in a cooler and we'd usually just stop at a rest stop or park (GPS's make it so easy to find great parks along the way) and make sandwiches. We always stay at hotels with continental breakfasts and so dinner is the only meal to buy on the road!

[Lara]

I always pack food for our family car-trips, and I try to make it meal-food (not just snacks) so we can avoid the temptation to stop at a drive-thru! Everyone has already posted some great food ideas, so I won't chime in there, but one product I TOTALLY recommend is the Fridge-to-Go
http://www.fridge-to-go.com/
I have the "mini-fridge 12" and it is just a lifesaver. It folds up and I just pop it in the freezer the night before we leave. Then in the morning, load up with sandwiches, grapes, cheese -- whatever! (We just have one child -- so far -- so if you have a bigger family you may want to get a bigger fridge-to-go so you have more space.) It's got a convenient shoulder-strap to carry it, and the compact soft-side design lets you squish it into your car anywhere there's space.
I also bring along cases of water bottles, soda, etc. when we travel. It's so much cheaper than buying drinks on the road. Once we've used up our cold drinks, I just open the cases I brought and pop more drinks into the fridge-to-go to chill them.

[Diane]

TIP#1 : BE CAREFULL WHAT DRINKS YOU PACK - Crumbs can be vacuumed but colored/sugary drinks can cause more permanent damage to the upholstery. When we travel I try to only pack things for drinking in the car that I'm OK with being spilled in the car.

Even milk is a big NO NO. We had that spill in our car once and despite much effort put into cleaning it our car smelled like rotten milk for months. YUCK!!

Tip #2: DRY ICE - If you are going to be driving in either very hot weather or for more than a day I reccommend using dry ice. A small amount of dry ice will keep your food colder for a longer time while taking up considerably less space.

[Holly in OK]

Rice krispie treats, carrot sticks, and celery were staples when we traveled during my childhood, along with other things. But I distinctly remember helping my mom cut the veggies and making the rice krispie treats the evening before we left, while my dad took a nap after work so that we could leave at o-dark-thirty. Too bad we have to use seatbelts these days! (necessary, but less convenient than our childhood.)

[CHRIS]

A friend of mine got me hooked on this one...it's a Cereal Mix-Up...not particularly healthy, but the kids love it!! Her recipe consists of Cocoa Puffs, Chocolate Chip Grips, Teddy Grahams (Honey & Chocolate) and Reese's Pieces/M & M's or Chocolate Chips...Yummmmyyyy!!! Like I said, not the best for you, but certainly a kid pleaser!

[Tiffany]

We used to travel a lot. We would usually only eat out 1 meal a day. I have just a few additional things that always made it easier.

Cooler: We have a cooler that plugs into the car or into a regular outlet, eliminating having to get ice. (just don't leave it plugged into your car too long while it's not running :))
Breakfast: We would take instant oatmeal and a hot water pot, heat the water pour it on the oatmeal and let it sit about a minute. works great. Yogurt & granola. OR stay at a hotel that serves breakfast for free!!
Snacks: We would usually take bean dip and corn chips, easy, healthy, and a good source of protein.

I think that's all I had to add.

[Tracy]

When we travel from MI to Florida we always take a cooler with the following:

Gogurt (food coloring free ones), Cheese sticks, apples, banana's.
We also take along a loaf of bread and PB&J for sandwiches. Plus chips, pretzels whatever we have of the like in the pantry that's already open. Works great for us we do stop for breakfast but at least all other meals are covered.

[Becky]

If I decide to make sandwiches ahead of time due to lack of space to pack lunch meat and everything else separately, I love using bagels with veggie cream cheese, or thick hoagie rolls; this way, the sandwiches don't get soggy and gross. If we need to eat breakfast and lunch on the road and I do have the space for condiments and everything, I still love to use bagels, because then I'll pack strawberry cream cheese for breakfast and veggie cream cheese for the lunch sandwiches - double duty! Individual sized milks and juices are a must for us also.

[Kristin]

We have been going to OC since I was born and each year my mom would make peperonie rolls and Broccolie puffs. I am grown now and take my own family but each year this is what we take. They keep well in a cooler and fill you up. Plus you can make them ahead of time and freez them.

[trisha]

if you have access to a microwave, you can heat up already made biscuits, scrambled eggs and sausage (on tortillas). You can do a LOT of reheating with a small microwave or even a toaster oven, just make handy stuff ahead....If you do have a microwave, those mac-n-cheese microwavables can be handy, could even toss in some cooked chopped ham in them.

Sandwiches, fruit, cheese, carrot sticks, nuts, raisins, cereal. Make-your-own "lunchables." Cold fried chicken. As far as the fruit, I like to have them in individual serving-size bags. My kids love my "roll-whiches"..I take bread dough and roll out small rectangles and place sandwhich meats and cheese then roll up (kinda like a burrito) and then bake. Can even do pizza pockets like this too, but mix the sauce w/cheese and be sure to seal really well (otherwise sauce runs out while baking).

We have even been known to go to a grocery store that has a deli (super walmart would work too) and pick up a rotisserie chicken already cooked. They are reasonably priced (certainly cheaper than eating out!). Could pick up some sides too or grab your ready to go fruit. Then have a picnic. I'd pack a knife, fork or something that would be handy to have for these situations.

If you eat out, generally lunch is cheaper than dinner.

[Melanie]

We just went on a long trip and I packed little snack sized bags of treats for munchies. We had Baby Goldfish (as they don't crumble like the regular sized ones do), cereal such as Cheerios - the yogurt or Multi-Grain ones work well as snacks, crackers, chips, grapes, raisins, dried fruit, lots of varieties of granola bars... Snack size ziploc bags are awesome! I really didn't see much point in them until I had my son!

[Davonne]

Davonne's Travel Food Tips (in no particular order):

1)Make sandwiches in advance. If kept in a cooler, they don't get too soggy, and trying to put together sandwiches in a moving vehicle, for a starving family, is extremely difficult.

2) Look around the house for food. We empty our cupboards and fridge (especially if the items will go bad before we arrive home) before ever stopping at the store.

3) Use flavor! We purchase individual packets of drink mixes (Aldi's has these for pretty cheap), so we can just put them in a bottle of water for a little excitement in our mouths. This stops us from driving through somewhere for a pop just because we're tired of plain water.

4) Everyone gets a bag! On a family night the week we leave, we'll all put together goody bags for each person. We even include little Dollar store non food items in the bags. Our daughter feels so grown up to be allowed to have an entire bag all to herself, and she'll literally stay occupied with this for hours. We don't use goody bags for a trip that's under four hours, so these are a real treat, which makes them more special. When using goody bags, we put all snacks in them, so we don't have extra snacks all over the car.

5) Never underestimate the power of a small cooler. Our small cooler holds several drinks and all of our sandwiches, plus some fresh fruit and such. Even on large trips, we have no need for large coolers!

6) Use the trunk. We keep all extra drinks in our trunk and refill the cooler when we stop.

7) Keep the cooler in reach of the passenger! Young hungry children, a tired driver, and a passenger who can't reach the food is a recipe for disaster. Being able to reach the cooler is a lifesaver, and diminishes the need for unnecessary stops.

8) Use zip-lock baggies. It is much, much cheaper to buy a large bag of chips and divide it up for goody bags than to buy individual bags.

9) Include something homemade. No matter what we buy, the homemade items are always the biggest hit. One time we made cotton candy, but usually we make a batch of cookies and divide them up among goody bags. We make the mix right before we begin putting bags together, and by the time we're finished with the rest of the bags, the cookies are ready to go in.

10) Shop at Aldi's! This saves so much money, and when I'm busy getting ready for a big trip, the last thing I have time for is coupon clipping.

11) Make one big stop for a meal. Try to save this for the evening so the kids will wear out and go to sleep when they get back in the car. If children are young enough, the restaurant should have a play-place. This stop gives everyone a chance to stretch their legs, and also helps the food in the car to last longer since one entire meal is taken care of at the restaurant. We also make sure to fill up our gas tank and have everyone use the restroom before we get back on the road. If we need anything from the store, we'll also do that at this time, but we try to avoid shopping while driving if at all possible.

12) If eating breakfast in the car, buy a box of donuts when you're shopping for everything else. $3.00 and no hassle the morning of the trip. Plus, if you're a health freak like me, your family will be excited to get in the car so they can have their special treat. Trust me, it's worth the money.

14) Pre-make EVERYTHING. Slice apples in advance, peel oranges, etc. This is very difficult to do while driving!

13) Bad food ideas: Anything sticky (suckers), anything that melts (popsickles), or anything that requires utensils

14) Good food ideas: Grapes, fruit snacks, cheese (we buy a block and slice it in advance), chips, beef jerky, trail mix, candy (we keep extra holiday candy in a cupboard to pull out for stuff like this), pre-made sandwiches, and raw veggies.

15) Keep caffeine away from the kids! Cramped vehicle, kids hyped up on caffeine... Need I say more?

16) If the driver likes caffeine while driving, put it in the cooler to avoid last minute drive throughs. Cans (or bottles) of pop, frappiccuno, or tea are great choices.

17) If the driver gets something fun to drink, make sure to have something besides water for everyone else too, such as 100% fruit juice boxes or Sprite.

18) Don't over pack food. Over packing food encourages overeating, and takes up unneeded space in the car. Remember that you can always stop at a grocery during the trip if need-be.

Some of these tips may be unnecessary or unneeded for some families, but I hope some of them are helpful!

[Rachael]

We haven't done a lot of road trips, but we have flown for that length of time (or at least from leaving the house to getting to our next destination its been that long of a trip!) and here are some foods that have worked well even without a cooler:
Calzones
veggie burgers
Bean & Cheese burritoes -wrapped tightly
veggie sticks
whole fruit
pb &honey
crackers and cheese
lots of granola or granola bars
pre-frozen water bottles or juices

You can do it and keep it cheap...good job thinking ahead!

[Suz]

We enjoy taking the typical snack foods along like many have mentioned. We also did something a little different last time we traveled. We took along lunchmeats and food stuff to make wraps. It was a refreshing change, since we usually do a sandwich of some kind, and we could each make it up as we liked.
We had packed enough food for the week & I just made sure that the cooler on top was the one with all of the cold items in it for our meal -we had lunchmeat, shredded cheese, lettuce, and even mustard and mayo available. We did stop to eat at a rest stop which allowed us to assemble them the way we like, but they could be predone as well.
One item Hubby & I always take on trips is peanuts and red hots... mix them together for a nice salty/sweet treat. You might get the low sodium nuts so you aren't tempted to drink too much though :)
Safe travels!