Travel Food – Healthy, Cheap, & Simple

Looking for some healthy snacks and meals when you’re traveling? Here are some travel food options that will make your tummy happy.

I’m a cyclist. And I have a gluten allergy. So my road trip food usually needs to be nutrient-dense and lightweight (if I’m going to carry it in my pannier).

We have traveled quite a bit with our children and have developed many recipes that are perfect for eating at a campsite, out of a hotel room, or along the side of the road. As a gluten-free person (allergy, not celiac) preparing my own food is necessary, especially in countries where I’m not fluent in the language. It’s just not worth the risk.

Here are some of our favorite travel snacks and meals. These are all healthy (lower in salt, fat, and sugar), cheap, and simple enough to make without anything more than a large bowl or pot, a cutting board, and a knife.

Travel Food Prep Kit

The key to eating healthy while traveling is to be prepared. We have a travel food prep kit that we use when we cycle to our cottage. (It always takes us at least 1 meal, sometimes two, depending on the ferry schedule, to make the trip). We also take it on all our road trips. However, if you’re flying to your destination, definitely pack it in your checked baggage. 😉

Here’s what is in our travel food prep pack:

• A Swiss army knife and a small plastic cutting board.
• Forks, spoons, and butter knives. We have sporks, but more often we use cutlery saved from take-out meals.
• Something to eat off of. This can be paper plates, but I like reusable sandwich boxes which act as a bowl, plate, and container for leftovers.
• If I’m feeling luxurious and have the space, I’ll include a large bowl or a folding plastic bowl, because big salads are our favorite travel meal.

Travel Snacks

Here’s what we usually carry with us for snacking, whether we’re cycling or not. It’s focused on food that will help us feel good: fresh fruits and vegetables, protein, and fiber.

1. Vegetable Sticks: Stick with firm vegetables like carrots, celery, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, and sweet peas. Cucumbers and colored peppers don’t last as well on a long trip. To add a bit of flavor to your vegetables, toss them with some fresh herbs (mint, basil, parsley, or chives) and a pinch of salt.
2. Fruit: Chopped fruit doesn’t last very long on a hot day. If you don’t have a cooler, stick with whole fruits instead. Better yet, stop off at a roadside fruit stand to pick up some fresh seasonal fruit!
3. Nuts and seeds mix: I love serving nuts and seeds because the fat and protein are sustaining. At our house everyone makes their own mix adding fun ingredients like dried fruit, pretzels, cereal, or candy-coated chocolate pieces. I don’t recommend chocolate chips because they’ll melt on a hot day. We also love our everything bagel-flavored nuts.
4. Wholegrain chips and crackers: Wholegrain crackers (like flax crackers or brown rice cakes) and chips (like low-salt corn chips) tend to have more fiber and protein than other crackers, which means they’ll keep everyone full for longer.
5. Salty snacks: There are lots of snacks that seem healthy, but really are just an alternative potato chip. These include things like pea snacks, vegetable chips, etc. While these sometimes contain more fiber and protein than a typical potato chip, they are usually quite high in salt and fat, and are more of a treat than a snack. Choose homemade popcorn instead.
6. Bean dips: Store-bought hummus is great. However, if you’re looking for something different, I have a few bean dips on Fermenting For Foodies. Options include my tangy lentil dip (so easy and delicious) and a creamy white bean dip.

Travel Meals

If you have access to a kitchen where you’re staying, then preparing meals is easy. However, sometimes when you’re cycling from A to B, there’s nowhere to buy food or groceries. Here are two of our go-to meals. As long as you have a food prep kit, all you need is a place to sit to make a healthy meal.

World-Traveler Sandwiches

Sandwiches are super easy to make while traveling. And they can be exciting too! Try out a new cheese, get some interesting pickled vegetables and condiments, and experiment!

Here’s what you need to make a world-traveler sandwich:

• Bread (sliced loaves, buns, flatbreads, or tortillas.) I usually bring rice cakes as a GF option.
• Filler (cheese, salad, or spreads). Potato salad or coleslaw are both great sandwich fillers.
• Vegetables (tomato, lettuce, cucumber). Pre-washed salad mixes are a good option.
• Sauce (butter, mustard, chutney, relish, salad dressing). Since mayonnaise is not a great item to carry around without refrigeration, travel with mustard and buy creamy salads to moisten your bread.

A Big Salad

It’s hard to make sure you’re getting your daily dose of vegetables when eating out of restaurants. Making a big salad ensures that you’ll get plenty of vitamin-rich vegetables. The only trick is to include some protein so that you aren’t left feeling hungry. If you can pair it with bread or crackers you will have a complete meal!

Here’s what we like to use for our big salads:

• Pre-washed lettuce or salad mix
• Protein like cheese, canned beans, nuts, and seeds
• Vegetables (anything works as long as you would eat it raw)
• Dressing: Store-bought or a mix of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.
• Excitement: It’s important to add something exciting to your salad. You never know, you might find a new favorite! This can include something sweet, like fresh or dried fruit, or something salty, like crumbled vegetable chips or crackers.

Do you have a favorite road trip recipe? Share in the comments section!

Check out some snack recipes: