Snacks for road trips

[TastyReuben]

(Mod edit. New thread. KKA)

I have a small fabric cooler I pack water and sandwiches in for the trip and keep up front with us, then have a few coolers (1 big in the trunk and 1-2 smaller ones on the floor behind our seats). We generally eat a very small something like a bagel in the morning before leaving and then eat a sandwich at a rest stop on the way. It's only about 11 hours to the resort, but we will spend the night somewhere because I am the one driving and I can't drive 11 hours in one day anymore (plus I don't like driving at night). Generally we find a restaurant close to the hotel or just order a pizza from somewhere for dinner. We will want to bring home whatever leftovers from what we buy at the grocery stores and markets while there. It's a 2 week trip not including the 2 overnights on the way and back home.

We’ll be driving 6 hours and MrsT will pack a pound bag of Twizzlers, six bottle of water, six pops, a family-sized bag of Munchos, cheese, grapes, apples, celery and carrot sticks, dip, crackers, Pringles, M&M’s, and six sandwiches.

 

[Barriehie]

I'm sorry, I can't fathom someone from southern Arizona sleeping in their van instead of a hotel. I am a bit frugal, too, but it's stinking HOT out there. Or were they camping out in Northern states with moderate climates when traveling? I wouldn't mind traveling in an RV but man, sleeping in the van? I pee too much at night for that to work for me!

I used to have a van that was a mini RV type thing. Pee?, think how close the facilities are!

 

[JAS_OH1]

I used to have a van that was a mini RV type thing. Pee?, think how close the facilities are!

Errr, ahem. You and my DH have different equipment than I do so the nearest tree or bush (or just out the door) usually works fine.

 

[JAS_OH1]

We’ll be driving 6 hours and MrsT will pack a pound bag of Twizzlers, six bottle of water, six pops, a family-sized bag of Munchos, cheese, grapes, apples, celery and carrot sticks, dip, crackers, Pringles, M&M’s, and six sandwiches.

Did you tell her that Twizzlers and Munchos don't need refrigeration? Six sandwiches? Often DH and I will split just one.

 

[karadekoolaid]

Odd that. When we go on a road trip, it's usually just water. When we're hungry, or need a break, we pull into a roadside cafe and eat something there.

 

[TastyReuben]

Did you tell her that Twizzlers and Munchos don't need refrigeration? Six sandwiches? Often DH and I will split just one.

She’ll grossly overpack food, and then the perishable stuff will sit in the hotel fridge the whole time we’re there, then it’ll be a fight to throw it away before coming back home…and throwing it away.

 

[JAS_OH1]

Odd that. When we go on a road trip, it's usually just water. When we're hungry, or need a break, we pull into a roadside cafe and eat something there.

Often when traveling through the mountains of West Virginia, there is nowhere to stop other than rest areas and fast food joints. I like the idea of sitting (or even standing) in the mountains at the rest area eating our sandwiches and drinking a bottle of water and not piddling around at some awful fast food restaurant. A sit down restaurant would be okay if we weren't traveling, that's an hour of drive time wasted, plus I don't want to sit down after driving for several hours, I want to walk about and stretch my legs before getting back in the car.

 

[JAS_OH1]

She’ll grossly overpack food, and then the perishable stuff will sit in the hotel fridge the whole time we’re there, then it’ll be a fight to throw it away before coming back home…and throwing it away.

Oh boy I would have a real problem with the wasting of food to that extent. I sure am glad we have a full-size kitchen and fridge at the resorts we go to, plus love having the living room, outdoor deck, and sometimes even separate bedrooms if they give us a free upgrade. Staying in a box AKA hotel would drive me nuts! I don't think we would do well with that for more than 2-3 days.

 

[TastyReuben]

Odd that. When we go on a road trip, it's usually just water. When we're hungry, or need a break, we pull into a roadside cafe and eat something there.

That’s what I’d do (and used to insist upon), but then it’s moaning about the money and the wasted time - she’s a road trip warrior, born out of childhood 20-hour straight-through drives to her mom’s hometown, with the only stops being to use the restroom.

If it were up to her, we wouldn’t even stop - she’d prefer to just stuff food in my face while we drive 100mph, but I’ve always refused to eat and drive at the same time. She’d even prefer to change drivers and have me feed her, just to keep moving, keep moving, keep moving.

 

[TastyReuben]

Oh boy I would have a real problem with the wasting of food to that extent. I sure am glad we have a full-size kitchen and fridge at the resorts we go to, plus love having the living room, outdoor deck, and sometimes even separate bedrooms if they give us a free upgrade. Staying in a box AKA hotel would drive me nuts! I don't think we would do well with that for more than 2-3 days.

We’re fine with the hotel and we usually get some kind of kitchenette, so it’s a little bigger …but she won’t eat the food we pack once we get there - she wants local food from there, so the grapes sit in the fridge getting softer and softer, and the dip gets slimier and slimier, and the celery gets browner and browner…

 

[JAS_OH1]

That’s what I’d do (and used to insist upon), but then it’s moaning about the money and the wasted time - she’s a road trip warrior, born out of childhood 20-hour straight-through drives to her mom’s hometown, with the only stops being to use the restroom.

I am surprised her mom didn't have a bucket in the car, LOL! Did she think that you would be willing to have his and hers catheters?

If it were up to her, we wouldn’t even stop - she’d prefer to just stuff food in my face while we drive 100mph, but I’ve always refused to eat and drive at the same time.

Me too.

She’d even prefer to change drivers and have me feed her, just to keep moving, keep moving, keep moving.

I am the one driving and I need to stop to walk around for a few minutes. I will not let him drive and he doesn't want to anyway. I drive a little faster than he does, and back before he had his eye surgery his eyesight was just awful and we just got into the habit. But gotta stop for breaks, just not sitting down. Sitting in the car for hours driving makes my back sore sometimes. And I need to clear my head a bit from road hypnosis.

 

[JAS_OH1]

We’re fine with the hotel and we usually get some kind of kitchenette, so it’s a little bigger …but she won’t eat the food we pack once we get there - she wants local food from there, so the grapes sit in the fridge getting softer and softer, and the dip gets slimier and slimier, and the celery gets browner and browner…

That would absolutely drive me bonkers. But MrOH never takes charge of stuff like that, it's all on me and I am far too practical to pack more food than we can eat. Did you point out to her that stopping at a cafe to eat would be cheaper or at least equal to the amount of money spent on the groceries she is throwing away?

 

[karadekoolaid]

We had a nightmare holiday way back in 1986, when my parents came to visit. Complaining all day long, upset stomachs, etc. We were in Merida, in the Andes.
I drove 11 hours back to Caracas and I think the only time we stopped was for a coffee, or a snack, something like that.
I do remember my dad saying "that was great driving" after we got back home.

 

[Barriehie]

Odd that. When we go on a road trip, it's usually just water. When we're hungry, or need a break, we pull into a roadside cafe and eat something there.

When I was leaving Nevada there's stretches of desert with hundreds of miles of nothing and then you get to Texas... Eight hundred or so miles of nothing. Good habit to leave with several days of water and food; you never know... (Water for the vehicle too!)

 

[TastyReuben]

Did you point out to her that stopping at a cafe to eat would be cheaperor at least equal to the amount of money spent on the groceries she is throwing away?

She’s normally the tightest of wads, but vacation brain is powerful in her, and as soon as we get to vacation place, it must be vacation food.

I don’t mind terribly, as I’d rather eat out every meal anyway.