Summer travel snack ideas

Summer is a time for fun in the sun, making happy memories and enjoying time with my little one. I keep him busy by sending him to “Camp Grandma” for a couple of weeks each summer and when he is with me we paint the town red with visits to local attractions like the Children’s Museum, the Georgia Aquarium, Stone Mountain Park, movies, Legoland, and Disney World. It is a time when we road trip and my son is truly a trooper. He is my road dog and has adapted to my method of tackling long road journeys (the longest stretch I will travel by car is a 7 hour trip). I limit my driving time because we are a dynamic duo and seven hours is long but not so long that I end up a fatigued driver.

When Walmart asked me to share my staples for road trips I was more than happy to oblige, particularly because I always stock up there before my journeys. I am the type of long distance driver who likes straight shots. I seldomly stop for more than gas and pack my car to the hilt with snacks so that my son who likes grazing all day anyway will be happy and not asking to stop to eat. We are simpatico that way and he has never complained on our journeys.

When road tripping I have healthy snacks like fruits, Terra chips that I get for $2.98 and dried snapea crisps that are only $1.50. 

I also add some protein rich snacks like pistachios and Chobani tubed Greek yogurt. 

I freeze the yogurt so that they are a yummy treat during the trip. I also keep on hand some chicken nuggets for times when he wants something akin to a real meal.

To keep things interesting I also have Kid’s Cliff bars on hand, fresh fruit and fruitable juice. 

These are always in my household for general snacking and inclusion in his lunch box during the school year. I also give him a special treat of chips that usually are not found in my pantry. When he saw the Skylander Giants branded bag of individual chips he had to have them and of course I indulged him. Any kid who can ride in a car and only stop for bathroom breaks and gas deserves a special treat.

Inevitably I always buy too much but it is not a big deal since we can carry our snacks with us when we are visiting parks at Disney or even visiting friends in nearby states. Any leftovers from our trips are brought back home and kept for snacking around the house and if they last long enough, for inclusion in his lunch box.

Road trips for us are easy, he usually sleeps most of the way and I have my playlist filled with music that motivates me. Our snacks along the way keep us both fueled and cut down on costs for traveling. Summer recess is quickly coming to an end but I hope my ideas for road or even plane trip snacks help if you are still planning your summer travel!