Stop the Hangry – Favorite Travel Snacks for all ages

I wasn’t sure what I should title this post…should I call it “SUCCESSFUL SNACKING ON THE GO ” (sounded like too much pressure for the readers)  or “FAVORITE PORTABLE NON-PERISHABLE SNACKS FOR TRAVEL”  (Too much of a mouthful!).  In the end, I went with “STOP THE HANGRY” because isn’t that really what travel snacking is all about?

I don’t know about you but I have travel partners and kids who definitely get HANGRY if they don’t have enough to eat on the road, on hikes, on day adventures and more. Do not ignore the essential “snacking” part of traveling!  Yeah, yeah, yeah we all know crackers…granola bars…beef jerky are easy and the options are aplenty, but there are SO many amazing options out there too that you may have never tried or even heard of!  Once a year I attend the Expo West in Anaheim, California and spend 3 days immersed in a world of healthy snacking, taste testing, comparing and label reading – and I am happy to share my efforts and taste bud victories with you!

Pre-Packaged Ideas (Non-Perishable)

• Roasted Chickpeas – Make your own  (love this recipe) or try a storebrand brand like this one.

• Noosh Birthday Cake Flavored Keto Almond Butter (hello amazing Birthday cake nut butter in small packets!) Can we get any better?Vegan, Gluten Free, Non GMO, Kosher, No Soy, No Dairy, No Peanuts. Many Other Flavors too!

• Zelle Organic Fruit Jel Snack Pouch – An Organic & Non-GMO, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Plant-Based, Healthy Fruit “Jel” Made with Real Fruit, No Added Sugar; Alternative to Jell-O, 3.5 oz fruit pouches.  My kids love these!

• ProBar Protein Bars – With flavors like Lemon Meringue, Birthday Cake, Cookies and Cream and Cinnamon Roll AND 20 grams of high-quality protein, 11-14 grams of fiber and only 4 grams of sugar, these bars have some stiff competition with Quest!  Very yummy (Tip: Don’t keep these in the sun as bar coating can melt.) You have to create an account to order but these are definitely worth a try!

Fresh and Easy (Perishable)

If you have a shorter trip or access to refrigeration you can’t go wrong with fresh too!  I have a mini cooler lunch bag (that looks like a purse!) and add a cooler insert that can be brought on the plane or a shorter trip and is great to hold perishable snacks and small enough to fit in my personal bag on the plane. It’s great to bring a few snacks and keep cool that you can transfer to your hotel room fridge when you get there to have fresh options on hand! (*Note: If going international most countries and some state lines won’t allow fruits and veggies to cross borders)

• An Avocado – I am partial to these as I am from Ventura County – land of many Avocados! Make sure you pack in a cup so they do not get squashed. Grab a salt packet from any deli or fast food place (or bring your own), slice in half, remove pit and dig in with a spoon – a half for you and half for your travel buddy!
• Ants on a log – Nut Butter inside Celery with raisins or chocolate chips on top.  I will often premake a few and put in a small tupperware and its filling and healthy snack for the kids.  Or sometimes I buy peanut butter and celery from the store when I arrive if I have fridge space and have a fast and easy snack to eat by the pool or while kids (or hubby) is between meals and wants something to tide them over. *Also great with any flavor nut butter packets – See Noosh Nut butter above!  Yum!

• Mini sweet peppers stuffed with whole almonds. You can get the mini sweet peppers at most grocery stores these days!  I discovered these when I was cross country skiing and I met a lady cross country skiing too and she offered me one of her snacks from her backpack and it was so simple and fresh yet so filling and healthy and portable!  I loved it and added it to my snack rotation!