5 Road Trip Snack Hacks

I have been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RoadTripHacks #CollectiveBias #Safeway

My in-laws live a 5 hour drive from us; over the years, we’ve done a lot of driving there for school breaks and summer vacation and I’ve come up with clever ways to survive the drive with children. And the dog.

As the boys have gotten older and can fend for themselves in the car, (versus me stopping countless times to address their needs), I’ve developed five road trip snack hacks that makes it easier for them to do so.

Create A Snack Bin
I like to purchase as much goodies ahead of time so we can not only save money but create healthier snack options.  Too many greasy foods and sweets can wreck havoc on your system when you are traveling.

Using a large plastic bin that fits comfortably in your vehicle is perfect for creating a snack bin. Head to your local Safeway and stock up on your favorite road-trip supplies. Use snack and sandwich bags for items like pretzels, graham cracker sticks, and popcorn.  Small tubs of peanut butter are great for dipping and a good protein source.  My husband is a big Triscuit crackers fan; I won’t even try to bag them up, just sticking the whole box in the bin.

Bring A Cooler For Refrigerated Snacks
If you don’t have a small cooler in your life, you should.  They are perfect for filling with beverages and cold snacks like cheese sticks, yogurt tubes and vegetables and lots of ice or ice packs.  We fill ours with juice pouches and my new favorite drink, Gevalia Iced Coffees.  They are shelf-stable so they go from cabinet to fridge and back with no issues.

Pack A Healthy Lunch
Speaking of refrigerated foods, I found these great, small covered foil trays that are perfect for creating an easy chicken caesar salad with O Organics Mixed Baby Greens.  When my kids were younger, I would pack sandwiches; now I can do more grown-up meals for everyone and add them to our cooler.

Packaging salad dressing in dip cups keeps everything from getting soggy and don’t forget these fabulous compostable wooden cutlery packs, complete with a wet wipe for easy cleanup.

Prepackaged And Home Packaged Foods Are Your Friends
Bringing healthy snacks on the road is a must; bag up ready to eat or chopped vegetables like baby carrots, grape tomatoes, celery and broccoli.  Create small containers for apple slices and dip cups of caramel for dipping or package your veggies that way with a cup of dressing.

I avoid juice cocktails as much as possible because of their high sugar content; CapriSun’s 100% Juice pouches have been part of our lunch boxes for years and are easy to freeze and pack.
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Create Sweet Treat Boxes 
It is easy to mindlessly eat sweets when you are on the road.  Help yourself by portion-control with inexpensive storage boxes. With younger kids, you can spread out the sweet eating by allowing only one section at a time.

My must-have road-trip candy are peanut M&Ms, Lifesavers Gummis and Snickers.  I love that Snickers now come in Bites so they are perfect for snacking and look how perfect they fit in my storage boxes!

Don’t forget to pack plenty of baby wipes for cleanup and small grocery store bags for trash.  I keep those in everyone’s door pockets for easy access.

Do you have any road trip hacks? How do you survive on the road with a car full of kids?

I have been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RoadTripHacks #CollectiveBias #Safeway