How to Build Your Best Travel Snack Pack

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One of the first things I pack for a trip is the snacks I am taking with me.

Otherwise they run the risk of becoming an afterthought where I just throw a stale protein bar in my bag or just buy things at the airport (DOWN. WITH. THOSE. SNACK. PRICES.) So let’s get right into how to build your perfect travel snack bag so that you have a happy (and healthy!) trip!

To continue my introduction as to why I pack snacks first, is that if you don’t prioritize food options in your carry on, you won’t have the stuff you really want. You never know when you’re going to get stuck in a runway or can’t find a gas station on the highway. No, you’re not going to starve, but you will be hangry.

And even if you’re traveling through the US, there are places where you won’t have things immediately at your fingertips. A few weeks ago I was driving through a remote part of Kansas and didn’t grab coffee before I got in the car. It only took about a half hour to find a gas station, but it felt like an eternity (caffeine is CRITICAL for me when driving any time longer than an hour).

Things go awry when flying.

You get delayed on tarmacs, you’re stuck in airports when everything is closed (for the life of me I cannot understand why at 11PM everything in Charlotte is closed – or at least in one terminal in which I found myself – without even vending machines), or you land late and you don’t know if anything is still open since you don’t know the city.

An even more important situation is when you’re flying overseas. Case in point: I was in Kyrgyzstan driving 4 hours through the countryside and couldn’t find a meal (long story), so I relied on the protein bars and fruit bars in my purse. Even more importantly, when I got back to my hotel at 11PM with the restaurant’s kitchen closed, I had to rely on what I’d packed for dinner before an early flight. On that particular day all I’d eaten was 2 protein and 2 fruit bars before getting back to the hotel.

So while I really, really wanted real food, at least I had something.

**But look at this view!! It was worth it.**

To summarize, I’d always rather be prepared when traveling, whether it’s driving two hours away or flying across the world. This is my ideal formula for building your perfect travel snack pack.

The (very precise) formula is this: produce-based snack (ideally 2!) + protein-based snack + sweet snack + savory snack + meal replacement + your special travel treat.

Note: I am not necessarily suggesting 6 different snacks – often there’s crossover among the categories, which I’ll cover below. Additionally, as much as you can, try to use these snacking opportunities as a way to get extra nutrients into your diet.

Produce-Based Snack:

Olives. You can find plenty of individual snack packs that don’t have liquid (i.e. you won’t trigger a TSA agent throwing them away).

That’s It bars. These are just dehydrated fruit, and they come in different sizes. I always have these in my purse, so I defintely pack a ton for my carry on!

Made Good granola bars and bites. These include a powder of spinach, beets, carrots, and some other good stuff baked into them, but YOU CANNOT TASTE IT. It really just tastes like yummy granola bars and bites! They come in four flavors (chocolate chip, banana chocolate chip, strawberry, and mixed berry), and all are delicious!

Freeze-dried fruit. Different from dried, it isn’t as sugar-heavy. My best tip here is to look at Dollar Tree for options – my upcoming trip to Rome and Milan involves freeze dried strawberries and mixed fruit from the DT!

Protein-Based Snack:

Beef jerky. I particularly love beef jerky chips.

Nuts. These come in all flavors, both savory and sweet, and the healthy fats are a good way to keep you full.

Edamame snacks. Dried edamame is a unique way to get a little extra protein (i.e. when you’re sick of beef jerky and protein bars, these are a refreshing change).

Wasabi peas. Same spiel as dried edamame, plus they have a nice kick that satiates your taste buds!

Protein chips/crackers. Quest are my favorite, but Wilde also has solid options (particularly because they have a salt and vinegar option).

Savory Snack:

The protein-based snacks are heavily represented here, but I’ll cover a couple additional options that I love:

Popadelics. I. LOVE. THESE.

These are called “mushroom chips,” but they aren’t chips but rather whole dried mushrooms. Even if you don’t like mushrooms, there’s a good chance you’ll like these, for two reasons:

They are dried, so they’re crispy and don’t have the texture of mushrooms.

The flavoring is SO GOOD (try the truffle parmesan or rosemary), so they don’t taste like mushrooms either.

(So basically you have the nutritional benefits of mushrooms without what most people hate about them.)

If there is one thing I want you to try on this list (or in life), it is this. I found these randomly at a CVS on the Vegas strip at 7AM, and I instantly became addicted. I’m trying to spread the word so other people fall in love, and they become available on a more widespread basis.

More than once I’ve stocked which CVS in Pittsburgh carried them and cleared out the entire shelf. Yes, they really are that good.

Pickled carrots. I’m not a huge carrot fan, but the flavor and texture make me forget these are carrots. YUM.

Hummus and pretzels (or whatever dippers you like). There’s a caveat here: some airports consider this a liquid, and some don’t (from my experience). If you’d rather be safe, just bite the bullet and pay the upcharge at one of the Hudson News posts in your airport.

Oh, and popcorn, obviously.

Sweet Snack:

Built bars. My favorite is Churro, but you really can’t go wrong. They have a touch of sugar, but that means they end up tasting like (healthy) candy bars.

Legendary pastries and rolls. It’s like Pop-Tarts and doughnuts. Except with 20-ish grams of protein.

Fresh fruit. I usually throw some mandarins or a banana or some grapes into my bag.

Energy bites. There are so many great options, they have nutrients and are not processed, and they taste delicious! My Pinterest board has lots of recipes!

Meal Replacement:

This is most definitely a protein bar. My favorite are Quest, but Barbells are great too.

These are clutch when you are rushing to check out of a hotel, get to a venue, catch a flight, etc. I always like having meal insurance.

I separate these from the sweet snacks because I look at Built bars and Legendary options more as dessert.

Special Travel Treat:

7 years ago when I quit my job to travel, for some reason I really loved Chex Mix on planes. I don’t know why – it’s not something I crave on land. My theory is that I had it once on a flight and started to associated it with the fun of travel.

Since then, I’ve switched over. Now I love kettle corn (especially Boom Chick a Pop). I always have some in my bag when I get on a plane!

I hope this helped you build a healthy snack pack that will keep you from being hangry, satiate your cravings, and in a pinch, keep you fed!

With a little preparation, you’ll avoid gorging on junk, wasting money on airport snacks, and going hungry-ish when you are rushing through your itinerary!

How to Build Your Best Travel Snack Pack