These travel snacks are the perfect way to feed kids on a spring break roadtrip, summer vacation, or anytime you’re hitting the road.
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Whether you’re taking a big family vacation, a road trip to the nearest city, or just sending the kids to Grandma’s house, snacks are the way to keep kids happy. Although you might also want to put together a binder of road trip games.
My family spent many years driving long distances to visit family. I packed a variety of snacks to eat in the car over the years. Some are a bit messy. Others the kids just didn’t end up eating. The key is to include a mix of flavors, things you know your kids will like, that won’t leave you deep cleaning the backseat when you get home.
I’ve rounded up my kids’ favorite snacks for hours in the car below.
Travel-friendly snack storage and tips
Keep it simple! Use a bento-style container or a box with several small compartments. If you don’t have one, a regular plastic container with a lid will work; use paper muffin cups to separate items.
Including small portions of several different foods is a great way to making snacking part of the adventure.
- Choose foods that you know your child can eat safely without adult help.
- Foods like peanut butter or hummus can be messy.
- Foods that need refrigeration, like cheese cubes or yogurt tubes, are best on short trips so you don’t need to include an ice pack.
- Include a mix of salty, sweet, and savory.
- If you have more than one child, you may want to label the containers with names.
- Don’t forget a reusable bottle filled with water to drink.
Favorite snack ideas
These travel snacks are sure to hit the spot with sweet, salty, crunchy, and chewy options.
Dried Banana Chips
Dried banana chips (or apple!) are a great way to include fruit without the mess of fresh produce.
Dried Mixed Berries
Kids who don't like raisins might prefer a sweet alternative. Mixed berries include cranberries, cherries, and blueberries. Or look for a yogurt-covered variety!
Graham Cracker Sticks
Graham crackers are a great crunchy snack. Sticks are easier to pack in a small container.
Cheddar Bunnies Crackers
Annie's crackers come in several flavors. Their cheddar bunnies are my kids' favorite.
Mini Pretzels
Pretzels are a classic snack and these itty bitty ones are perfectly bite-sized.
Cereal
Pick a cereal with larger pieces that's easy to eat dry as a finger food, like Cheerios. The veggie blends are delicious and colorful.
Granola Bars
Prepackaged granola bars come in tons of flavors. We like these Kind Bars because they're allergen-safe and great for a group.
Green Grapes
If you want to include fresh fruit, grapes are perfect! They're bite-sized and hold up fine at room temperature.
Baby Carrots
Baby carrots are a veggie that most kids enjoy. For extra variety add a few sticks of celery too.
Mini Rice Cakes
Rice cakes may have a reputation of being boring, but we love mini rice cakes in flavors like apple, kettle corn, and white cheddar.
Fruit Snacks
Fruit snacks are fun and easy! Our favorites are Black Forest, made with real fruit juice.
Applesauce
If you want to add something cold, skip the ice pack and freeze an applesauce pouch. It will thaw part-way through the trip.
Peanut Butter
If you've got a lot of snacks that could use a dip, add a peanut butter to-go cup.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
The perfect cookie for a snack box is mini too. Annie's chocolate chip cookies are crunchy and bite-sized.
Minis Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
Many of our favorite cookies come in bites sized, like these mini Oreos.
Mini Sandwich Crackers
Whether you prefer cheese or peanut butter filling, mini sandwich crackers are a bite-sized treat.
Veggie Chips
Harvest Snaps veggie chips are one of our favorite ways to enjoy veggies at snack time.
If you have time to make up your own snack mix, these recipes are popular:
- Cheesy Taco Goldfish Snack Mix
- Unicorn Food Rainbow Snack Mix
- Apple Cinnamon Chex Mix
- Spring Bunny Snack Mix Recipe
What’s next? Try these other fun and creative ideas on One Mama’s Daily Drama:
Thanks for the link to our Road Trip Snack Container blog post! Great list of travel friendly snacks! Road trips are a lot of fun with the kids!
It’s a great idea! I love anything that can make hours in the car a little easier.