What seemingly minor expense can really bust your road trip food budget? Coffee. The food is usually cheap and can be surprisingly good.Ī bonus: You’re almost guaranteed to meet interesting locals. Think school, Scout or service club-sponsored pancake breakfasts, fish fries, barbecues and other meals. With some savvy Internet sleuthing or browsing of community newspapers at rest stops, motel lobbies or restaurants, you can identify community meal events. Scope out the local scene for community meals. You’ll save money on your vacation food budget and get to spend more time enjoying a local attraction. Pack a small, lightweight blanket to sit on or just grab a park bench. Stop by a grocery store for a baguette, some cheese, fruit and any other portable food you like. Then schedule your morning fun to end near a place to eat outside. Do some research ahead of time to see if any of the attractions you plan to visit at your destination have outdoor dining facilities or are close to a park or picnic area. Picnics aren’t just for the driving portion of your trip. P lan morning activities to end near outdoor dining facilities. Homemade Girl Scout cookies or granola bars are fun treats.Ĥ. Make something special, yet portable, so your family can look forward to those picnic stops. We find peanut butter and jelly sandwiches a cheap and easy “fill-er-up” when we’re in transit. Pack a plastic tablecloth so you’re guaranteed a clean surface to eat on, some disposable dishes (or “rough it” and use a paper towel as your plate) and utensils if needed. If you’re literally on the road, rest areas offer picnic tables as well as facilities. Here are some of our favorite recipes for make-ahead road trip meal ideas. Just make sure you bring plates and utensils if you’re not serving finger food. If you can bring a homemade dinner to eat at your campsite, cabin, or motel room, that’s one meal for which you don’t have to pay restaurant prices. Dinner our first night out always consisted of cold baked chicken with cole slaw and potato salad I purchased at the deli at home. In the morning, I’d pack the chicken in a cooler loaded with homemade ice cubes just before we hit the road. The night before we left, I’d bake a pan of chicken thighs and legs, then refrigerate them overnight. When our kids were young, even if we weren’t camping, I’d look for make-ahead meals to bring for dinner the first night of our trip. Pack dinner from home for the first night out. A filtered water bottle will also help you avoid problems from unknown or different water sources along the way.Ģ. When you’re thirsty, you tend to think you’re hungry as well. The more choices you can give them, the less likely they are to get bored with your snacks and ask for the more costly roadside treats.ĭon’t forget to pack a water bottle for each traveler. Pack a variety of road trip foods for your family, perhaps more than you think is necessary. Double down by baking cookies, rice cereal treats or protein bars at home instead of buying them at the supermarket or, even worse, from a roadside gas station. Nuts and seeds are good choices for backseat diners. Cut up travel-friendly vegetables and pack in individual servings. Impulse purchases during a pit stop can pack a wallop on the budget, so if you want to travel on the cheap, stop by your local dollar store for some low-cost snacks before you leave home. Here’s how you can eat cheaply on your road trip and take a bite out of vacation food costs. Shaving a little here and there on the cost of meals can mean having enough money for another day or two on the road, to snag some nifty souvenirs during your visit or to splurge on a special meal or attraction. Add in some snacks or ice cream along the way, or stop at higher-end eateries, and your road trip food budget is going to grow. For example, breakfast at McDonald’s runs about $5 per person, a Meal Deal at Subway is around $10 for a Footlong sub, and dinner at a casual restaurant might be $20 per person. The average cost of food per day on a road trip could start at $40 per adult if you buy all meals and snacks out. Suddenly you’re busting your budget, and it’s only the first day of your road trip.Ĭar vacations can be affordable, but you still have to watch your expenses. What will happen as soon as you pile into the car? Tummies will start rumbling, kids will beg for food and bathroom breaks will lead to the buying of snacks, lunch and treats. You’ve planned your road trip, mapping out a route, identifying campgrounds or affordable lodging and picking key attractions to visit.
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