What's In My Carry-On // Healthy Travel Snacks
If you think I’m heading on a trip without snacks, think again.
I refuse to go anywhere without snacks for a variety of reasons, a few of which include the hefty price of airport food (it’s basically cheaper to buy another plane ticket than it is to buy a meal at the airport), controlling what I have to eat (you never know what options will be available at the airport), but most importantly because you never ever EVER want to be in, or see me in, a situation where you’re hungry but there isn’t a drop of food in site {you know, like when your stuck on a tarmac for 2 hours}. Hungry + travel = a whole other level of hangry that no one needs to experience. EVER.
Here are my rules for travel snacks -
*Make sure you have at least one of each kind- sweet, salty, crunchy, juicy, protein-packed, chocolate, etc.
*Avoid foods that will enhance the inevitable bloating that comes with flying. While I’m not usually one to discriminate against specific foods, I make an exception when I’m traveling because there is nothing worse than being uncomfortably bloated AND flying, so if I can control it in any way, you better believe I will. For me that typically means I avoid bread, beans, cruciferous vegetables, popcorn and anything with soy both pre and in-flight.
*Have a travel treat aka something you usually only have when you’re traveling. It makes it more fun, gives you something to look forward to + provides a bit of a comforting ritual when you’re probably anything but comfortable. For me, my treat is always a bag of Little Secrets peanut butter candies (basically a cleaner/better tasting version of peanut butter m&m’s). If I fly without them, I feel totally off. Case in point- peanut butter m&m’s (of any brand type) are impossible to find in the Sydney airport (Who knew, right?!), and, as trivial as it may sound, I honestly had a mini panic attack (or maybe it was just the lack of sleep and coffee catching up to me) of how I was going to survive without my “flying treat” when the check-out girl told me she had no idea what peanut butter m&m’s were and they definitely didn’t sell them *insert all the crying emojis*.
*For travel containers (for things like seasonings + dips) these, these or these are good options. For things like nuts, veggies, etc. try these reusable bags.
CHOCOLATE // I absolutely, 1000%, without a doubt, can NOT travel unless I have chocolate with me. Specifically, the peanut butter candies I mentioned in the intro. Honestly, I’m not even a candy person, but every time I fly I HAVE to have to have to have them. Of course, I also bring a variety of other chocolates (obvi) because it’s hard to find good chocolate at airports, and, even if you do, you know it’s going to cost you the price of a checked bag.
NUTS + NUT BUTTERS // Easy to transport, protein-packed, great to add to yogurt or salads bought at the airport; for nut butters, you can buy individual packets or bring your own in mini containers; I love to have mine with crackers and/or celery sticks
FRUIT // I usually find fruit to be pretty messy to travel with, a container of berries, apples, bananas and clementines are my go-to’s. I typically avoid dried fruit, but sometimes like to grab dried mango (no sugar added) or air-dried fruit as an alternative (which also makes a great salad or yogurt topping, or snack mix addition, fyi).
CRACKERS // I usually have a variety of crackers, including ones that are hearty and make a great vessel for some of my other snacks (like the cheese or nut butter), as well as snack crackers, like rice crackers, pretzel crisps, or rice sticks, that I can munch on alone or combine with some nuts and chocolate for a full snack mix.
SNACK BARS + BALLS // I love Kind bars and Larabars, as they both have minimal ingredients, tons of flavor options, are super portable and are great if you’re craving something like a cookie. Same goes with snack balls, although I typically make my own.
GRANOLA // I love to have granola as part of a snack mix, to top a yogurt, or to munch on plain.
COCONUT CLUSTERS // Another favorite sweet snack that’s good all on their own, mixed with granola or a snack mix, or added to yogurt. Trader Joe’s has one, but I also like Alter Eco’s.
SNACK MIX // I mentioned it a few times throughout this post, but, sometimes, instead of individual items, like crackers and dried peas, I’ll just throw a bunch of stuff in a bag to make one big batch of snack mix. Then, I can either pick out what I want, or get a variety of snacks in one bite.
SEASONINGS // Call me crazy, but you best believe I’m bringing a bag of seasonings with me, including but not limited to things like mustard packets, salt + pepper packets, mini bottles of tabasco sauce, a baggie of specialty seasonings (like everything but the bagel seasoning) and True Lemon (or lime or grapefruit). These things don’t take up much room, but they allow you to jazz up so many things, make salad dressings, flavor your water, etc. which is always nice, especially when traveling.
BABYBEL CHEESE //If you love cheese, these are perfect for traveling as the wax wrapper helps the cheese stay fresh for longer. I mean, I wouldn’t eat them after a 12 hour flight or anything, but 3-4 hours is totally fine. They’re so easy to snack on + taste great alone or paired with one of the other snacks I like to bring, such as crackers.
JERKY // Another easy-to-pack protein-filled, savory snack; I look for organic ones that are as low in sugar and sodium (to avoid bloating) as possible
TUNA PACKETS // You may not be everyone’s favorite person to sit next to (ya know, because of the fish smell), but you gotta do what you gotta do to eat healthy on-the-go. Starkist makes great little on-the-go packets, which are wonderful if you need a full meal, or something heartier and more filling, while on-the-go. Sometimes I’ll buy a basic green lettuce salad and add the tuna, along with a few of the other things I bring, like nuts or sunflower seeds, cheese, olives, to make a loaded salad. Sometimes I’ll have the tuna with crackers and cheese. Sometimes I’ll just have it on its own.
HARD BOILD EGGS // Similarly to the tuna, these may not smell the best to people around you, but it’s such a great portable protein option that works as a snack, meal, breakfast, lunch, etc. Like the tuna, sometimes I’ll add the egg to a salad, sometimes I’ll mix it with the seasonings or dip I brought and make an egg salad to have with crackers. Sometimes, I’ll just eat them as is, sprinkled with a little sea salt and pepper.
FRESH VEGGIES // For something refreshing to snack on + to help with hydration as well as getting extra fiber; my favorites include celery sticks, cucumber sticks, snap peas, cherry tomatoes and carrots and I love to have them either alone or with some dip/hummus. Also, Trader Joe’s sells individual pouches of olives, which are nice to have, too.
DRIED VEGGIES // A less messy alternative to fresh veggies; plus, they kind of double as chip alternative, in case you’re craving something like that and they’re also a great addition to a travel snack mix, or as a crunchy topping for salads; some of my favorites include dried peas and beet crisps.
PLANTAIN CHIPS // Another favorite chip-like snack, that especially love since they’re packed with potassium; tastes great dipped in hummus or added to a snack mix.
HUMMUS OR DIPS // I usually like to have some sort of dip or spread for my crackers and veggies, and, while I do like to avoid beans while traveling, hummus is one of my few exceptions as it just travels so well. You can make your own and bring it, or buy individual containers.