50 Healthy Road Trip Snacks (Plus Tips for Making the Trip Fun!)

Hitting the road with the family is usually equal parts exciting and daunting. To help, these 50 Healthy Road Trip Snacks will get you started packing and eating healthy meals and snacks. Plus: My best ideas to make the trip more fun for all!

Road Trip Snacks

We’ve taken a few long trips as a family and boy oh boy, I know how unpredictable they can be when little kids are involved! But one thing that is easy to prepare (and over prepare!) is the food you bring. And while there’s of course no rule that you bring all of your food, I’m of the belief that packing food is one of the easiest ways to keep the kids (and yourself) happy when in the car for hours and hours.

The Best Healthy Road Trip Snacks for Families

This list includes my go-to snacks for kids and adults. Adjust how you serve some of these for littler kids as needed. And pack in a cooler or cooler bag if traveling in the summer to keep everything cool and in good shape.

1. Mini Larabars
2. Perfect Kid Bars
3. Kashi Cereal Bars
4. RX Kids Bars
5. Made Good Bars
6. Nature’s Bakery Fig Bars
7. Kind Breakfast Bars
8. Whole grain crackers
9. Cheese crackers
10. Cheerios
11. Kix
12. Roasted chickpeas (3/4 yrs and up)
13. Soft Baked Chickpeas
14. Homemade Granola Bars
15. Peanut Butter Energy Balls
16. Chocolate Protein Muffins
17. Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins
18. Banana Zucchini Bread
19. Blueberry Date Snack Cake
20. Simple sandwiches
21. Blueberries
22. Apples
23. Clementines
24. Pears
25. Bananas
26. Raisins
27. Dried apples
28. Banana chips
29. Dehydrated or freeze-dried fruit
30. Apple chips
31. Coconut chips
32. Applesauce pouches
33. Baby food pouches
34. Nut butter packets
35. Chia pouches
36. Snap peas
37. Baby carrots
38. Mini bell peppers
39. Mini cucumbers
40. Jerky
41. Lunchmeat
42. Shredded or diced chicken
43. Pizza Rolls
44. Pizza Pockets
45. String cheese
46. Babybel cheese
47. Yogurt pouches
48. Yogurt tubes
49. Overnight Oats with Yogurt and Berries
50. Single serve milk

10 Tips for Happy Kids on Road Trips

Now that the food is covered, here are some ideas to keep your tots happy even if they’re strapped into the car.

1. Leave early so the kids can (fingers crossed) sleep a little as the sun comes up.
2. Plan overnight stops—with a pool if possible. This is a perfect reward and it’s a fun way to let them burn off energy after being in a carseat all day.
3. Get creative when you run out of toys. I always pack a roll of painters tape and let the little kids play with water bottles (sealed!) and my sunglasses case.
4. Keep an extra activity or toy stashed in case of emergencies. A new Water Wow book would be great for this!
5. Let the littles stretch their legs at rest stops and try not to rush through them too much.
6. Plan audio books and podcasts for the trip. We love the classic Pooh stories, Wow in the World, Circle Round, and Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls. (Circle Round is very soothing to listen to if you need a bit of a break!)
7. Look at a map together and talk about where you are, what you’re passing, and where you’re going.
8. Think through the layout of the hotel room before you get there and have a plan for where everyone will sleep. (We’ve put our littlest in a big bathroom to preserve an earlier bedtime!
9. Consider a movie night or family book time to help everyone unwind at night.
10. Don’t stress about a little extra snacking. Let food be fun for the day!

And as with all things toddler related, try to be flexible, silly, and open to new adventures. I mean, who knows what fun will come your way while out on the road!

I’d love to hear your best tips for road trip snacks and activities, so please comment below with your ideas!

Filder Under:Travel