My go-to road food are the fried chicken tenders sold at the grocery store in the deli section. LOVE them.

Also Baby Bells and single-wrapped cheddar sticks, clementines, apples, and crackers.

I usually make a tub of chicken salad, too. Freeze ziplocs half-filled with water and laid flat before freezing -- put the tub of chicken salad on top of one frozen ziploc and underneath another -- keeps it very cold. Bring some croissants or pita bread and you can make sandwiches in the car.

Anonymous wrote:I like tastybites--Indian food that comes in a shelf-stable pouch. It's relatively healthy and it tastes fine room temp (or leave it in your trunk and it will be warm when you want it). No need to add water or anything. Most grocery stores in the DC area have them, in the Asian food section.

On the pouch note, you could do the fruit and veggie pouches...normally for babies but some are now marketed for adults and have things like chia seeds in them. You can buy shelf-stable milk in little juice-box-like containers, canned cold brew coffee, and shelf-stable protein drinks. Nuts and granola bars could be good too.

My indian mom would buy those sometimes when we went on road trips. She would pack the rice cooker and make rice in the hotel room, and warm up the pouches by letting them sit in the heated water of the coffee pot.

I like tastybites--Indian food that comes in a shelf-stable pouch. It's relatively healthy and it tastes fine room temp (or leave it in your trunk and it will be warm when you want it). No need to add water or anything. Most grocery stores in the DC area have them, in the Asian food section.

On the pouch note, you could do the fruit and veggie pouches...normally for babies but some are now marketed for adults and have things like chia seeds in them. You can buy shelf-stable milk in little juice-box-like containers, canned cold brew coffee, and shelf-stable protein drinks. Nuts and granola bars could be good too.

A pack of flatbreads (they don't squish and take longer to go stale); cheese, salami, pickles. Pack a knife and a mini chopping board.

Vacuum sealed grain bag (like the cooked barley/lentil combo). Add chopped cheese, olives, a chopped cucumber and some cherry tomatoes; call it a salad.

If you can get hot water, you can do ramen.

Make a pressed muffaletta style sandwich for the first day, wrap tight in plastic wrap.

Can of dolmades, or hummus and pita chips (or both).

If you keep your cooler in an air conditioned car, you should have no issues.

Food suggestions are great but I came here to give you bathroom advice.

I realize you'll be staying in hotels, and that's a whole other thing, but on a recent drive I found that rest stops were the best bathroom stop because they often prop the doors open and are touches and have lower traffic. Bring a few Clorox wipes (or whatever you have) with you to open stall doors, put down TP, and don't use the air dryers. I felt comfortable with this approach.

+1 and fewer people.

On food there are coolers that you can get which plug into the charge plug in your car.

Food suggestions are great but I came here to give you bathroom advice.

I realize you'll be staying in hotels, and that's a whole other thing, but on a recent drive I found that rest stops were the best bathroom stop because they often prop the doors open and are touches and have lower traffic. Bring a few Clorox wipes (or whatever you have) with you to open stall doors, put down TP, and don't use the air dryers. I felt comfortable with this approach.

I’d also take some apples and mandarin oranges. Sandwiches, cheese, granola bars etc are fine, but some fresh fruit is great driving for days in a hot car.

I cooked a frozen cheese pizza, let it cool off, sliced it and wrapped the slices in parchment paper (or foil) and bagged it. It tastes good cold. Sandwiches are good too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it just you or do you have kids to pack food for,
Too?

Keep a small cooler next to you in the front seat and replenish from the trunk as needed. Cheese sticks and hard boiled eggs (for the first day). Beef jerky, chomps or nicks sticks are softer. Apples, bananas. Pbj or another Sandwich that you don’t need two hands to eat so the filling doesn’t fall out.

+1 on the sandwiches. I’d go a step further and get some Uncrustables. PBJs sold already assembled and frozen. Doubles as ice packs and the sandwiches are crimped so nothing falls out. It’s not particularly healthy but it will do for a road trip. That plus cheese sticks, some salami sticks, mandarins should keep you going for the day or so it will take you for this trip.

Ha ha, Uncrustables have been an indulgence of our quarantine time. They're so ridiculous, but they're delicious.

OP, you could pack a pasta or quinoa salad. Mini muffins.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it just you or do you have kids to pack food for,
Too?

Keep a small cooler next to you in the front seat and replenish from the trunk as needed. Cheese sticks and hard boiled eggs (for the first day). Beef jerky, chomps or nicks sticks are softer. Apples, bananas. Pbj or another Sandwich that you don’t need two hands to eat so the filling doesn’t fall out.

+1 on the sandwiches. I’d go a step further and get some Uncrustables. PBJs sold already assembled and frozen. Doubles as ice packs and the sandwiches are crimped so nothing falls out. It’s not particularly healthy but it will do for a road trip. That plus cheese sticks, some salami sticks, mandarins should keep you going for the day or so it will take you for this trip.

Sorry - for the 3 days (I had assumed you will drive straight through).

Anonymous wrote:Is it just you or do you have kids to pack food for,
Too?

Keep a small cooler next to you in the front seat and replenish from the trunk as needed. Cheese sticks and hard boiled eggs (for the first day). Beef jerky, chomps or nicks sticks are softer. Apples, bananas. Pbj or another Sandwich that you don’t need two hands to eat so the filling doesn’t fall out.

+1 on the sandwiches. I’d go a step further and get some Uncrustables. PBJs sold already assembled and frozen. Doubles as ice packs and the sandwiches are crimped so nothing falls out. It’s not particularly healthy but it will do for a road trip. That plus cheese sticks, some salami sticks, mandarins should keep you going for the day or so it will take you for this trip.

I like unwrapped things I can eat one-handed out of a bag, so I don't have to stop driving while eating. Cherry tomatoes, grapes, and if you don't mind crumbs I find (pre-assembled) peanut butter crackers to be great road trip food on my semi-regular drives out to the Midwest and back.

Cheese sticks, hardboiled eggs, salami will be fine for 3 gays in the cooler. Add to it bread, cherri tomatoes, some cucumbers, apples, bananas, oranges. You're going to stop for gas anyway, so you can get hot boiling water. In that case I'd take some ramen noodles cups and/or Mountain House dry food packs.

Is it just you or do you have kids to pack food for,
Too?

Keep a small cooler next to you in the front seat and replenish from the trunk as needed. Cheese sticks and hard boiled eggs (for the first day). Beef jerky, chomps or nicks sticks are softer. Apples, bananas. Pbj or another Sandwich that you don’t need two hands to eat so the filling doesn’t fall out.

I have an unavoidable trip I have to make, so I am driving instead of flying. I want to make as few stops as possible, so give me your ideas on what I can pre-assemble or otherwise prep and enjoy cold while on the road. 1,600 miles over three days, so a lot of ground to cover.