Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

The Best Road Trip Snacks to Bring Along for the Ride

Sam Slaughter
Mike Richard
By and
Best Road Trip Snacks

According to a study we made up for this post, 87% of Americans admit to taking a road trip as an excuse to eat ungodly amounts of gas station snacks. It’s true; Google it. Few things are as satisfying for travelers as ducking into a truck stop for a soda and coming out with $100 worth of pretzels, gummy worms, Hostess pastries, and Red Bull.

If your travels frequently take you to more off-the-beaten-path locations, it could be a hundred miles are more between gas stations. So, road trip snacks aren’t just an indulgence — they’re essential to your survival. When preparing your snack pack, balance is key. At the very least, you’ll want some crunch (if for nothing else than to keep you awake), protein for energy, and something sweet to round it all out. You also want to avoid things that will melt or spoil quickly (unless you’ve got a great cooler, of course). Below, you’ll find some of the best road trip snacks to keep you full, fueled, and happy for the ride.

Related Videos

Wild Game Jerky

Buffalo Bob’s Game Jerky Gift Pack

Buffalo Bob’s Game Jerky Gift Pack

There’s no denying meat is packed with protein-heavy calories, perfect for long days on the road. If you’re looking to venture beyond the typical Slim Jims and Jack Link’s brand chicken and beef teriyaki jerky (not that there’s anything wrong with those), you can find fancier jerkies made from just about everything these days. Check out Buffalo Bob’s Game Jerky Gift Pack with everything from alligator to kangaroo to ostrich. Because you deserve to eat dried meat that’s every bit as wild as you.

Related

Protein Bars

Kate’s Real Food Energy Bars

Kate's Real Food Energy Bars

Meal-replacement bars are the de facto snack of the 21st-century adventurer. The best energy bars offer hours of go-fuel with a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. But, dig into the nutrition label of the most popular brands, and you often find they’re little more than glorified candy bars. That’s why we like Kate’s Real Food. They’re certified organic, non-GMO, and come in a variety of great-tasting flavors. They’re pricier than most other alternatives, but they deliver some of the best bang-for-your-buck energy on the market.

Trail Mix

Back to Nature Trail Mix Harvest Blend

Back to Nature Trail Mix Harvest Blend

Like protein bars, trail mixes are a bit of a “mixed bag” (pun intended). The best trail mix blends are filling, nutritious, and packed with energy, while the worst are essentially deconstructed Snickers bars with a healthy dose of M&Ms throw-in. For a healthier option, we like Back to Nature’s Harvest Blend. It’s an all-natural, non-GMO medley of almonds, raisins, pumpkin, and sunflowers seeds with a bit of dried apricot for added zest.

Freeze-Dried Vegetables

ReadyWise Simple Kitchen Seasoned Veggies Variety Pack

ReadyWise Simple Kitchen Seasoned Veggies Variety Pack

For shorter trips, it’s easy to toss some cut-up carrots and broccoli in a cooler bag. Anything longer than a couple of days, however, usually requires some freeze-dried magic to ensure your fruit or vegetables don’t spoil along the way. ReadyWise’s Seasoned Veggies Variety Pack offers four flavors that all rely on freeze-drying to lock in their nutrients almost indefinitely. They’re perfect as a road trip snack or a side dish to any mid-trip lunch.

Fruit Leather

Stretch Island Fruit Leather Snacks

Stretch Island Fruit Leather Snacks

Like cut-up vegetables, fresh fruit is a great option too. But, if they’re as ripe as they should be, things can get messy. A banana probably won’t leave your hand sticky, but a peach, a pear, or even an apple may leave you wishing you hadn’t forgotten that bottle of Purell. That’s why fruit leather is our go-to alternative. Stretch Island’s Fruit Leather Variety Pack is ultra-portable, more shelf-stable than fresh fruit, and every strip contains a quarter cup of real fruit.

Meat Chips

Wilde Chips Chicken Chips

Wilde Chips Chicken Chips

Taste-wise, chips are a near-perfect snack. They’re crunchy, starchy, salty, loaded with fat, and not even remotely healthy. Try replacing your usual bag of Utz with Wilde Chips. The concept of “meat chips” sounds a little strange, but trust us: This isn’t your ordinary, chewy-as-hell meat jerky but in chip form. These tasty, meat-based chips are every bit as awesome as potato chips with unique flavors like Sweet Chipotle Pork and Nashville Hot Chicken. Plus, they deliver a huge dose of hunger-crushing protein and are keto- and paleo-friendly too.

Chewing Gum

PUR 100% Xylitol Chewing Gum

PUR 100% Xylitol Chewing Gum

Less a “snack” and more a “favor to your car mates,” chewing gum is essential for any road trip. After 10 hours of road trip snacks, there’s no denying that your mouth can get a little, er, funky. We like Pur Spearmint for its bold, long-lasting flavor, but any of the roughly 10 flavors are tasty too. Even better: It’s vegan, non-GMO, and sweetened with 100% xylitol (rather than aspartame).

If you’re planning a road trip this summer, take some of the guesswork out of it with the best road trip apps.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Everything you need to know about the bone broth diet
The bone broth diet: Your complete guide
Bowl of bone broth.

Focus on cleaner eating and healthier lifestyles is growing alongside the development of new and different trendy diets. Each of these diets claims to have life-changing benefits, from weight loss to detoxing and everything in between.

If you are familiar with the Paleo lifestyle, then you'll also be familiar with bone broth and intermittent fasting. Recently, a diet has emerged that blends these two popular elements into a plan that claims to take weight loss to a new level.

Read more
Want to build muscle? A doctor says you should eat these foods
If you're looking to bulk up those biceps, these are the foods you should be eating
Fish fillets, chicken meat, and red meat on top of distressed white cutting boards along with nuts, cheese, dairy, and eggs.

The world of nutrition and muscle growth can be a terribly confusing one. Between the madness of the latest trends in health, fad diets, the newest "must have" workout gear, and toxic weight-loss culture, it's easy to want to throw in the towel and reach for a box of Twinkies. But tucked in, hidden in all of this confusion, there are some things about fitness and muscle growth that are just always true. The biggest truth of them all is that abs really are made in the kitchen. You can work yourself into a frenzy with a fancy gym membership, but without proper nutrition, your body is just running on toxic fumes.

Muscle building requires a good balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Dr. Noel Abood, owner and director of Solon Spine & Wellness Center in Ohio, shared with us his expert advice on the top foods one should be eating for ultimate muscle growth. So if you've been frustrated with the results of your workout routine, or are looking to bulge those biceps a bit more, here are some of the foods you'll want to add these items to your grocery list.

Read more
The best Irish whiskeys come in these 12 bottles
Looking for a great Irish whiskey to try? Start with this proper list of a dozen best bets.
whiskey bar

Ireland knows a thing or two about whiskey. After all, it's home to the oldest commercial whiskey distillery in the world, dating back to 1608. But with such a rich heritage and plethora of options, where should you direct your glass?

Well, Irish whiskey is actually a pretty manageable category, unlike the endless seas of, say, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon or Scotch. Despite its massive popularity, Ireland hosts a relatively small amount of distilleries. But there's plenty of variation and quality within that span and we have our favorites.

Read more