What Are Your Favorite Travel Snacks?

20 Comments

1. I’m a frequent plane traveler but don’t really pack snacks. It seems to be an unpopular opinion, but I really don’t mind the food (even in economy) on international flights, and if I’m flying domestically I grab something in the airport if I don’t get upgraded.

   1. I only pack emergency snacks too (if I expect delays or we’re arriving very late somewhere). I don’t love snacking period and it feels like one more hassle to deal with.

   2. Same. Exception is I might have a cereal or nut bar in my roller bag in case I can’t find anything for breakfast at my destination.

      I like to have my favorite tea bags in my tote as well because tea drinkers are, in my experience, usually an afterthought at corporate meetings & conferences. I can do better than Lipton without adding much weight or bulk to my tote.

      1. I do sometimes bring tea bags too.

   3. I always bring at least two snacks and a bottle of water (either purchased in the airport or a reusable bottle that I bring through security empty and then fill). Several years ago some colleagues were stuck on the tarmac for hours because of a security incident and had nothing to eat or drink. It’s also not uncommon for snack and beverage service to be suspended for the entire flight for turbulence, or for the snack cart to run out of some options. I like to be prepared for any eventuality.

      1. +1. As a consultant I have been stuck on the tarmac for hours, re-routed into airports that have no or VERY limited snack options, and checked into hotels hours past dinner service with no room service options. I always, always have at least a protein bar, sour candy (helps with nausea), water, an airsickness bag, and my meds in my carry on.

         1. I’m with you; traveling is so unpredictable. I always have RX Bars and bags of Sahale trail mix, water and meds. If I don’t bring them I end up doing things like eating potato chips out of a vending machine for dinner.

   4. I have Admirals Club access through my credit card and bring a baggie to take a handful of veggies (cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, celery) for the plane. The veg offerings are not usually great even upgraded! Like thank you for those 4 leaves of arugula and 1 sundried tomato – that will totally offset the salty cheesy pasta boat that serves as the rest of the meal.

      1. Yeah airline meals are def not healthy, but I’m not the healthiest eater so I’m totally happy to eat pasta + bread + dessert as a meal. LOL.

      2. I have access to the United Club through my credit card, and this is a fantastic tip that I hope to follow going forward! Thank you! I generally bring Kind bars (without chocolate, which can melt), Yorkshire Tea bags, and these Nescafe 3-in-1 sleeves of coffee, each it their own zip loc bag. That is usually all that is needed for emergency situations or if I get peckish in the hotel room or vacation home after hours.

2. For a road trip: grapes, triscuits, trader joes peanut butter pretzels, cans of iced coffee with milk, sandwich on a sub roll (less likely to get soggy, nice to have a picnic and get out of the car).
   For a flight and work travel I pack a ton of Cliff bars and apples because I’ve had issues with getting to a destination too late to get food, or being in a country where grab and go food is harder to find.

3. EPIC bars are my favorite!

4. Not trying to win any health awards here, but Corn Nuts. Plain or ranch flavored. IMO the best thing you can buy at a gas station.

   Plus a fountain diet coke to go with them.

5. Potentially odd question. I am in my late twenties, and I find that I am still very susceptible to flattery from men and get a thrill from male attention that I wish I didn’t. I’d say the main negative ways this manifests is 1) caring a lot whether men find me desirable or attractive (even ones I have absolutely no interest in) and 2) being very vulnerable to getting swept away by womanizing, narcissistic types who love bomb me.

   I’ve been in a very happy, loving relationship for 5+ years, but I’ve had a couple of obsessive crushes in that time that were the result of the above flattery and love bombing attention. I also find that I care a lot how my boyfriends’ friends perceive me in terms of attractiveness, and get a rush from comments of them praising my physical appearance. This rush is accompanied with overthinking and then comparisons, and keeps me in the loop of worrying about how I look and whether people think I’m good enough.

   I really, really dislike this part of myself. I would say the thoughts are just thoughts, and don’t impact my behavior at all, but I really wish I didn’t care what men think about me and that I wasn’t so emotionally impacted by their opinions. I think it must be related to low self esteem, but maybe other things too. Does anyone have advice on working through whatever this is, or have any experience with it themselves?

   1. Therapy.

   2. As a fifty-year-old woman Thank you for being so vulnerable and real about a phase of life I have outlived. IME here is what I now realize. Compliments can be tied to culture, psychology, and desire. Lots of men I have been in a relationship with have fallen in the spectrum of no compliments to way too many. I have been the same person. Allowing things I don’t control to create my emotional landscape means I am never the central character in my own life.

      Here is a breakdown of how I have dealt with this issue:

      Conditioning- I was trained to be available for the male gaze. Between three generations of women who raised me, my culture, and general culture. I now realize that all of my training was to think of the male gaze as the goal was so deeply entrenched in many big and small ways. From what I wore, my hair choices, my total physical being was about being the prettiest flower. I had to retrain myself to focus on my feelings, comfort level, and health. Once I began to do so, it changed my relationship with men, from prospective romantic partners to my male family members.

      Ego- I thought that I had to work at getting compliments. Getting compliments was about my ego and my lack of self-esteem. I no longer use them for ego boosts that are empty, and unfulfilling. My beauty is mine for me. When I look in the mirror I celebrate having survived half a century of living and challenges. I dress to make myself comfortable and feel more like myself, not a copy of a magazine or an Instagram. I try to be in good shape because that makes me feel good. If I get a compliment it doesn’t hit the same way it used to and is sometimes feels disingenuous since I know it is about manipulating me, not truly admiring my physical being.

      Other women- I no longer view other women as competition. I was taught that if I received a compliment, and my cousin, friend, or another woman didn’t I was winning. This is a false dynamic. People have an unending reason to give or not give compliments. No other woman will take away your worth and uniqueness.

6. I love snacks. For flights I stop at walgreens the day before. I like to have a mix of a chewy sweet, a chocolate, and a salty. My go to mix is peach rings, trail mix or chex mix, and cheetos. I grab an iced tea or bottled drink too and have that in the evening and on the way to the airport, and then reuse the bottle on the other side of security for water.

7. I have a ton of dietary restrictions, so I have to plan for alternate food options when I’m going away. My favorite travel snacks are Walking Tamales (any flavor!), lemon Luna bars, instant oatmeal if I’ll be at an hotel, and apples.

   More than once I’ve had a weekend trip saved by Walking Tamales and instant oatmeal.

   1. Thanks for the tip, I have been looking for something savory.

8. I am in a hotel room right now and I just ate a Haagen Daas ice cream bar for dinner. Je ne regrette rien.

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