The Best Travel Snacks For Long Flights and Road Trips

When hunger strikes and that little bag of peanuts just won’t cut it, its travel snacks to the rescue. The best travel snacks are both healthy and crave-able. They should be things we feel good about eating, that keep us energized and satisfied without being too heavy. They should also be something a little extra special. It’s vacation after all.

This list of travel snack ideas are all things that can be bought ahead of time, with a long shelf life. The day before a trip you won’t find me in the kitchen baking seed studded, superfood mini muffins. If that’s you, please email me some time management tips. I’m more likely to be at Target, buying the thermal leggings I forgot I needed.

Snacks are an essential item on my packing list, and not just for the flight. Keeping a few on hand during the day as well is always a good idea.

Snack Bars 

Trader Joe’s Dried Fruit Bars

Trader Joe’s fruit bars are chewy, fruity goodness in flavors like Apple Strawberry and Apple Mango. They’re less filling than protein bars, just the right size to ward off a hunger pang. Another favorite from Trader Joe’s are the fruit wraps, which are basically fruit roll-ups for adults made from simple purees.

That’s It Bar

These bars are certified gluten free, paleo, and contain 2 servings of fruit. They are more substantial than the Trader Joe’s Fruit Bars, and just as healthy.

Lara Bars

I love Lara Bars for snacks. They are filling, healthy and come in a ton of flavors. Each bar is all natural and made with minimal ingredients. The best part is they are soft, so they don’t crumble all over like other snack bars. You know the ones I’m talking about.

Rx Bars

Rx Bars are all-natural protein bars with no added sugar. I can eat one for breakfast and feel full for hours. One of the best flavors is Chocolate Sea Salt, which tastes way more indulgent than it really is.

Dried Fruit

There are endless amounts of dried fruits on the market, but a brand I really like is Mavuno Harvest. It was started by a Peace Corps volunteer, with the goal to teach small scale African farmers to maximize their harvest and avoid waste. They are purely dried fruit with nothing else added.

Freeze Dried Fruit

Freeze dried fruit in addition to dried fruit is a fun way to mix up textures. The freeze dried varieties are crispier and crunchier rather than chewy. Single serve packages from Crispy Green come in a variety of flavors, including pineapple, mango, apple and even cantaloupe.

Single Serve Nuts

Nuts are a healthy, energy boosting snack many of us reach for every day. Switch it up when packing travel snacks and try something more indulgent like roasted and salted pistachios, or a flavorful mix from Sahale Nut Mixes. For that moment when you need something sweeter, Skinny Dipped Almonds are coated in just a thin layer of dark chocolate and cocoa powder.

Olives

Oloves makes the cutest single serve pouches of olives. Plain or seasoned, each pouch is only 50 calories. They are perfect for when you need just a little something and don’t want anything sweet. Trader Joe’s also carries their own brand of single-serve manzanilla olives.

Random, Fun Travel Snacks!

Some of my favorite travel snacks are Figgy Pops and Coconut Chips from Made in Nature. Figgy pops are little balls of energy made from tart cherries, figs, dates, nuts and lightly coated in coconut. Just try not to eat the whole bag in one sitting, they are nutrient dense and just a few is all you need. Made in Nature also has a veggie version made with broccoli and cheese.

Giant Peruvian Inca Corn

From Trader Joe’s, these toasted corn kernels are super crunchy and a little salty. Maybe not the healthiest item on the list, but they are a delicious alternative to fatty, oily chips.

Truffle Marcona Almonds

Ok last Trader Joe’s product! These flavorful almonds are seasoned with truffle oil, rosemary and sea salt. Thy are definitely not the lowest calorie travel snack on the list, but the subtle, savory truffle flavor is worth it. If you’re not a truffle fan, the roasted and salted almonds with rosemary are also delicious.

Saffron Road Chickpea Snacks

Richly spiced, crunchy chickpeas in flavors like Bombay Spice and Falafel are inspired by some of the world’s global cuisines.

Hippie Snacks Avocado Chips

Since I really hope you’re not trying to smash avocados mid-flight, satisfy your chips and guacamole craving with crackers from Hippie Snacks. These little crackers are baked with avocado and flavored with sea salt, lime and a little spice.