Last month we gave you guys lots of options for off-the-beaten-path summer vacation destinations. We love to travel to places where the food options for people who keep kosher are abundant (who doesn’t?), but sometimes there are fabulous places that need to be seen and don’t offer any kosher options. The United States is full of amazing and beautiful places, many of which are driveable, but the thought of having to pack along kosher breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and snacks!) on vacation and fitting it all into your car can be daunting.

However, we’ve found that road trips to places with little to no kosher food choices are really rather simple, so long as you plan ahead and bring lots of snacks and meal options, especially if you are traveling with kids. Below we will share some of our best tips for feeding yourself on the road.

Fruits and vegetables can be purchased anywhere, and most supermarkets carry kosher products if you need to fill in, or forget something. If you’re driving through the countryside, you can often find farmers’ markets on the side of the road, which is an activity in and of itself.

Utensils and tools are also important to make prep simple. We usually bring paper plates, cups, and plastic utensils. We own a combo pocket knife/spoon/fork  just for these occasions. A good travel knife makes chopping veggies quick and fast. If you don’t want to invest in a travel knife, the Vidalia Chopper is a quick and fast way to chop all sorts of fruits and vegetables. Stick it in your food bag, then when you’re craving salad, pull it out and chop it up 1-2-3. A good can opener is also a must for things like tuna, pickles, corn, beans etc. You can find inexpensive ones on Amazon and Walmart.com.

We  love to find a nice park where we can have a BBQ. Frozen meat can last in a cooler with ice packs for a day, and you can stop at any supermarket and pick up a bag of ice on the cheap to keep things cold. Disposable grills are great because they are easy to use and clean up is a breeze. If you’re willing to invest a little bit, a portable gas grill makes a great BBQ, and quickly, but is messier to clean, plus takes up more room than the disposable kind.

Knowing which are great products that will not spoil and be consumed by the family is key to a successful summer road trip.

Below we’ve compiled some great product options for you to pack in your car (and be sure to keep some of the snack items in the front passenger seat for important in-car snacking).

Breakfast:

Gefen’s Granola varieties with a tube of squeezable yogurt are an easy and road trip-friendly breakfast option. The granola comes in these easy pour cartons, that can be portioned out into reusable snack cups. Milk can also be frozen in airtight freezer bags and allowed to thaw for milk and cereal.  Other easy breakfast options are yogurts and yogurt tubes (freeze for less mess), breakfast bars and biscuits, muffins, string cheese and fruit, or rice cakes with peanut butter or sunbutter.

Lunch on the Go:

Tuna is one of our go-to staples as a quick lunch on the go when road tripping. Throw some mayo packets in, add some hearty crackers like Shibolim whole wheat crisp crackers, a bag of veggies or a fruit, and you’ve got a great wholesome lunch, no soggy sandwiches need apply.

Other options are deli sandwiches, PB&J (many companies make travel size packets), and sliced cheese sandwiches. All are easily portable and will please picky eaters.

Easy Dinner Options:

We love the idea of frozen, double-wrapped meals, and they’re great if you have access to a microwave, which isn’t always the case. If hot water is your only option, you need something satisfying that’s easily portable. Gefen’s Cup of Soup, Ramen Noodles, and Instant brown rice noodle soup are filling and delicious. They’re easy to prepare and leave no mess, just throw out the container when you’re finished. These are also great for picky eaters who are tired of cereal and PB&J. They come in lots of flavor options to suit any palate.

Snacks:

Summer seems to bring out the appetite in everyone, but especially kids. Make sure you’re stocked with lots of snacks to keep everyone happy. Keep a bag of snacks in the backseat so the kids can help themselves.  Some great snacks: Gefen Sandwich Crackers, Gefen Apple Sauce pouches, Absolutely Gluten Free Tahini Bars, Beigel and Beigel Whole Wheat Pretzels, and Gefen whole roasted chestnuts. (All the Tahini bar flavors and the chestnuts are two of our personal favorites)

Travel should be as fun and as stress free as possible. We hope you’ll plan a summer road trip and enjoy the scenery with your family. Looking for more travel ideas, and tips? Check out our website yeahthatskosher.com, follow us on Instagram @yeahthatskosher and sign up to receive our newsletters.

We wish you happy, safe, and delicious kosher travels.

~Dani & Arielle