As I was writing out my own road trip grocery list for a national park trip we have coming up, I thought it would be helpful to share so you don’t have to spend time writing your own. So, here’s the ultimate road trip grocery list for any road trip. I use this exact list on literally all of my road trips!
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Road Trip Grocery List Tips
Before we dive in, here are a couple quick road trip grocery list tips to keep in mind. First, obviously, adjust this list to your own dietary needs and restrictions. Second, the majority of these road trip grocery list ideas do not require refrigeration, assuming you will not have a cooler and ice on your road trip. However, if you will have a cooler or fridge, you can bring more perishable foods like lunch meats and cheese. This list also considers that you may or may not have the ability to boil water. We always bring our Jetboil camping stove so that we can quickly boil water on road trips, but I list plenty of foolproof alternatives if you won’t have access to hot water.
Finally, and arguably most importantly, my biggest road trip grocery list tip is to buy more snacks that you would usually eat. We always eat more snacks on road trips that at home. A quick snack can help settle car sickness and keep you awake on tiresome late-night drives — both of which are vital to staying healthy and safe on your trip. Plus, it’s a lot cheaper (and healthier and more time efficient) to buy extra snacks at the grocery store than to repeatedly stop for fast food while on the road. More on this later. Moral of the story: buy plenty of snacks!
Road Trip Grocery List
- Sandwich or quart size plastic baggies.
- Gallon size plastic baggies.
- Paper plates and/or paper bowls.
- Plastic knives, forks and spoons.
- Bottled water (or gallons of purified water to refill reusable bottles).
- Nut butter.
- Jelly.
- Honey (optional).
- Bread.
- Lunch meat (if you have a cooler).
- Sandwich cheese slices (if you have a cooler).
- Instant coffee packets (if you have a way to boil water).
- Instant coffee creamer packets. (I use these minimal ingredient coconut creamer packets.)
- Canned or bottled coffee beverages (easiest).
- Cold brew (easy if you have a cooler).
- Paper cups or a reusable insulated tumbler. (We have these collapsible camping cups for road trips.)
- Canned or bottled tea.
- Bagels.
- Oatmeal packets (if you have hot water).
- Clementines.
- Apples.
- Nuts.
- Trail mix.
- Dried fruit (mango, apricots, freeze dried fruit, etc.).
- Applesauce pouches.
- Canned fruit or fruit cups.
- Meat sticks.
- Beef jerky.
- Tuna packets.
- Canned chicken packets.
- Chicken salad packets.
- Protein bars.
- Cheese sticks (if you have a cooler).
- Granola bars.
- Chips. (I prefer avocado oil chips.)
- Crackers.
- Lots of fun snacks.
- Fun drinks (non-alcoholic for drivers, obviously).
- Sweet snacks. (I love the Hu dark chocolate bars. My husband usually opts for sour gummies.)
- Ginger candies (to help with car sickness).
- Sunscreen.
- Body wipes.
- Hand sanitizer.
- Hand soap (to wash hands if you have water).
- Ibuprofen and/or acetaminophen.
- Allergy medication (if needed).
- Propane tank (if you’ll be using a portable camping stove).
- Backpacking meals (if you can boil water, these make easy road trip meals).
- Lighter or matches.
- Bear spray (if road tripping where bear spray is recommended).
- Any other camping gear you may need for your camp setup.
- Extra plastic grocery bags to put trash in while driving.
- Extra paper grocery bags to put recycling in while driving.
Food To Bring On A Road Trip To Save Money
Any grocery food that you bring on a road trip will save you money compared to stopping for meals out. All of these foods listed in particular, such as PB+J sandwiches and plenty of munching snacks, have helped my save thousands of dollars on my road trips. Like I said earlier, bring plenty of extra snacks on your road trip to save money because you will be hungrier than usual, especially if you’ll be hiking at all on your road trip. Moreover, not only will you save money by bringing extra snacks, you will also be prioritizing your health. If you have a good stash of healthy snacks readily available on your road trip, you’ll be better able to resist the temptation to stop for fast food.
Want to get a full list of healthy road trip/airplane snacks to bring on your trip? Read this blog post next.
More Road Trip Tips
21 Easy Road Trip Snacks For Adults That Are Actually Healthy
12 Natural Car Sickness Remedies For Immediate Relief
Best USA Road Trips For Adventurers
80 Road Trip Puns That Will Drive You Honkers
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