Woot woot! Vacation time! As I prepare for my upcoming trip to Mexico, I’ve started to think through the food preparations I will need to make for travel. My preparations will undoubtedly include plenty of paleo travel snacks.

Because I have Celiac disease (you can read about my story here) my vacations require quite a bit of pre-work. I am also dairy free and grain free, just to make things a little more complicated! I can’t just pop into any resort and know that they will be able to cook my meals safely. And, plane travel (and even car travel!) can be very unpredictable. It’s hard to know if I will be stuck on a broken down plane or delayed at an airport with no safe food choices.

Reserve supplies are critical! I aim to bring two meals with me when traveling, just in case things go awry. I also bring a plethora of snacks, because I don’t like not having healthy options. Prior poor planning has left me with dinners of fruit snacks and Hot Tamales. I don’t want to relive that experience anytime soon. I do love me some Hot Tamales, just not for dinner!.

In an effort to save you some time, I’m sharing my go-to list of travel meals and snacks, and how I pack them. I will also share specific products I use that make my life a whole lot easier. I don’t like to spend a ton of time packing food when I know I have other packing ahead of me, so I make it as easy as possible!

Packable Travel Meals

Pack a thermos. I absolutely love my Kuuk Insulated Lunch Container. It holds A LOT of food but is still small enough to fit in my travel bag or purse. It also keeps food hot for more than 6 hours! I have two of these bad boys and pack both with food prior to traveling. I have had no issue at all getting through security.

What do I put in my thermos? Well, I’m glad you asked. I typically grab a couple of my freezer meals (learn all about that in my 20 Freezer Meals in 2 Hours post), warm them up, and transfer to my thermos. Boom! Meals taken care of the entire day, with no need to worry about when I’ll find my next safe meal.

Make a Sandwich. Thermos and freezer meals are always a must when I travel, but I also really really love me some PB&J (using almond butter if I’m really staying true to Paleo!). I almost always make myself a PB&J to bring a long in my travels. I just wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in a reusable sandwich container. That way it doesn’t get smashed.

Fruits & Veggies. I bring tons of fruits and veggies with me when I travel. I stick to hardy varieties like grapes, clementines, berries, sliced cucumbers, carrot sticks, snap peas, and cherry tomatoes. Sandwich containers work really well to protect these a bit. The nice thing about using sandwich containers is that they are pretty flat, so they can squeeze into tight spaces, like those little pockets on the outside of luggage.

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If you like your fruits and veggies cold like I do, PackIT Freezable Bags are amazing. Simply freeze the bag the night before and place your food in it. It will stay cold for a few hours! Mamas, these are great for traveling with breast milk, too!

Grab & Go Travel Snacks

Along with the food I prepare and pack, I bring several different non-perishable snacks. That way I always have something completely safe that is sealed and ready to eat. This works well for those times I end up stuck in an airport overnight, or at a conference with limited food options.

Protein Bars. I like to carry a variety of these to suit whatever I’m wanting – pure protein, sweet and dessert-like, or salty. Here are my favorites:

• Paleo Thin bars from Julian Bakery. These are egg white protein with a TON of fiber, and it uses monk fruit as a sweetener. I can eat only half a bar and get quite full! My favorites are the Sunflower Butter, Chocolate Brownie, and Vanilla Cake. You can try out a sampler pack here.
• 88 Acres. Oh my, these are like dessert! These are seed bars with gluten free certified oats. The Chocolate Sea Salt is amazing! You can get a sampler pack here. They also make nut butters – think Nutella but way better for you!
• Epic Bars. Sometimes I need a healthy protein but don’t feel like a chewy bar or anything sweet. I like the Bison meat bar with cranberry – it’s like beef jerky but softer, and it tastes like bacon! It’s also a great dose of protein. You can usually find these at your local grocery store but they’re cheaper on Amazon!

Nuts. Of course nuts are on my list! I know, boring right? Not if you make your own mix. I love mixing a few almonds, walnuts, dark chocolate chips, and dried fruit. It’s a sweet/salty mix that is so satisfying. You can certainly buy pre-packaged trail mix, but it’s hard to find them gluten free. I just make my own – it’s cheaper that way, too!.

Seaweed or Kale Chips. For something crunchy, these are my go-to! I actually prefer the seaweed snacks when I travel, because they tend to come in little plastic trays and are a bit more protected. But they give me that salty, crunchy fix I just have to have sometimes.

TrueLemon drink packets. I always pack a sandwich bag with my favorite tea, creamer, and sweetener packets. TrueLemon packets are one of my favorites because they are all natural with no chemicals. I love lemonade, so these are perfect for adding to my water bottle. They also, ahem, mix very well with vodka….but that’s another post.

Chocolate bars. Oh yes, because this gal likes her dessert! I try to get bars that are at least 80% cocoa. If I don’t bring a healthy option, I always find myself at the vending machine, contemplating the M&Ms. Always best to pack a good option and avoid temptation and a belly ache later on!

Hotel Room Meals

Before I travel, I usually call the hotel in advance to inquire about gluten-free accommodations. There are a few chains that do have gluten-free offerings at breakfast or in their restaurants, but it’s usually pretty slim pickings. So, I generally try to pack a few items so that I have easy breakfast and snack options in my hotel room.

Nut Butter Sandwiches. Let’s face it, gluten-free bread isn’t great. So if you happen upon a loaf that actually holds up without toasting, you kind of want to take it with you in your suitcase. If I’m in a hurry and don’t have time to make my awesome Paleo Sandwich Bread, I love Aldi’s gluten-free multigrain bread, and I always pack a few slices in a Tupperware container along with packets of peanut butter. That way I know that if all else fails, I can have a peanut butter sandwich. Bonus: most hotels have individual jelly packets in their breakfast area, so I just grab a couple of those if I want a true PB&J.

Cereal or Granola & Milk. Another great option for breakfast! I will pack a large Tupperware in my suitcase and fill it with baggies of gluten-free cereal or grain-free granola. My favorite is Nature’s Path Grain Free Maple Almond Granola, which I get at Target. I also pack a few of the individual single-serve cartons of almond milk, which doesn’t have to be refrigerated, and I use that in my coffee as well!

Muffins and Energy Bites. You guessed it…..I pack muffins in my suitcase as well! Before I travel, I always make a batch of my Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins or Spinach Banana Carrot Muffins and a few Energy Bites and pack them in my suitcase for another snack or breakfast option. I usually freeze them beforehand, just to make them a little more durable for the trip! The energy bites are easy to pack for a plane ride, too. Freezing them ahead of time keeps them really hard for a couple of hours, so they won’t crumble in your bag.

Other Tips & Tricks

Here are a few other things I travel with to make life a little easier on the road:

• Plastic utensils, napkins, and plates. If you do eat in your hotel room, you’ll be glad you have these!
• If you have a medical need, such as celiac disease, many hotels will provide you with a refrigerator and microwave in your room at no cost. Call your hotel ahead of your stay and ask.
• If you don’t want to pack extra food in your suitcase, but you know you’ll want some specific items at your hotel, try out a delivery service from a local grocery store or Amazon NOW. They can deliver to you very quickly, and the attendant at the front desk can probably recommend the best local store to purchase from.
• If you are gluten-free, get the Find Me Gluten Free app! It is amazingly useful in finding gluten-free friendly restaurants nearby, and it includes user reviews so you’re able to get a great feel for the experience you’ll likely have.

There you go! Hopefully you’ve learned a thing or two and have some ideas for your next trip. Leave a comment below and let me know if you have additional go-to snacks!