BootsnAll Travel Community

I'm not sure if this has been discuessed before or not. I just got back from a short trip and to save cash I picked up a whole lotta laughing cow and peta bread. I figured no refridgeration needed and they don't really smoosh. What I didn't count on was having the two also served at every meal that I didn't pay for. This was at hotels and during day tours. (example, over night at a bedouin camp) If I never see laughing cow and peta again it will be to soon.

So what are my other options? I want things that won't get smooshed (although I am going to bring a small tupperware container for food), don't require refrideration, and don't require any real prep. Any suggestions?

Good topic -- I do this too. I think it depends on where you're traveling, though picnicking probably makes the most economic sense in Europe (which has great picnic supplies).

Bread is obviously a staple, as are all sorts of fruits and veggies. I've branched out into other cheeses so long as it wasn't too hot and I could finish within a day or two. Dried/cured meats like salami are always great.

I've even done even do ham, beef, yogurt, and other "perishables" following the same rule as with the cheese. The key is being willing to push the envelope a bit! I'm not talking about eating spoiled food. But you can buy your supplies in the morning and eat later in the day with very little risk. If the weather's right, you can even do it a day before.

You can usually pick up things at local bakeries -- filled non-sweet pastries, cookies, etc. Nuts are good. A jar of nutella. The possibilities are endless, actually.

My favorite travel food is my mom's biscotti. Whenever I'm going somewhere, she sends me off with a plastic container of almond biscotti, baked a little smaller than the kind at the store so they pack up more compactly. They last forever, and are a perfect emergency breakfast, or can be nibbled on at any time. Also, they remind me of home when I'm far away. I wish I had some right now...

(Obviously, not everyone has access to my mom's delicious biscotti, but I still recommend any biscotti as excellent travel food.)

Dried fruit, nuts and jerky are always good to have in your pack (I still have some mango 'leather' which I bought in Queensland--it has by now been to Canada and back!)

Ships biscuits and tiny tins of disgusting paté were a staple in Greenland.

On the whole I much prefer to get small portions of fresh food, as jv says. But the above are good for emergencies when the stores are closed or far away.

It's not my idea of a good meal, but I remember meeting a few fellow travellers who would eat dry Ramen noodles straight from the packet.

This way they could eat instant noodles as a snack, even though they'd been sitting at the bottom of their packs for ages and had been all smashed up.

That sounds really kinda...gross. I think I want things that are good for when you are, for example, in transit for ttwo days, or want to be really easy on your budget. In Jordan we had a really hard time finding food in Amman. There is nothing to eat there down town that issn't sold off of a hot plate on the street, or isn't still alive! It wook us hours to find a grocery store. We had to buy food for the next few days just in case we ran into the problem again.

I guess your favourite travel food would depend on your destination...

-I find that peanut butter is really practical...
-Bread and cheese, obviously.

-Carrots, apples and bananas (I need to say here that I hate bananas and wouldn't be caught dead eating one at home. On the road though, they're filling, full of vitamins, and OFTEN THE CHEAPEST FRUIT AROUND... )

-A yogurt FILLED with cereals like Muslix

-In Asia pineaples cause they're just sooo GOOD

-In mountainous areas, dried fruits

-I like to bring a can-opener (e.g. tuna)

-A few meal-substitute bars or energy bars from home, etc.

A good alternative to pita or any other bread is some kind of crisp bread/cracker like Wasa. They're fairly compact and will last for ages if you don't need them for a while. I usually start out with some combination of dried fruit, nuts, trail mix, maybe a few granola bars. But I mostly depend on what I can get locally and buy some bread, tomatoes, cheese, etc. if I want a cheap meal.

Can we get rid of the tomato's? That's a dirty dirty word!