Welcome to the first of a few pre-scheduled posts: Steven and I are on vacation! I was getting some serious itchy feet after some potential travel plans (Poland, le sigh) fell through earlier this summer, so we decided to stay closer to home and do a late-summer road trip instead! We’re heading further south… I’ll share more details later, but suffice it to say we’ve got a 7-8 hour road trip planned! And you know what a road trip means: SNACKS!

Steven and I are veteran road trippers. Since moving to Maryland, we now live about 8 hours from my parents and most of my extended family in Rhode Island. That means we drive home a few times each year. (We occasionally fly, depending on price and the time we have available — it’s an hourlong flight, which is unbeatable.) And we always stock up on snacks before the trip.

In my opinion, having a nice even ratio of sweet to savory snacks is key. You want to be able to switch back and forth as the mood strikes! It’s also important to balance junk food with healthier options — nobody wants an upset tummy during a long drive. I like to bring fruit; it’s easy to eat and unquestionably wholesome. And if you aren’t planning on stopping for a meal, you want to have something filling — even if it’s just a sandwich or a protein bar.

Last night when we dropped Moria off, we conveniently planned to meet Steven’s mom at Roots, a local vegan-friendly grocery store, so we could grab a few vital ingredients.

Apologies for the terrible lighting!

For this trip, here’s what we’ve got packed:

• Cherry tomatoes and chopped peppers for healthy snacking.
• Tofurky, Violife cheddar, tomato, and mayo/mustard sandwiches on homemade sourdough bread, which I made last night.
• PigOut Pigless Bacon chips, original flavor — I keep seeing these and wanting to try them. No time like a road trip!
• A big ol’ Tony Chocolonely pecan-coconut dark chocolate bar. So, this brand has “SLAVE-FREE!” plastered all over it, and I could’ve sworn I remembered reading a blog post where someone said it was on the FEP’s approved list. Umm… turns out, it’s not. In fact, they have a note that says: “We have had detailed exchanges with the company and will reevaluate once we read their new annual report, which comes out in November.” Doh!
• Some Larabars and a Clif bar for backup.

We also made some cold-brew coffee last night, which we’ve decanted into our trusty KeepCups for the drive. Gotta stay caffeinated for the drive!

What’re your go-to road trip snacks?