Healthy travel snacks that are easy to pack!
Packing your own food for the airport may sound like a silly thing to do. Most corporate travelers are able to expense their meals, so why bother bringing your own?
There are many reasons to consider packing at least a few healthy travel snacks on your next trip. Any seasoned traveler can share a horror story about a time they were stuck on a plane, on the tarmac for up to three hours with limited water and no snacks. If you travel enough, this scenario is bound to occur and you will be thankful to have a snack while you are stuck.
Packing your own healthy snacks will also help you resist the temptation to buy something unhealthy at the airport (remember-you are flying to work, not on vacation). If you are traveling with a daily per diem, avoiding overpriced airport food provides more money for you to enjoy a nice dinner when you arrive at your destination (hello Morton’s!).
Most importantly, if you have committed to staying on track with your diet or following a specific meal plan, packing your own healthy travel snacks ensures you will stay on track.
Healthy Travel Snack Ideas
- Fresh Fruit (firm fruit is best like a whole apple, so it will not get smashed)
- Nuts
- Bars (protein bars, fruit/nut bars, natural fruit bars or granola bars)
- Dried Fruit
- Pretzels (in a sealed container or bag to avoid getting smashed)
- Popcorn
- Popcorn Chips (Popcorners or Popchips)
- Crackers (healthy cracker like Mary’s Gone Crackers)
- Rice Cakes
- Protein Powder in a shaker bottle (add milk or water post security or in-flight)
- Dry oatmeal cup (add hot water post security or in-flight)
- Kale Chips
- Jerky
- PB&J Sandwich or Wrap
- Nut butter*
- Seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, etc.)
- Granola or healthy, low sugar cereal
- Trail Mix
- Applesauce or fruit squeezes*
How To Pack Cold Travel Snacks
There are many ways to keep your food cold during travel. You can borrow your kid’s lunch box or pick up a small soft-sided cooler. Our recommendation is to maintain your professional look and travel in style with a 6 Pack Fitness Bag that features an insulated compartment to keep your food cold and additional space to carry your laptop.
Healthy Travel Snacks To Keep Cold
- Cheese Sticks
- Grilled chicken or turkey
- Turkey or Ham Roll Up with Cheese
- Sandwich or wrap
- Grapes, berries or cut melon
- Fresh cut veggies
- Fresh fruit such as grapes or berries
- Greek yogurt*
- Hummus*
- Homemade salad (add dressing to salad before security, it is considered a liquid)
- Quinoa Salad
Check out tips for packing cold food and remaining compliant with TSA regulations.
All items with a * are considered gel or liquid by TSA and will have to be 3.4 oz. or smaller and packed with your liquid items following the TSA 3-1-1 regulations.
Stylish Cooler Bags for Travel Snacks
Smelly Travel Snacks To Avoid
There is nothing worse than being exposed to a strong odor when you are trapped in an air sealed room like an airplane. Prior to packing your food, please keep your future seat mates in mind. Yes, fish is very healthy, but it is incredibly rude to eat fish on an airplane (tuna fish included). I am the first to understand the need to eat protein (fish, eggs, etc.) so just be courteous and eat the smelly food in the airport terminal before you board the plane.
Odorous foods to avoid eating in-flight:
- Fish or Shell fish
- Garlic or Onions (raw or cooked)
- Strong smelling cheese (like Limburger or Silton)
- Anything fermented (Sauerkraut/ Kimchee)
- Cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, cauliflower or broccoli)
- Hard boiled eggs/ egg salad
Example DIY Airplane Meals
Breakfast: Greek yogurt + dry cereal
Snack: Grapes + nuts
Lunch: Turkey & veggie wrap/ sandwich + apple + granola bar
Snack: Fresh cut veggies + hummus
Dinner: 1 Bag of Pre-Mixed Salad + olive oil/dressing (add this at home & shake with lettuce, discard remaining liquid) + chopped vegetables + rotisserie or grilled chicken (you can mix all of this in the salad bag to save space and avoid bring an extra container)
Meal Prep Guide for Home & Travel
If you are interested in learning how to prepare meals at home and during travel, our meal prep guide will teach you everything you need to know to get started!
Business Travel Life Meal Prep Guide Features:
- Nutrition basics
- Meal prep basics
- Meal prep tools
- How to meal prep at home
- How to get food through TSA
- How to meal prep during travel
- Easy hotel meal prep ideas
- 30 Healthy Travel Snacks
- 4 easy meal prep recipes
- Example meal plan
- Weekly meal planning list
- Delivered electronically so you can get started immediately!
What are your favorite snacks for travel? Please comment below!
Business Travel Life
Business Travel Life is an online resource supporting the road warrior lifestyle. We give business travelers the tools they need to maintain their wellness and productivity when traveling. The topics we cover include business travel tips, travel workouts, healthy travel hacks, travel products, general travel tips, and industry trends. Our goal is to make business travel a healthier experience – and to make healthy travel practices more accessible to all road warriors.
You might think about editing this list and not including nuts or items with nuts. Many people are alergic to nuts and deserve to have a safe flight without fear of being exposed to something they are allergic to.
cool beans bruh