A common question we get asked is what food do we take when we go away and how much?
Hopefully this blog can answer some of that for you.
Remember this is just a guide as every family has different eating habits and requirements, but it might give you some ideas.
What to consider before going
There a few things to consider before even deciding what to take on a trip.
How much room do you have for storage? (Fridge items and dry items)
How long are you going away?
Are there shops where you are going?
Will you eat takeaway at all?
Are there essential items you can't go without?
Finally then we'll Meal Plan and make a list. (One of my favourite things to do!)
Storage
If you have your own caravan, storage is not usually a problem and like us you probably keep all your condiments such as coffee, sugar, sauces etc in the van and most likely have a fridge, but if you are camping or hiring a van/camper for example you need to consider how much room you have to store food.
Will you need a portable fridge/freezer, or an eski to keep some items cold, what you will store dry food etc in? How big is it, where will it fit in the car, or if you are hiring a van/camper does it have a fridge or cupboard space? Do you need ice?
The above will help you decide how much you can take with you and how much you will need to buy along the way, if anything?
Before we had a van, we used to take an Engel which was a convertable fridge/freezer and used tubs with lids for dry stuff, as it kept any unwanted bugs etc out and was easy for packing. We often still take the Engel as a back up in the car for day trips, especially if we go on a fishing trip. Highly recommend if you don't have a van as it means you won't need to buy ice along the way (Note: we are not sponsored by Engel and its just our opinion).
How long are you going away?
Are you just going for a few days, a few weeks or are you lucky and going longer?
If you are only going for a few days you may be able to pack most, even everything you need if you have the storage space. If you are going longer, then, you need to consider the above point about storage, and the next point about the shops?
If you need ice to keep your eski food cold, what is the weather like, how long will the ice last and where can you get more.
Are there shops?
You should always consider if there will be shops where you are going or at least along the way of your trip. You may forget something and need to buy it and some remote places may not have everything you need. If you are going for a long time it is unlikely you will be able to pack enough and then things like milk, bread and fresh fruit and vegetables will need to be restocked.
There are some things you might be able to get at servos (like ice, milk, bread etc) but do you actually need a supermarket to get what you want? Are you able to go without some things for a few days if you need to, if not plan ahead.
Will you eat any takeaway?
Do you plan to cook the whole trip or will you get any takeaway for any of your meals? Are there places you can go for breakfast, lunch or tea?
We still add possible takeaway on our meal plan (eg: bakery lunch 1 day).
Do you need to set yourself a budget for takeaway?
Are there essential items you can't go without?
Do you absolutely need that coffee in the morning, do you have to have chocolate, do your kids only eat one type of breakfast?
For our family its most of the above, so they are the first items to go on the list so they definitely do not get forgotten. You will always make room for those essential items.
If you're going for an extended period of time, do you have enough of that item to get you through, if not consider the point above about shopping.
Meal Plan & Make a List
This might seem obvious to some of you but, in our opinion, it is absolutely essential when travelling. It will save on wastage, space and just carrying extra food you don't need, then bringing it home again.
If you've read the above you have already begun planning, now to the nitty gritty. Easiest way to explain this is to do an example, so I'll use our recent 4 day weekend away to show you how we prepare as this is a really simple trip and we don't need to shop or worry about storage.
Days away - Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Where: Lameroo
Shops: Yes
Breakfast - We need 3 breakfast meals 1 x pancakes - flour, eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla essence, lemons, golden syrup 2 x bacon & eggs (scrambled eggs for mum) bacon, eggs, bread, butter, milk
Lunch - We need 4 lunches (2 are travel days) 1 x bakery lunch 3 x rolls - rolls, butter, lunch meat, cheese, lettuce, vegemite for kids
Dinner - We need 3 dinner meals 1 x pub 2 x BBQ - sausages, steaks, chicken sticks, bread, onions, potatoes, sauce
Snacks - Car snacks and other for 4 days Fruit Veg Muesli Bars Pretzels Nuts Cheese & Crackers Vege Chips Yoghurt Le Snacks Biscuits/Saladas Dried Apricots & Strawberries Chocolate for mummy
Drinks - for 4 days Water Milk Fruit Boxes Wine Beer Cider
Miscellaneous Salt & Pepper Spices Oil for cooking Butter for cooking Coffee Sugar Tea Bags Yakult Hot chocolate Marshmallows for campfire
Hopefully, by making a list like this, you don't forget anything, waste food or carry food around for no reason. In saying that I've probably forgotten something. 😜 (That's why we check for shops).
If we are going away for more than a few days, we still go through the above process but work out how much we can take, how long certain things (like milk & fruit) will last before we need to shop again and roughly whereabouts we will be (if we know) so we can plan the shopping trip. We carry a notepad in the van and make a shopping list as we go of things we need to get at the next supermarket stop. We hope that has helped at least one person and we are certain others have ideas too and we would love to hear about them. So please comment below and don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
Thanks for reading and happy road tripping!