food for a car trip

Mordechai Housman said:

I'm going to be on the road for about 8 or 9 hours, with a stopover for
a few hours,and then 8 or 9 hours back.

We will be traveling there during the day, and returning at night.

It will be my wife and I, and a nine-year-old boy.

What would you suggest I pack for food for these three people?

Cash or a credit card. For several reasons it's much better to stop
for a while and get something to eat. Take apples or bananas, maybe,
and some water. But don't be planning on driving nonstop for many
hours without any kind of break or walking around time. -aem

Mordechai Housman said:

I'm going to be on the road for about 8 or 9 hours, with a stopover for
a few hours,and then 8 or 9 hours back.

We will be traveling there during the day, and returning at night.

It will be my wife and I, and a nine-year-old boy.

What would you suggest I pack for food for these three people?

Mordechai

I like to pack things like cheese, fruit, and crackers. You could even
add in some summer sausage or pepperoni type stuff. Yogurt covered
raisins are another favorite to have along. I don't like to eat heavy
food while driving :P

I would suggest that you at least stop at a rest area to get out and eat
if you can - 8-9 hours in a car seems like a LONG trip without stops.

Roberta (in VA)

"Mordechai Housman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:COrjg.4493$891.4041@trndny01...

Quoted message said:

I'm going to be on the road for about 8 or 9 hours, with a stopover for a
few hours,and then 8 or 9 hours back.

We will be traveling there during the day, and returning at night.

It will be my wife and I, and a nine-year-old boy.

What would you suggest I pack for food for these three people?

Mordechai

Will you be taking a cooler?
Water, grapes, banana's, apples, cheese, raisins, yogurt (don't forget the
spoons) turkey breast and/or ham slices, PB&J sandwiches. IMO Keeping it
simple is the best way to go.
Some things that I find helpful is to make little packets of each food so
the kids (and adults) can reach into the cooler and take one out at a time.
I use the zip loc snack size bags.
I also don't use ice in my cooler, I freeze bottles of water and put them on
the bottom, it keeps the food nice and cold and as it melts you have water
to drink on the trip.

Knit Chic said:

"Mordechai Housman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:COrjg.4493$891.4041@trndny01...

Quoted message said:

I'm going to be on the road for about 8 or 9 hours, with a stopover for a
few hours,and then 8 or 9 hours back.

We will be traveling there during the day, and returning at night.

It will be my wife and I, and a nine-year-old boy.

What would you suggest I pack for food for these three people?

Mordechai

Will you be taking a cooler?
Water, grapes, banana's, apples, cheese, raisins, yogurt (don't forget the
spoons) turkey breast and/or ham slices, PB&J sandwiches. IMO Keeping it
simple is the best way to go.
Some things that I find helpful is to make little packets of each food so
the kids (and adults) can reach into the cooler and take one out at a time.
I use the zip loc snack size bags.
I also don't use ice in my cooler, I freeze bottles of water and put them on
the bottom, it keeps the food nice and cold and as it melts you have water
to drink on the trip.

Do not take anything too salty that will require liquids to quench the
resulting thirst, which will require extra bathroom stops.

"Roberta" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Mordechai Housman wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I'm going to be on the road for about 8 or 9 hours, with a stopover for a
few hours,and then 8 or 9 hours back.

We will be traveling there during the day, and returning at night.

Quoted message said:

I would suggest that you at least stop at a rest area to get out and eat
if you can - 8-9 hours in a car seems like a LONG trip without stops.

I would suggest that even with two people driving, that is a long
time to be on the road without real sleep. Be smart, if you feel
drowsy at all, pull over. People have a funny habit of driving off
the road when they fall asleep behind the wheel.

nancy

Mordechai Housman said:

I'm going to be on the road for about 8 or 9 hours, with a stopover for
a few hours,and then 8 or 9 hours back.

We will be traveling there during the day, and returning at night.

It will be my wife and I, and a nine-year-old boy.

What would you suggest I pack for food for these three people?

Mordechai

I raised 3 boys, did car vacations as long as 9 days where we were
driving as much as every other day for most of the day. I reccommend
Valium. If you're driving, give it to the kids. If you're not driving,
take it yourself! 🙂

salgud said:

I raised 3 boys, did car vacations as long as 9 days where we were
driving as much as every other day for most of the day. I reccommend
Valium. If you're driving, give it to the kids. If you're not driving,
take it yourself! 🙂

I had three brothers. When we hit the road my father stopped when we arrived
at our destination.

Mordechai Housman said:

I'm going to be on the road for about 8 or 9 hours, with a stopover for
a few hours,and then 8 or 9 hours back.

We will be traveling there during the day, and returning at night.

It will be my wife and I, and a nine-year-old boy.

What would you suggest I pack for food for these three people?

Mordechai

we take lots of trail mix, dried fruit, nuts, etc. Nonperishable and
can be eaten over the course of the trip if not finished in the car. I
also usually grab granola bars, bake some sturdy cookies, and take some
processed cheese (Babybel mini-wheels). Juice boxes and water bottles.
Maybe some veggies - baby acrrots, peas in the pod, celery sticks, etc.
I like crunchy stuff in small bites to keep me going. Sometimes we pop
popcorn, spray it with PAM, and sprinkle it with parmesan for the road.

Mordechai Housman said:

I'm going to be on the road for about 8 or 9 hours, with a stopover for
a few hours,and then 8 or 9 hours back.

We will be traveling there during the day, and returning at night.

It will be my wife and I, and a nine-year-old boy.

What would you suggest I pack for food for these three people?

A small cooler with fruit and bottled water is fine... perhaps a box of
graham crackers.

Eat moderately before you depart. Plan a one hour stop for lunch...
gotta stretch those legs.. and don't eat a heavy meal. Since you're
doing a quick turn around, only a couple three hours, then eat another
light meal after arriving at your destination.

You don't want to eat any heavy foods when driving all day and night or
you'll have a heck of a time staying alert enough to drive safely. And
stick to the big chain eateries and truck stops at the interstate rest
areas, they are much less prone to spreading food borne illnesses than
out of the way in-town stand alone joints... nothing ruins a trip more
than half way through you get the [censored] because you couldn't resist the
all you can eat chili dawg special at "Ramone's Tex Mex".

When I used to do long road trips (and I did lots) I mostly stopped to
eat at stupidmarkets... shop the aisles for whatever you like even if
it's only a package of rolls and a couple packs of sliced cheeze and
turkey off the rack. Or splurge at the deli counter... turkey, ham,
roast beef sandwiches (stay clear of salty salami/balogna type stuff),
a small salad, a couple pieces of fruit, a big wedge of watermelon is
good, and a cold soft drink. Find a park bench to eat and then walk
about for a while... an hour later you'll be all refreshed to continue.

Actually if you're not a very experienced long distance driver then the
kind of trip you're planning is extremely ill advised, I very strongly
suggest you stop for a night's rest at a Super 8 or some such before
driving home. And you're obviously not any kind of an experienced long
distance driver or you'd not be asking something so basic as what to
eat. Be safe rather than sorry, do not attempt it, especially not
with a 9 year old. You'd be taking a horrendous risk driving all night
right after driving all day... even professional 18 wheeler truckers
don't do 18 hour hauls with no sleep.

You're obviously trying to save the price of a motel room, you're nuts.

Sheldon

Mordechai Housman said:

I'm going to be on the road for about 8 or 9 hours, with a stopover for
a few hours,and then 8 or 9 hours back.

We will be traveling there during the day, and returning at night.

It will be my wife and I, and a nine-year-old boy.

What would you suggest I pack for food for these three people?

Mordechai

We just did a car trip over the weekend and I was going to post about
food, but it occurred to me that a nine hour drive with no rest and
then nine hours back is not safe. Even if you take turns driving, the
other person is not really resting. Nine hours is a LONG time to drive
and you will be exhausted by the time you get there, and in no shape to
just hop back in the car and drive another nine hours. Please spend
the night at your destination or don't take the trip. Even if this is
some kind of emergency, you shouldn't do it the way you described.
Good luck.

Crispee

aem said:

Cash or a credit card. For several reasons it's much better to stop
for a while and get something to eat. Take apples or bananas, maybe,
and some water. But don't be planning on driving nonstop for many
hours without any kind of break or walking around time. -aem

Stopping at restaurants can take up a huge amount of time. An 8 hour
drive can turn into 10.

We drove across country every summer. The trick with kids is to get an
early start to the drive. I mean daybreak. Kid sleeps for two hours in
the car. Stop at a park or rest stop and have breakfast. For us, these
car trips were the only time Mom would buy Cocoa Puffs and Frosted
Flakes cereal instead of Cheerios or Total or something healthy. She'd
buy a small container of milk at the 7-11 for the cereal. Don't bother
trying to pack leftover milk. It always spills. Lunch was a stop at a
park, where we were supposed "run our legs off." Mom would set the
picnic table, and we would play on the swings. We'd eat sandwiches and
homemade cookies. The lunchbox went right back in the trunk of the car,
and we were off again. We could get exercise and eat lunch in about 30
minutes. If you go to a restaurant, you have to sit still, when you
don't want to. We did stop early at the end of the day, usually at a
motel with a pool so we could swim while Mom and Dad had a martini.
Then, we'd go out for a hamburger and go to bed early. Same thing the
next morning. Mom brought the coffee pot and it started the brewing at
5 a.m. for her and Dad. We, the kids, were placed in the back seat,
still sleeping, in our jammies. When we woke up, we'd already traveled
200 miles.

Mom made chocolate drop cookies with chocolate frosting for these
trips. This is the only time she made these kind for some reason.
Perhaps, she felt they held up well in the "lunch box" for two or three
days.

Karen

Dave Smith said:

I had three brothers. When we hit the road my father stopped when we arrived
at our destination.

I don't like to stop, either. Pit stops need to coincide with bathroom
stops.

Driving SF to LA on I-5, you just want to get there. Afterall,
Disneyland usually stays open late on Friday nights!

Karen

Sheldon said:

You're obviously trying to save the price of a motel room, you're nuts.

Maybe not. A week vacation filled with 4 days driving is not enough
time vacationing. Two drivers can do 8-9 hours, no problem.

Karen

Mordechai Housman said:

I'm going to be on the road for about 8 or 9 hours, with a stopover for
a few hours,and then 8 or 9 hours back.

We will be traveling there during the day, and returning at night.

It will be my wife and I, and a nine-year-old boy.

What would you suggest I pack for food for these three people?

I don't know about food, but it sounds like a slightly insane trip to
me... if I was your wife I'd be insisting on stopping for the night in
a motel (even a motel 6!) and then driving back in the morning. You're
talking about a 24-hour day here, which would be absolutely
exhausting...

As for food for the trip, when we travel I pack a bag with
non-perishable snacks. Some jellybeans or similar candies for energy,
nuts are good for protein, homemade or bought cookies, and some
crackers. Real food can be obtained from a store enroute - with a
drive that long you'll HAVE to make at least one meal stop on the way.

Karen said:

aem said:

Cash or a credit card. For several reasons it's much better to stop
for a while and get something to eat. Take apples or bananas, maybe,
and some water. But don't be planning on driving nonstop for many
hours without any kind of break or walking around time. -aem

Stopping at restaurants can take up a huge amount of time. An 8 hour
drive can turn into 10.

Only if you stay for two hours.
Driving for 8 hours straight is a bad idea. The driver gets bored and risks
falling asleep. Kids get bored and restless. It is a good idea to stop
every few hours and walk around for a few minutes and get the blood
flowing.

Quoted message said:

We drove across country every summer. The trick with kids is to get an
early start to the drive. I mean daybreak. Kid sleeps for two hours in
the car.

That is a good way to travel. Five years ago I went on a trip to Europe
with two of my brothers and their wives. My wife could not get the time
off work. While both brothers, one SiL and I were all early risers, were
late getting going every morning because the other SiL liked to sleep later
and have a leisurely breakfast. We never hit the road until about 11 am.
That late start meant driving all day and then grabbing a hotel around 7 pm
and not having time to look around.

I took my wife back two years later and did a similar circuit. She and I
were down for the breakfast buffet just about as soon as it was opened. We
had a nice leisurely breakfast, then back to the room to get our stuff,
check out and were on the road by about 8 am. We could travel for about 6
hours to get to our next destination, stop for a bite, grab a hotel and
have the rest of the afternoon and the evening to enjoy the place.

Karen said:

Dave Smith said:

I had three brothers. When we hit the road my father stopped when we arrived
at our destination.

I don't like to stop, either. Pit stops need to coincide with bathroom
stops.

Bathroom breaks?? Not with my father at the wheel.

Karen said:

Sheldon said:

You're obviously trying to save the price of a motel room, you're nuts.

Maybe not. A week vacation filled with 4 days driving is not enough
time vacationing. Two drivers can do 8-9 hours, no problem.

But it's not a week's trip - he specifically says they're driving to
their destination and only stopping for two or three hours... I assume
for a wedding or funeral or something of that sort... and then turning
around and driving the same distance again (so I assume back home).
Now THAT seems nuts to me.

Karen AKA Kajikit said:

But it's not a week's trip - he specifically says they're driving to
their destination and only stopping for two or three hours... I assume
for a wedding or funeral or something of that sort... and then turning
around and driving the same distance again (so I assume back home).
Now THAT seems nuts to me.

Just with the price of gasoline to consider, it doesn't seem worth it
to me, either.

Karen

Sheldon said:

Mordechai Housman said:

I'm going to be on the road for about 8 or 9 hours, with a stopover for
a few hours,and then 8 or 9 hours back.

We will be traveling there during the day, and returning at night.

It will be my wife and I, and a nine-year-old boy.

What would you suggest I pack for food for these three people?

A small cooler with fruit and bottled water is fine... perhaps a box of
graham crackers.

Eat moderately before you depart. Plan a one hour stop for lunch...
gotta stretch those legs.. and don't eat a heavy meal. Since you're
doing a quick turn around, only a couple three hours, then eat another
light meal after arriving at your destination.

You don't want to eat any heavy foods when driving all day and night or
you'll have a heck of a time staying alert enough to drive safely. And
stick to the big chain eateries and truck stops at the interstate rest
areas, they are much less prone to spreading food borne illnesses than
out of the way in-town stand alone joints... nothing ruins a trip more
than half way through you get the [censored] because you couldn't resist the
all you can eat chili dawg special at "Ramone's Tex Mex".

When I used to do long road trips (and I did lots) I mostly stopped to
eat at stupidmarkets... shop the aisles for whatever you like even if
it's only a package of rolls and a couple packs of sliced cheeze and
turkey off the rack. Or splurge at the deli counter... turkey, ham,
roast beef sandwiches (stay clear of salty salami/balogna type stuff),
a small salad, a couple pieces of fruit, a big wedge of watermelon is
good, and a cold soft drink. Find a park bench to eat and then walk
about for a while... an hour later you'll be all refreshed to continue.

Actually if you're not a very experienced long distance driver then the
kind of trip you're planning is extremely ill advised, I very strongly
suggest you stop for a night's rest at a Super 8 or some such before
driving home. And you're obviously not any kind of an experienced long
distance driver or you'd not be asking something so basic as what to
eat. Be safe rather than sorry, do not attempt it, especially not
with a 9 year old. You'd be taking a horrendous risk driving all night
right after driving all day... even professional 18 wheeler truckers
don't do 18 hour hauls with no sleep.

You must be hearing very different information that I'm getting.
Stories of truckers driving 24, 36 or more hours with short pitstops
are all over the media. It makes the roads very dangerous for the rest
of us. And them being on various forms of meth doesn't help much.

In my younger years, when I hitch-hiked all over the US, I got quite a
few rides with truckers. They used to tell me how long they'd been
driving, which was often way more than 18 hours.

When I was young, my first wife and I drove a number of times from
Tucson to New Jersey, both ways, and did it straight through, about 32
to 34 hours. No problem, never had a serious incident. If you're scared
to drive like that, you probably can't and shouldn't. We did it just
fine, many times. But "horrendous risk" is a horrendous overstatement.
Some risk, yes. But if you don't like taking risks, I suggest you sell
your car. Just pulling out of the driveway is a risk.

Quoted message said:

You're obviously trying to save the price of a motel room, you're nuts.

Sheldon