This is something that I always discuss with my family, the fact of always being prepared on trips, we always carry our food, water and any other suplements we might need on the way to our destination, we always avoid stopping on the road and likewise, restaurants.. Do you actually get ready for trips or you stop on the road to eat?
Just as long as you have a cooler then bringing foods for long trips is fine. At the same time if it is cold, you just might be tempted to go to a restaurant for a hot meal. I think snacks are a good idea for very large families. This definitely helps saving money then. If the kids are old enough and are working then it might be OK to go to a restaurant as long as everyone chips in. Besides, you might discover a new favorite dish.
I always take food along on trips, but it depends who I go with whether we stop as well or not. One member of the family, who always insists they drive, always stops at restaurants and goes in, orders loads of food and expects everyone to chip in regardless of having their own food with them. Most of the time I also can't eat what they buy as I have allergies.
It ultimately depends on the nature of the trip. If it's a leisurely trip that covers a short distance, say an hour or so ride, I'd be all right preparing food for that specific trip. However, if the trip covers a long distance, half a day for example, it would be more convenient to just buy food at road restaurants or a nearby fast food. That way, you do not have to be bothered with the tupperware or plastic containers you need to wash once you get home. Long-distance trips are particularly exhausting. It's better to reserve your energy so that you will have enough left when you arrive at your destination.
Well, I have a two-year-old daughter so we always have snacks on hand anytime we leave the house. But, I absolutely love stopping by little reaturaunts on the road... you can find some real gems out there! But, I always go to the bathroom before ordering. If the bathroom is dirty then we leave because if they don't keep the places costumers see clean... imagine what the areas we don't look like! Food poisioning on the road is terrible! Way worse than at home!
I really think that it could be a whole different story when going with kids, they always wannatake a look at everything and it is not bad to show them new stuff, I am highly agree with your thought.
ALWAYS bring food. So much cheaper and better for you! My wife makes these amazing chicken salad sandwiches when we go on the road. BUT I do like trying new things. So when we get to where we are going, we ask the locals for a good place for dinner that's locally owned and hopefully has some craft beer too! This way we save a bit of money so we can afford a nice meal or two. Way better then what my friends do which is eat fast food the whole trip.
I think it's always best to buy as much provisions as possible because I find service stations very pricey, even for the most basic items. So we always come prepared with water, drinks, wet wipes,sunscreen, toilet rolls, and a few snacks. If it's a very long road trip, then we may want to break it up and have a hot meal somewhere along the way, as well as stretch our legs and basically just take a break before continuing on our way. It can really save you a lot of money.
I have to say when we go on a road trip we are prepared. My husband will even pack the potty for our 6 year old just in case he needs it and there is no where to use a washroom. It has come in very handy. When it comes to food, I always pack a cooler with drinks, juice boxes, yogurt, sandwiches, cut up fruit or veggies. Then I'll pack some snacks like chips, popcorn, granola bars in another bag. It's so handy and saves so much time and money when the kids can snack in the car while we drive somewhere. I find road side restaurants expensive and usually the quality of the food is minimal at best.
We will usually buy on the road, the only longer trip we do by car is to my hometown and we already know all the good places to get some food on the road, so we actually crave sometimes to stop by some of those places and grab something to eat there! I did bring food a couple times, but those are when we are on an extreme budget and can't afford to be eating out.
Yes! I love showing my daughter all the different things out there and giving her as many new experiences as I can. But, I also have to be prepared to leave some place fast because two-year-olds can get cranky and sometimes she throws fits in public places and we have to leave in a hurry.
We really try to prep our lunches, drinks and snacks in advance because you will not believe who much money you can end up spending at gas stations and in other towns. Cool water in a lunch bag with an ice pack is a must, granola bars and some fresh fruit or veggies. Light snacks that won't make you feel bloated are always best and sandwiches are great to eat while on the road too because they are portable.
If we're going on a long trip where we'd need to eat multiple times in the car then we'd prepare some so that we could at least save on some money and time because buying from convenience stores at gas stations isn't all that cheap. I it's just a short trip then we'd just consider it a bit of luxury and buy some food on the way. Sometimes we just settle on a compromise and instead we just bring our own drinks which tends to be the most expensive purchases at these stops usually.
My favorite food for the trip is the boiled corn that we buy in the roadside. Especially when going to the beach resort, I would usually buy 20 pieces of boiled corn which was cooked right there on the roadside. And those corn were newly harvested so they are so sweet. What's best in corn is... it is much cheaper than having snack in a fastfood outlet. Can you imagine how much money we could save when there were about 10 of us?
If I am able to store the food safely in my car, I will take it with me, however if I know that it is going to be very hot or if the trip will take more than a day or two I will buy food along the way, as it is safer to store. It is a shame that I cannot do it all the time, but ultimately I do have to make sure that I think about the safety of the food rather than the price sometimes.
It depends. When I was in college, some of my friends used to prepare tiny meals, sandwiches etc. for the road and I never thought it was a bad idea. But, as far as I am concerned, I am way too lazy to do anything like that especially for the journey. I mean, I actually like buying pringles and all for the trip instead of carrying stuff from home and I love exploring new restaurants on the road as well.
For long trips we just buy our food as we travel, like when we see a fastfood chain then we just stop over there and eat as compared to bringing food on trips, because you'll never know if the food will get spoiled along the way.
Yeah. That is always a big concern for me as well. The food may (usually does) get spoiled. I don't have a mini-fridge or something in my car (though that would be cool). Also, things leak and then the car smells weird throughout the trip.
Perhaps spend some time on Google maps, looking up various eating joints that you'll be passing by during your trip. You may find some hidden gems offering cheap eats, and can decide on where you will be eating in advance, and how much money to budget for it. I could go either way on bringing your own food vs. eating out. The hassle with bringing your own meals is that you're going to have to lug along a large cooler, which will also need to be filled with ice. The food may become soggy or lukewarm along the way. Plus the other passengers may become anxious to get out of the car a bit and stretch out and relax for a while. There are many small diners out there where you can often get great deals on food. There's a diner near me for example that offers $1.99 breakfast specials on Saturday mornings. That's even cheaper than going to McDonald's. Or there may be some mom & pop pizza joint offering specials on a large pizza that you can all split, for like less than $10. Many Chinese takeout joints offer lunch specials between like noon and 3pm, so you could perhaps have an early "dinner" close to 3pm, by splitting a couple lunch specials among all of you. Or look for bars offering "happy hour" food specials in the evenings.
I always take food with me just in case, but I am not opposed to stopping at places to try things I could never try. It isn't so much about the cost of the food so much as trying new things, and that has its own value to me.
