Travelling might be most people’s least favourite part of the holidays. Having to travel with home-made foods can make it even more of a hassle.
If you are looking to bring along some prepared foods for your celebrations, think ahead and make a plan before you start packing the car. You do not want to end up with dry ham or a smashed pie.
Here are a few tips for travelling with food for the holidays so you can keep your food fresh and secure on the drive ahead.
Get a cooler
First things first, if you want to bring food you want to eat in your new home, consider using a cooler as storage. This allows you to bring all sorts of food you want.
Plan ahead
The next step is to plan. You want a memorable holiday experience, but not one tainted by food-borne illness. “Shelf stable” foods can be safely stored at room temperature.
Be aware that not all canned goods are shelf-stable. Some canned foods, such as canned ham and seafood, are not safe at room temperature. These will say “keep refrigerated” somewhere on the label.
Perishable foods are likely to spoil or become unsafe if not kept refrigerated at 4 degrees Celsius or below.
Examples of perishable foods include meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, and all cooked foods. If you are travelling with perishable foods, place them in a cooler with ice or freezer packs.
Have plenty of ice or frozen gel packs on hand before starting to pack the food. If you are bringing perishable foods along to eat while travelling, or to cook at your destination, plan to keep everything on ice in your cooler.
Choose sturdy and leak-proof containers
Opt for durable containers with tight-fitting lids to prevent any spills or leaks during the journey. This will keep your food fresh and avoid any messy situations.
Choose the food containers sensibly
Luckily, there are numerous options available to contain the foods safely while travelling. Not only do food containers come in different sizes but also in various shapes to pack smartly.
Let us talk about the snack stacks which are multi-compartment containers to place different snacks in one place. The stacks in such containers make them ideal snack containers for kids who want to eat a variety of snacks.
In addition to being handy, they are pocket-friendly as well. Additionally, it is a sensible approach not to keep any glass container in your baggage as it is easily breakable and, thus, can be harmful.
Not only can the container break easily with a sudden jerk of the vehicle, but the food item will also get wasted if it is kept inside it. Moreover, it is heavy so you cannot easily carry it everywhere.
Pack healthy snacks
It is always a good idea to pack snacks for any road trip. Packing snacks will help you to avoid spending too much on fast food while travelling.
You can ensure that you have enough to eat by making sandwiches ahead of time with things like peanut butter, honey, and bananas. Sandwiches are easy to eat without utensils.
However, this does not mean you should avoid packing utensils altogether since they may become necessary at some point. Make sure you pack disposable plastic ones so you do not have to wash them.
Label the food items
Consider labelling your dry and boxed items, and clearly label perishable items as well. You can even separate your canned goods and spices.
It helps ensure you take your perishables in mind and know everything about your items without having to open anything.
Use condiment packets
Big bottles of tomato sauce, mustard, and mayonnaise take up a lot of space, plus they need to be refrigerated after they are opened. Instead, try stocking up on individual condiment packets.
These packets can be stowed easily and will not take up precious space in your cooler. Plus you can use just as much as you need, and you will not be left with many half-full bottles.
Consider how you will go about cooking it
If you are staying in hostels, most will have kitchens, but some will not. Have a few items that do not require heating. It is generally easy to find boiling water.