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25 Best Road Trip Snacks- Healthy Foods Your Kids Will Love!

Hey friends! Packing snacks is one of the easiest ways to save money on a road trip. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to pack for a road trip.  It’s easy to grab a bunch of small bags of chips, and cookies, and call it a day.  But, foods like that aren’t going to keep your kids (and yourself) full.  Packing more nutritious snacks will help your family stay full longer.

  This week we’re sharing 25 of the Best Road Trip Snacks that have been road-tested by our family.  

Benefits of Packing Snacks for a Road Trip

  • Saves Money – Avoid expensive and overpriced gas station or fast-food stops.

  • Healthier Choices – You can bring nutritious snacks instead of relying on processed fast food.

  • Saves Time – Reduces unnecessary stops, allowing you to stay on schedule.

  • Keeps Everyone Happy – Prevents hunger-related crankiness, especially for kids.

  • Caters to Dietary Needs – Ensures options for allergies, preferences, or special diets.

  • More Variety – You can pack a mix of sweet, salty, and protein-packed snacks to keep things interesting.

  • Reduces Food Waste – Use up food from home instead of letting it go bad.

  • Emergency Backup – Useful in case of unexpected delays, traffic, or breakdowns.

  • Keeps Energy Levels Up – Helps drivers and passengers stay alert and refreshed.

  • Encourages Hydration – If you pack water bottles, it ensures everyone stays hydrated.

25 Best Road Trip Snacks

Healthy Snacks 🥦🍎

  1. Fresh Fruit (apples, grapes, berries – easy to eat, no mess)
  2. Baby Carrots & Hummus (crunchy, nutritious, and satisfying)
  3. Celery & Peanut Butter (add raisins for “ants on a log”!)
  4. String Cheese (protein-packed and fun for kids)
  5. Dried Fruit 
  6. Greek Yogurt Pouches (less mess than regular yogurt)
  7. Trail Mix (customizable with nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate)

Savory & Crunchy Snacks 🥨🧀

  1. Beef Jerky (protein-rich and long-lasting)
  2. Popcorn (light and crunchy, perfect for munching)
  3. Cheese Crackers (like Cheez-Its or Goldfish, a kid favorite!)
  4. Pretzels (salty and satisfying)
  5. Roasted Chickpeas (crunchy and packed with protein)
  6. Rice Cakes with Peanut Butter (easy to pack and filling)
  7. Veggie Chips (a healthier alternative to potato chips)

Sweet Treats 🍫🍪

  1. Granola Bars (great for energy without a sugar crash)
  2. Dark Chocolate Squares (a little indulgence without melting too fast)
  3. Fruit Leather (like fruit roll-ups but healthier)
  4. Oatmeal Cookies (a sweet treat with fiber!)
  5. Dried Mango Slices (chewy and naturally sweet)

Classic & Indulgent Road Trip Snacks 🍩🍩

  1. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches (classic and easy to eat)
  2. Muffins (banana, blueberry, or chocolate chip are great choices)
  3. Mini Donuts (fun and easy to eat, but be ready for powdered sugar mess!)
  4. Gummy Bears (a little sugar boost for long drives)
  5. Chex Mix (a mix of flavors and textures)
  6. Chips & Salsa (or Guacamole Cups) (for those who love a little spice)

How We Pack Our Road Trip Snacks

For our longer road trips, I’ll pack the kids a lunch or a snack box.  These Bento Boxes are excellent for road trips.  This box pictured (left) is great for a small sandwich and snacks.  This box has a space large enough for a sandwich.

On shorter road trips, I’ll pack these awesome cups for the kids.  The bottom part holds a drink and the top has a cup that is perfect for trail mix, or other finger foods.

Bonus Tips for Road Trip Snacking 🚙💡

  • Pack napkins & wet wipes – for inevitable messes.
  • Use resealable containers or Ziploc bags – keep things fresh and portioned.
  • Bring a small cooler – for items like yogurt, cheese, and fruit.
  • Stay hydrated! – Pack reusable water bottles or flavored sparkling water.

Closing Thoughts

Despite my best efforts to pack healthy snacks, the minute our kids see a sign for Buc-ees, we make plans to stop.  What are some of your road trip must-haves? What would you add to the list?

Free Family Road Trip Starter Kit

🎶 Ready to hit the road with magic in the speakers?

Don’t forget to grab our FREE Family Road Trip Starter Kit — packed with printable checklists, kid-approved games, and snack ideas for your next adventure!

🎒 Includes:

  • Packing checklist

  • I Spy game

  • Travel Bingo boards

  • Snack list

  • Activity ideas

👉 Click here to download yours now!

Save a Pin & Start Planning Your Adventure

For future reference, be sure to save “25 Best Road Trip Snacks- Healthy Snacks Your Kids Will Love!”   Pin one of the images below to Pinterest.  Go ahead and follow 5 Suitcases on Pinterest while you’re at it!

Use our post “How to Plan a Road Trip the Whole Family Will Love” to help you start planning your family adventures.  See how we pack our car, check out our road trip essentials, and view our Ultimate Family Road Trip Playlist.

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Favorites List Gift Guide Road Trip 101 Travel Tips

How to Survive a Road Trip with Kids: Entertainment Ideas for a Stress-Free Ride

Our kids have become road trip experts at 7, 7, and 10 years of age.  They’ve been going on long car trips for as long as they can remember.  Our standard road trips are about 7 hours long, but they’ve spent as much as 12 hours in the car. 

Since they were about 4, they have been responsible for packing their own “Adventure Bags”.  Adventure bags are backpacks full of things to keep them occupied while they’re being chauffeured around the country.  Here are our kids favorite things to pack for a road trip.

Smiley's Travel Essentials

Now that our daughter Smiley is 11, her adventure bag looks a little different than it did when she was younger.  Before she was all about drawing and coloring while we were in the car, now she’s more into playing games.

Here are our daughter’s road trip essentials:

Nintendo Switch
Road Trip Trivia
Guess in 10
Car Backseat Organizer
Origami Puzzle Game
On the Go Games
Travel Pillow
Smartest in the Car
Kanoodle

 

The Boys Travel Essentials

The twins are now 7 and are at the age where they are obsessed with video games, but they can also still entertain themselves with things like Wikki Stix, magnetic tiles, and cars.

Here are our boys road trip essentials:

Nintendo Switch
Doodle Tablets
Wikki Stix
Car Bingo
Mini Magnetic Tiles
Magnetic Men

Our Road Trip Playlist

It wouldn’t be a proper road trip without a bangin’ playlist. Head on over to Spotify to listen to our Road Trip Playlist. The playlist is full of some of our favorite jams and road trip classics.

You’ll hear everything from Jellyroll and Fall Out Boy to Taylor Swift and Queen.  There’s a little something for everybody. 

When we go on trips, we sprinkle in songs that mention the places on our itinerary.  

Road Trip Planning

Want to plan a killer road trip but you’re not quite sure where to start?  We’ve mapped out our tried and true way of planning a road trip the whole family will enjoy!

In this post, we outline:

  • How to pick a destination
  • Our research tips
  • Budgeting
  • Lodging tips
  • Our road trip essentials

Free Family Road Trip Starter Kit

🎶 Ready to hit the road with magic in the speakers?

Don’t forget to grab our FREE Family Road Trip Starter Kit — packed with printable checklists, kid-approved games, and snack ideas for your next adventure!

🎒 Includes:

  • Packing checklist

  • I Spy game

  • Travel Bingo boards

  • Snack list

  • Activity ideas

👉 Click here to download yours now!

Save a Pin & Start Planning Your Adventure

📌 Save this post to Pinterest
📸 Follow us on Instagram @5suitcases
👍 Follow us on Facebook @5suitcases
▶️ Subscribe on YouTube @5suitcases

*5 Suitcases is an Amazon affiliate.  If you purchase something from our website, we earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Categories
Favorites List Playlist Travel Tips

Ultimate Family Road Trip Playlist: 50 Best Road Trip Songs

There’s nothing quite like hitting the open road with the windows down, the cruise control set, and a jammin’ playlist pulsating through the speakers.  A good road trip playlist is essential for getting your vacation started on a high note.  And by high note, I mean it makes being trapped in a car with the whole family slightly more bearable.  😉

We’re heading out on a road trip soon, so I’m compiling The Ultimate Family Road Trip Playlist.  It’s a collection of bangers- both new and old.  Our family’s taste in music is all over the place: Fall Out Boy, Taylor Swift, Elton John, etc.  Our playlist includes a bit of everyone’s favorite all mixed up together.

Playing music in the car is a great way to expose your kiddos to some of your favorite songs.  Might as well start teaching them to love your favorite band from high school while they’re young.  

How to Create the Ultimate Family Road Trip Playlist:

A family road trip playlist should include a mix of songs that everyone in the family enjoys.   Our list has songs spanning 50 years of music!  Our kids have been exposed to music across all genres from the last several decades.  Try introducing your kids to Aerosmith, Elton John, or Queen.  Chances are, they’ll dig it.

Our Ultimate Family Road Trip Playlist also includes some of my favorite songs from when I was in high school.  Might as well introduce the babes to the heroes of the boyband era while they’re young, right?  Sprinkle in some BSB, *NSYNC, and Hanson and you’ll be amazed at how quickly the miles will pass by.

 There should be a combo of upbeat and slow songs to suit different moods. Oh…and they should also be songs that have high sing-along potential.

You can also include songs that are specific to the places you’re visiting.

Tips for creating the ultimate family playlist:
    • Pick a strong opener: Start the playlist with a strong song- one that everyone loves!  
    • Time the tempo: Consider the tempo of the songs. 
    • Mix it up: Include a variety of genres and songs. 
    • Avoid music that’s too chill or hyped up: Choose songs that help you stay alert and level-headed. Some good genres for driving include rock, pop, and hip-hop

On our next road trip, we’ll be driving from Florida all the way up to West Virginia.  So, I headed over to Spotify and typed “Florida” “Georgia” “South Carolina” “North Carolina” “Carolina” “Virginia” and “West Virginia” into the search bar.  You’ll be amazed at how many songs pop up!  I previewed a handful of them and added them to our Spotify playlist.  Many of these songs will be new to use, but it’ll be fun for the kids to hear the names of these states in the songs.

We’ll also be visiting Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware, so I ran a similar search.  I did the same for some of the cities we’ll be staying in.  Can you believe there’s actually a song about Hershey, Pennsylvania?  I would have never known!

50 Best Road Trip Songs

To help you get started, we’ve come up with a list of 50 of the Best Road Trip Songs to add to your playlist.  We only included 1 song by each artist- you could easily expand this list by adding more songs from these artists.  Can you ever have too much Taylor Swift on your playlist?  We don’t think so!

  1. Radioactive- Imagine Dragons
  2. Cruel Summer- Taylor Swift
  3. Shut Up and Dance- Walk The Moon
  4. Everybody Talks- Neon Trees
  5. I Want It That Way- Backstreet Boys
  6. Don’t Stop Believin’- Journey
  7. Tiny Dancer- Elton John
  8. Miles on It- Marshmello, Kane Brown
  9. Can’t Stop the Feeling- Justin Timberlake
  10. I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles )- The Proclaimers
  11. Old Town Road- Lil Nas X
  12. Since U Been Gone- Kelly Clarkson
  13. Bad Guy- Billie Eilish
  14. Bohemian Rhapsody- Queen
  15. Call Me- Blondie
  16. Livin’ On a Prayer- Bon Jovi
  17. Party in the USA- Miley Cyrus
  18. Who Let the Dogs Out- Baha Men
  19. Happy- Pharrell Williams
  20. Pumped Up Kicks- Foster the People
  21. We Didn’t Start the Fire- Fall Out Boy
  22. Beautiful Things- Benson Boone
  23. Roar- Katy Perry
  24. Thunderstruck- AC/DC
  25. It’s Gonna Be Me- *NSYNC
  26. Mr. Brightside- The Killers
  27. Sunflower- Post Malone
  28. MMMBop- Hanson
  29. Born to Run- Bruce Springsteen
  30. Beautiful People- Ed Sheeran
  31. Fast Car- Tracy Chapman
  32. Life is a Highway- Tom Cochrane
  33. We’re Not Going to Take It- Twisted Sister
  34. All Star- Smashmouth
  35. On The Open Road- A Goofy Movie Soundtrack
  36. I Gotta Feeling- The Black Eyed Peas
  37. Hotel California- Eagles
  38. Here I Go Again- Whitesnake
  39. Free Fallin’- Tom Petty
  40. Shut Up and Drive- Rihanna
  41. Wagon Wheel- Darius Rucker
  42. Take Me Out- Franz Ferdinand
  43. Sucker- Jonas Brothers
  44. Come on Eileen- Dexys Midnight Runners
  45. What Makes You Beautiful- One Direction
  46. Take Me Home, Country Roads- John Denver
  47. Friends in Low Places- Garth Brooks
  48. You’ve Got a Friend in Me- Randy Newman
  49. A Bar Song- Shaboozey
  50. Surface Pressure- Plain White T’s

Road Trip Planning

Want to plan a killer road trip but you’re not quite sure where to start?  We’ve mapped out our tried and true way of planning a road trip the whole family will enjoy!

In this post, we outline:

  • How to pick a destination
  • Our research tips
  • Budgeting
  • Lodging tips
  • Our road trip essentials

Read about how you can start your own 50 State Challenge!

Free Family Road Trip Starter Kit

🎶 Ready to hit the road with magic in the speakers?

Don’t forget to grab our FREE Family Road Trip Starter Kit — packed with printable checklists, kid-approved games, and snack ideas for your next adventure!

🎒 Includes:

  • Packing checklist

  • I Spy game

  • Travel Bingo boards

  • Snack list

  • Activity ideas

👉 Click here to download yours now!

Save a Pin & Start Planning Your Adventure!

For future reference, be sure to save our post “Ultimate Family Road Trip Playlist: 50 Best Road Trip Songs”!   Pin one of the images below to Pinterest.  Go ahead and follow 5 Suitcases on Pinterest while you’re at it!

📌 Save this post to Pinterest
📸 Follow us on Instagram @5suitcases
👍 Follow us on Facebook @5suitcases
▶️ Subscribe on YouTube @5suitcases

Categories
Belize Bonaire BVI Caribbean Central America Cruise Travel Favorites List Honduras St. Thomas Tortola USVI

My Top 5 Favorite Caribbean Cruise Ports

Caye Caulker

I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to many of the Caribbean islands. Between all of my cruises, I’ve traveled to roughly 20 ports. Some of them have been absolutely incredible whereas others pale in comparison. I’m often asked what my favorite Caribbean cruise ports are and boy, is that a tough question!

About the Caribbean

The corners of the Caribbean are very different. In the Eastern Caribbean, you have stunning volcanic islands covered in white sandy beaches and lush green rainforests and canopies. In the Western Caribbean, you’ll find adventures around every corner! The Southern Caribbean is very chill and laid back with a heavy European influence.

My Favorite Caribbean Cruise Ports

It’s hard to narrow my favorite port down to just one… so I’m going to attempt to narrow it down to five, which believe me is also quite the challenge. Even as I jotted down this list, my mind changed at least three times.

Belize

Belize is without a doubt my favorite country in the world (so far!). I’ve been to over 20 countries and nothing compares to this incredible, or dare I say un-Belize-able place! Belize is most certainly a diamond in the rough.

Over the last 10 years, I have visited 6 times and the country has grown so much, thanks to tourism. I have had some pretty incredible adventures in Belize- ziplining, cave tubing, and swimming with sharks. I’ve traveled as far west as San Ignacio by the Guatemalan border where you can explore the ancient Mayan ruins of Xuanantunich and Cahal Pech and as far north as the absolutely stunning Caye Caulker. Each and every time I visit I am amazed by how fabulous this place is!

Bonaire

Bonaire is small-town friendly and that’s not just because it’s only just over 100 square miles. The island is mostly inhabited by super friendly Dutch and vibrant pink flamingos, and it is surrounded by an absolutely stunning it. I have snorkeled many reefs in my day but none of them compare to how beautiful the reef surrounding the island. The reefs are protected as a marine eco-park so they remain untouched and unspoiled.

If you ever get a chance to visit Bonaire, jump on it! Be sure to check out our 5 favorite excursions on the island. You’ll seriously be missing out if you don’t!

Mahogany Bay/Roatan

There’s Roatan and then there’s Mahogany Bay. Let me preface this by saying that these are two very, very different places. Mahogany Bay is the area of Roatan that Carnival has developed into a gorgeous, picturesque beach conveniently located within walking distance from the ship. And then… there’s Roatan.

I’d pick Roatan over Mahogany Bay any day! Like Belize, Roatan, Honduras is a little rough around the edges. But remember, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. The island is surrounded by turquoise water and filled with picture-perfect beaches covered with giant palm trees. The West End of the island is perfect for snorkeling and relaxing on the beach. The island is also home to Little French Key, one of my favorite places to vacation.

Check out our favorite excursions in Mahogany Bay.

St. Thomas

One of the best things about St. Thomas is the fact that we Americans can visit without having a passport. That is because St. Thomas is located in the US Virgin Islands. St. Thomas is a truly beautiful place. The lush green hillsides are dotted with extravagant homes for the rich and famous. The beaches (like Magens Bay) are like nothing you could even imagine. Be sure to head on up to Paradise Point to check out the views from the top of the mountain.

Another reason I love St. Thomas so much is its proximity to nearby St. John. St. John is protected under the US National Park system so it has remained in pristine condition.

Tortola

England is one of my favorite countries, so it’s no surprise that I fell in love with Tortola. I know what you’re thinking; how can these two destinations be anything alike? You see, Tortola is part of the British Virgin Islands (BVI). It’s a lot like St. Thomas (see above) only heavily influenced by its European settlers; the British. We’re talking All Hail the Queen, red phone booths, and British accents. One of my favorite thing about Tortola is how well preserved their historic sites are. It is truly like you’re stepping back in time.

Let Us Help You Plan Your Trip

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Categories
Belize Central America Cruise Excursions Cruise Travel Favorites List UNESCO World Heritage Site

Top 5 Things to do in Belize- the land of History & Adventure

Belize owns my heart. I fell in love with it on my first visit in 2007 and keep coming back for more. I have now been to Belize countless times and will most definitely be returning. There is a TON of things to do in Belize in fact, there’s something for everyone! Whether you’re into history, culture, or adventure, this place has something for you!

A Little About Belize…

Belize is a beautiful country tucked in the middle of Central America near Honduras. Now… it isn’t your traditional beauty. The country itself is poor and most definitely still developing. While LFK is the ultimate paradise, Belize isn’t much of a looker. Belize, however, is a diamond in the rough. It has some serious potential.

The people of Belize are incredible. They are some of the most kind-hearted, welcoming, and appreciative people I’ve ever met. They are a huge part of why I love the country so much.

Belize and the Cruise Industry

Thanks to the cruise industry, Belize has become much more accessible to the average traveler. In fact, cruise ships drop anchor off of the coast of Belize City more than 330 times a year! More than 80% of the country’s visitors arrive via cruise ship.

If you arrive to Belize via cruise ship, I strongly suggest that you book an excursion. While Belize City is still developing as a tourist destination, there isn’t a ton to offer visitors just yet.

If you do not book an excursion then you will totally miss out on all of the incredible things Belize has to offer. Belize is the perfect location for adventurous travel. Between SCUBA Diving, Cave Tubing, Zip Lining, Caving, and all of the other outdoor activities, you’ll never be bored!

Our Top 5 Things to do in Belize:

Wading Through the Caves Branch River

Cave Tubing

Have you ever heard of cave tubing? Cave tubing is where you float on an inner tube on a river that winds through a cave. It is so relaxing and such a cool experience! Most cruise lines offer this excursion to its cruisers however it is also open to terrestrial travelers as well.

Cave tubing is available at the Jaguar Paw Cave near the capital city of Belmopan. It is located between Belize City and San Ignacio (home to a couple of Mayan Ruins).

From the parking lot, it’s a short hike through the jungle and a couple of river traverses before you hit the cave system. The caves are pitch black inside. The only light comes from your small headlamp. Parts of the cave have shallow water, just remember “Butts Up” and you’ll be alright!

El Castillo at Xunantunich

Visit the Ruins

Xunantunich may actually be my favorite Mayan ruins that I’ve been to. Xunantunich is located near the city of San Ignacio close to the Guatemalan border, about 80 miles west of Belize City. Part of what makes these ruins are so cool is the fact that you can actually climb to the top of El Castillo, the massive structure you see pictured above. The climb to the top is a little nerve-wracking but absolutely worth it. If you can summon the courage, you’ll be greeted by incredible views at the top.

I will say that the ruins do not offer the safety standards that many of us are used to, but at the same time how silly would the ruins look if they were covered in hand rails and protective barriers? Use your common sense and you should be fine. Parts of the climb are very narrow. I had to inch my way across a very narrow portion of the ruins. If you get scared, push through it!

Cahal Pech

You can actually see Cahal Pech from the top of Xunantunich. The two ancient cities were relatively close to one another. Cahal Pech is much smaller however, you’re able to explore many of the buildings and climb the pyramids. These ruins are much easier to climb than Xunantunich. If you are afraid of heights (or traveling with littles) but want the opportunity to truly explore Mayan ruins, then Cahal Pech is probably the best choice for you.

Zip Lining

Belize was the very first place that I tried zip lining. We booked a tour through Caves Branch. Interestingly, this was the same place that I had been cave tubing just years before. If you are a terrestrial traveler (rather than a cruiser) you could easily pair the two adventures together. You may also be interested in St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park and Five Blues Lake National Park.

The guides were extremely helpful. More importantly, they were patient with us scaredy cats! I felt that they did a fantastic job coaching everyone through their zip lining experience.

The Great Blue Hole

The Blue Hole may be one of Belize’s most famous sites. For ages, this was the main reason many people visited Belize. The Great Blue Hole is well-known for its diving and snorkeling. It is located about 43 miles north of Belize City.

In 2012, the Discovery Channel ranked it #1 on their list of “The 10 Most Amazing Places on Earth” and it is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Be sure to research the pre-requisites for divers before you book your trip. Most cruise lines offer excursions to this popular dive spot.

Nurse Sharks Greeting us at Shark & Ray Alley

Swim with Sharks & Rays

Imagine leaping into the middle of the sea and being completely surrounded by nurse sharks and stingrays. Talk about a rush! If you’re an adrenaline junkie, we suggest visiting Shark and Ray Alley.

This tourist hot spot is located near the stunning town of Ambergris Caye. Cruise lines offer excursions here and there are a couple of different companies that offer boat tours for terrestrial travelers.

You’ll be absolutely amazed at how gentle these nurse sharks are. Nurse sharks are slow-moving bottom-dwellers. They can grow up to 14 feet long and have thousands of teeth. Don’t let those teeth fool you though, nurse sharks are harmless (unless, of course, you step on one…).

While You’re in Belize

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