What to eat on long trips (specifically a train)

One of the most challenging things of going on a long car ride (or train trip) is finding the right kind of snacks or food to bring with you.  In my particular case, I needed to find things to bring that did not require refrigeration or microwaving, as I won't have access to a refrigerator or microwave on the train.

The train does sell hot meals in their dining car, but I would rather save myself $10+ per meal and eat my own food as much as I can.  I do plan on buying one hot meal per day, however, so I will update folks later on just how good or bad train food is.  All my culinary 'Chopped' and Food Network experience is going to come into play for that post (and future ones about the cuisine aboard the Disney Fantasy and at Walt Disney World ;-) ).

The next trick: coming up with foods that taste good and travel well.

One of the best travel foods to take along on the road are PB&J sandwiches.  Also known as peanut butter and jelly, to those of you who have forgotten what it is to be in kindergarten.  Or even college; PB&J is the staple of most college kid pantries.  For my upcoming train travels, I bought individual peanut butter packages, and the smallest jelly I could find that squeezes out.  Two great items that don't have to be refrigerated.  For the bread, I bought some sandwich thins.  I think they will hold up to travel better than wheat bread, which is prone to squishing.

If you are not into PB&J, you could try tuna or chicken sandwiches.  They have packets in the condiments isle of StarKist tuna which you only need to add mayo to in order to enjoy.  Buy (or hit up your local Panera Bread) some individual sized mayo packets for a very easy and portable tuna sandwich.  There are also many brands of pre-cooked soup that, if you don't mind eating it at room temperature, could also be consumed on the train.  If you are friends with anyone in the military, you could always beg a few MRE's off of them!

Most veggies and fruits will hold up fairly well without refrigeration as well.  I am a big fan of carrots and ranch, and finding small, travel-size ranches is easier than you think.  Just head to your favorite fast food and order something to eat; ask for a couple of sides of ranch, and you're good to go!  You might want to order more than just one thing off the dollar menu, though, if you ask for more than 2 or 3 ranch sides.  Whole apples and bananas also travel well to a certain extent; just pack them as best you can so they don't bruise.  There is no weight limitation to what you carry on the train with you, so you can bring some of those little fruit cups or even an entire can of crushed pineapple if that's your thing.  Just don't forget a spoon!  I am bringing some fruit leather, as it tastes just as good as real fruit, but is easier to transport.

I've read mixed reviews about the taste of water on the Amtrak trains, so to combat this issue, I bought a water bottle that filters water.  I liked the size of this water bottle compared to some of the others; it holds 600 mL of water.  It's big, but not huge, and it was cheaper than many other filters (at Target it cost $19.99).  It also comes in several colors like teal, pink and black; I bought the blue color.  According to the packaging, it helps with the chlorinated taste that many public water sources have due to cities treating water mainly with chlorine.  The filter lasts for about 300 refills, or 3 months, if you refill the bottle 3-4 times per day.  The bottle is BPA free, and dishwasher safe.  It can contain liquids ranging in temperatures from 34°F to 100°F.  It is important to note this bottle is only intended for use with potable water.  Don't stick it in the nearest river and think you'll be fine!

Lastly, don't forget to stock up on things like granola bars, protein bars, something salty like pretzels and chips, and a good supple of healthy snacks like fruit leather.  Chocolate is always good to bring along for a quick pick me up, as well.  The very first picture in this post is a sample of some of the stuff I bought.  I didn't take a picture of the fruits, protein bars, and veggies that are also packed in my bag for this extensive trip.

I hope this posting helps people come up with some good ideas for travel food :)  Let me know what your favorite travel foods are in the comments!