As it’s the time of year when more people are gearing up to travel for the holidays, I thought I’d write up some handy snacks you could take with you while you’re on-the-road. As someone who travels often at my day job as an Executive Producer in advertising, I have a stash of healthy travel snack ideas you can pull from here.

I often tell my clients that “failing to plan is planning to fail”. So if you want to ensure you’re not stuck with high-sugar, high-carb, high-gluten, processed foods that are most available in airports, train stations and gas stations, it’s a good idea to start your travels off well-prepared.

I usually just start with what I’ve got in my pantry. You’ve got to use up all the food before you leave anyway - so what are the things you can easily chop or cook to bring with you? Think of anything that’s fresh and unprocessed, ideally not out of a box.

Here are some ideas:

1. Nuts and Seeds

Raw or salted nuts and seeds are probably the easiest high protein snack you can reach for. And if you haven’t got these in your pantry, they’re usually easy to find in any convenience store. Stick to raw nuts and seeds like almonds, cashews, pistachios rather than peanuts (peanuts tend to be highest in mould).

2. Dried Fruit

If you’re looking for something a little more sweet, dried fruit is better than candy (I know so many of you like the gummies, but dried fruit is a much better alternative!)

Think of dried apricots, prunes, pineapples, apples… and as much as possible, look for the ones that are organic and preserved without sulphites.

3. Protein Bars

The best kind of snack is high in protein as it helps maintain your blood-sugar levels, keeping you feeling fuller for longer. So a good protein bar from any health food store is good. You need to read the label and ensure it’s not got processed sugar including any of these ingredients: raw cane sugar, brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup, anything ending in “-ose”.

The protein bars with the least amount of processed chemicals and highest amount of whole foods are the ones you want.

I like:

*If you have the time and inclination, you could even make your own protein balls before traveling. Recipes here:

(All chocolate, because I LOVE chocolate. LOL)

4. Herbal Tea (and Thermos!)

My number one go-to “must bring” on any trip is my trusty Klean Kanteen thermos. It doubles as my coffee mug when I buy a takeaway coffee (reduce single-use disposables!), but also because I love a good herbal tea throughout the day.

So - bring your own herbal tea bags! They bring a sense of warmth and comfort, especially when you’re in an unfamiliar place. And sometimes, it’s nice to end the day with a relaxing camomile or verbena tea.

Some good flavours to bring on the road:

Fennel, Ginger (to help with indigestion/ to help with digestion).
Licorice, Cinnamon (to help with stressful times/ work-stress/ family stress).
Camomile, Lemon balm/ Verbena (to help with relaxation, anxiety, calming).

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5. Fresh Fruit + Veggies

You need to clear the fridge out before you go, right? So chop up any of the leftover veggies you’ve got and turn them into veggie sticks you can bring with you on board that flight or train. They make for a better snack than the in-flight crap they’ll serve you.

6. Nut Butter

Another high-protein snack - bring a jar of nut butter with you. Think of: almond, cashew, tahini, hazelnut. You can use these as dips for those veggie sticks.

You could even make your own nut butter from whatever raw nuts you’ve got at home! Here’s how to make hazelnut butter (and turn it into nutella.)

7. Hummus Dips

Easily found in any grocery store or made at home, these are another good high-protein snack. Again - these can be used as dips for the veggie sticks, or see cracker suggestions below.

8. Oat Cakes/ Rice Cakes/ Spelt Crackers

There are a variety of gluten-free crackers like rice or corn crackers, or wheat-free crackers like oat or spelt cakes in a variety of flavours these days. Use these to accompany your nut butters or hummus dips.

My faves:

Nairns oat cakes (come in a multitude of flavours - some are better than others)
Rude Health crackers

They’re all also available in Netherlands with various stockists, check online.

9. Hard-Boiled Eggs

So simple, you could almost overlook this one. A great way to clear out the fridge and also bring a high-protein snack with you. Granted it’s “less cool” to be seen eating a hard-boiled egg than a protein bar (HAHAHA), but who cares - I’ve done it. :p

You could even pack it in your ziplock or tupperware already pre-seasoned (I like Marmite and Sriracha with my hard-boiled eggs, but that might be too intense for most people).

There you go! The possibilities for highly nutritious, whole foods snacks while you’re traveling are endless. It takes a small bit of planning before you pack, but do this often enough and this becomes part of your packing routine.
Enjoy your travels!

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