How to Feed the Kids While Traveling
Traveling with kids is a very rewarding experience but … in full honesty it can be stressful too. When my husband and I travel as a couple finding a good restaurant where we can talk over wine and appetizers and take our time enjoying the meal is one of our favorite experiences. When we travel with our kids meal time can be way more drama than fun. My husband is fond of saying … “can we just skip eating.” Once you figure out the best way to feed everyone, eating can be fun again. Here is our best advice for feeding the kids while traveling and making sure you and your kids have great travel eating experiences.
Pack Snacks (and sometimes Lunches) in your bag
Packing food that is easy to eat on the go is the best advice I can give for a traveling family. We always had a daypack with us. In that pack we keep combinations of easy peel oranges, apples, crackers, and cheese (we usually like Baby Bella’s for simplicity). On the way out in the morning we also like to find a store selling fresh baguettes. When we were skiing in Spain I loved seeing people ski down the slopes with baguettes hanging out of their bags. Other foods that we commonly pack are grapes, cut up peppers, and pepperoni. Sometimes we make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Sometimes we bring tortilla’s and peanut butter. We call these peanut butter wraps and my kids love them (especially my vegetarian son). Some of our favorite meals have been picnic lunches at museums, along biking trails and in parks in the city centers. It keeps us from having to rush to find food and from having to stop an activity that we are enjoying to eat.
Stop and eat Before the Kids are Excessively Hungry
In theory if kids are hungry enough they’ll eat anything. In reality when kids are hungry they’re restless, grumpy and complain about everything. Try and plan ahead so that kids are not overly hungry or tired by the time you stop to eat. Otherwise expect meltdowns and “how much longer” to be on repeat.
Avoid Long Waits
Adult travel wish lists often include all the hot spots in a particular town but when it comes to kids waiting an hour to be seated popular places are a no go. Anything over 15 minutes is our cut off. If the kids are having to sit still for an extended time before they have to sit still to order and then sit still to wait and eat their food it’s not going to be a fun meal.
Choose Family Friendly Places
Our best dining experiences have been restaurants that cater to kids. Cafe #9 in Waterford Ireland is a great example. The food is not only good, it’s fast. There is a play area set up for kids and the kids menu is as long as the adults with lots of healthy choices. This place knows what families want. Our other favorites are cafe’s next to playgrounds. We aim for places with a little extra room for wiggling kids. Outside seating also tends to be a better option for us. We avoid tight areas and restaurants that use a lot of glass.
Start Adding Variety (and Spice) at a Young Age
Having young kids eat a variety of meals with different spices is not only good for traveling it’s healthy for the kids too. Don’t be afraid to expose your young children to different foods without skimping on the spice. If they are use to eating multicultural at home they’re going to be more likely to enjoy food while they travel. A constant supply of pizza, chicken nuggets and hot dogs is not good for anyone.
Let the kids Help Cook or Shop
Kids are more likely to eat something or try something new if they take part in the experience. Let them do some of the shopping and help with the cooking. If you have particular travel plans picked out then try spending some time learning about the culture and the food prior to the trip. Our trip to Morocco would have definitely been enhanced if we had spent time prior to the trip learning about all the different spices. Consider researching some recipes that you can make in whatever country that you’re visiting. City markets are wonderful places to have kids learn about food.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Combine Snacks and Meals
This worked really well in Spain. The eating schedule in Spain was much different then our schedule. We found that we did best snacking most of the day then eating smaller meals. We would eat breakfast when we woke up, eat a decent snack about 11 then sometimes eat a small lunch at a cafe at 2 when the locals were eating. If we waited until 2 when the locals normally eat we’d be grumpy and very hungry but we still wanted some of the cafe experience. Other places we would eat our lunch early around 11 so we could spend more time exploring. We’d then take a break around 3 for a snack. It also saved us money since we ordered smaller meals when we ate out.
Consider asking for the Check Early
In Europe it’s common to hang out after a meal. Waiters will not give you your check until you specifically ask and many times we had to get up and politely find a waiter to get our check. If you have restless kids consider asking for the check early. In the US we sometimes take care of the bill while we’re still eating so we can leave as soon as everyone is done. In Europe it’s a little trickier but we still sometimes ask.
A Special Note about Road Trips
Finding food during road trips can be especially tricky. Start by having a lot of healthy snacks that are easy to reach. You don’t want to be stuck with gas station food. Make frequent stop for picnics, more snacks, bathroom breaks and to run the kids. We make a habit of playing tag and doing some exercise routines. Mini-races can help too. If you know you’ll have a good options to stop – great but you don’t want to get stuck with hungry kids that you end up filling up with gas station junk. Many of the larger highways in Europe have great rest stations with restaurants and gas stations. There’s usually a play ground too.
Sometimes McDonalds or Burger King is the Best Choice
I’m not a big fan of fast food but it has it’s place. In Colorado I probably went to McDonalds twice a year. Now getting a Wendy’s frosty after work – that’s a weakness. I hate to admit it but when we were travelling in Europe I we ate quiet a bit of fast food. Sometimes Burger King can be the only reasonable way to feed tired and cranky kids and adults quick. I’d also like to mention that the McDonalds that we went to in Spain, Canada, and Ireland all had great playgrounds. We almost always pick a place with a playground when it’s an option. We also use fast food for gap fillers. We’ll get a few small burgers and a 20 piece chicken nugget and add the fruit we’ve packed in our bag. We spend about $10 (plus fruit) for a family of 5.
Fruits and Veggies are Your Friends
Regardless of how you eat, always make sure the kids get plenty of fruits and veggies. Many times when I travel I get an upset stomach. I’ve learned it’s not the travel that does it – it’s the change in my diet. If I increase my fresh fruits and veggies my stomach ache goes away. Same for kids – healthy food is probably even more important when traveling than when at home.
Make it Fun
Anything you can do to make eating more fun and less of a chore will make meal time a better experience.
and Try not to stress
Exploring new places and cultures should be fun. Try not to spend much time worrying about food and keep it simple when you can. When we first started traveling food got in the way of a lot of our exploring. Once we learned to pack ahead and go with the flow we had much better experiences. You’re not going to be able to go to every museum and the same goes for food. You won’t be able to do it all. Pick a few food experiences that are important to you and then for the rest of your food go easy, healthy and convenient.
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