[archbishopofbhp]

Hello everyone, this is my first Team BHP post (must be the wrong place to mention that though)

Me and my family like to take a few road trips every year and even though they are usually a quick drive to Digha or sometimes Puri (We used to live in Bhubaneshwar 10 years back and it brings back some good memories) but I digress. The real reason I started this thread is definitely not to bore you with my meagre knowledge but rather to gain some.

I am a foodie (and so is perhaps every other Bengali) and I definitely like to keep eating something every few hours or so or else I get terrible headaches. Normally for the short Digha trips, we get a few decent restaurants on the way but when we aim for something longer (in the future), I'd prefer not to stop every once in a while because not only does it slow us down but also irritates my dad (who drives the car and surprisingly prefers to eat fruits instead).

Can I get suggestions of a few types of food that we can carry for long (say 500 to 600 km stretches at a time and perhaps some that last over 2000km or 5 days in all) trips?
Say the types are:-
1. Home made snacks which last long,
2. Home made snacks which don't last long but are fulfilling,
3. Packaged Salty Snacks (Obviously a few cans of Pringles but is there something healthier and better?),
4. Packaged Sweets (My mom loves sweets but neither do I nor my dad), and
5. Home made meals (I want to know efficient ways to pack them in bulk to prevent spillage and also keep it fresh).
I also wanted to know what ways can we cook food like Maggie or take preboiled eggs with us and eat a freshly prepared meal on the go.
Can we even eat pre boiled eggs after heating them in water?

And finally, is taking a kerosene or gas stove (or if there's an electric option like kettles or cookers which connect to the car's charging supply 180W max) sensible if say we go to hilly places...We are thinking of going to Bhutan (fingers crossed) and I thought about this. This definitely is not a necessity and I am asking out of curiosity.

Looking forward to a wonderful experience travelling and browsing Team BHP and Samba Sir's Travelogues and awesome photos (I haven't seen many other posts since I look for travelogues that start from Kolkata but I definitely like every post of every BHPian so don't be sad)

[pganapathy]

Originally Posted by archbishopofbhp

1. Home made snacks which last long,
5. Home made meals (I want to know efficient ways to pack them in bulk to prevent spillage and also keep it fresh).
I also wanted to know what ways can we cook food like Maggie or take preboiled eggs with us and eat a freshly prepared meal on the go.
Can we even eat pre boiled eggs after heating them in water?

And finally, is taking a kerosene or gas stove (or if there's an electric option like kettles or cookers which connect to the car's charging supply 180W max) sensible if say we go to hilly places

Ideally I would recommend healthy options like say fruit or home cooked food over pre-packaged snacks like crisps etc. I personally carry food like sandwiches and rolls etc., as these are easy to eat even when you are driving. If you take a full fledged meal like say rice/roti and a curry, then you will need to stop to eat. For pre-cooked food like eggs, boiling it later on may not be a great option. Either eat it cold or cook it there.

Definitely avoid gas/kerosene for heating. It is dangerous to carry in the vehicle. If you want to cook on the go, ensure it is an electric cooker that plugs into the cigarette lighter and preferably has the option of using electricity in the event you are in a place that permits it.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by archbishopofbhp

Hello everyone, this is my first Team BHP post (must be the wrong place to mention that though)

Welcome to Team-BHP!

Firstly, I always insist on carrying some snacks on long drives. Reason = if you're stuck in a bad traffic jam, hunger will really get to you + your passengers. I learned it the hard way.

I prefer to carry dry + healthy snacks. E.g. protein khakhras, cheese, Wasabi-flavoured edamame and the like. Of course, nothing like packaged wafers etc. for convenience. But I strictly avoid anything that's messy (e.g. gravies & curries) or items that leave a strong smell behind (e.g. fruits).

Related Thread

[cp171185]

Firstly welcome to Team BHP!

About the topic, I always carry energy bar, dry fruits (Almonds, pista, walnut etc.) & lots of drinking water. It is always advisable to have good amount of water in long runs.

In lunch (if I have to take in a food joint), I always prefer to take light food, 2 roti/chapathi & a sabji/chicken. No rice, no biryani for me on those long drives.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by archbishopofbhp

Can I get suggestions of a few types of food that we can carry for long (say 500 to 600 km stretches at a time and perhaps some that last over 2000km or 5 days in all) trips?
Say the types are:-
1. Home made snacks which last long,
2. Home made snacks which don't last long but are fulfilling,
3. Packaged Salty Snacks (Obviously a few cans of Pringles but is there something healthier and better?),
4. Packaged Sweets (My mom loves sweets but neither do I nor my dad), and
5. Home made meals (I want to know efficient ways to pack them in bulk to prevent spillage and also keep it fresh).

Snacks - Namkeen, khakras etc would be ok.
Sandwiches/home made rolls [panner/egg/chicken] etc can be had.
Sweets - canned sweets/besan preparations [soan papdi], gajak, petha etc can last in normal temperature.
Home made meals - stick with luchi [puri] and dry veggies or fried chicken etc can survive for 6-8 hours if the car's AC isn't switched off, but save for one meal, would prefer dal, omelette and roti at a dhaba, a proper meal can wait.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by archbishopofbhp

Hello everyone, this is my first Team BHP post (must be the wrong place to mention that though)

Me and my family like to take a few road trips every year and even though they are usually a quick drive to Digha or sometimes Puri (We used to live in Bhubaneshwar 10 years back and it brings back some good memories) but I digress.

Welcome to Team BHP. I am from Bhubaneswar but currently working in Hyderabad.

For long trips, I always prefer carrying the following whenever possible:

1. Cooked food - Parathas (as they remain soft for longer time) along with some veggie fries or sandwiches at least. On unknown roads, I prefer having safe home cooked food. I carry these in airtight disposable boxes. If needed I get a small cup of curd from the way.

2. Ready food - Chocolate bars, cakes, biscuits, namkeen/mixture, toffee, candy. I carry very small packs of each of these but in large quantity. It is easier to finish off a small pack and call it a day. Easy to dispose and I don't tend to over-eat. Again I don't keep these in my hand's reach so that I have to stop and take these when hungry.
For fruits, I prefer banana or apples as they are easy to consume.

3. Mat - To be laid under the shade of a tree and I can have my food.

4. Poly bags - To collect the containers and waste after having food.

5. Tissues - For obvious reasons.

Note that consuming sweet and salty items will make you thirsty. Too much sweet can also induce sleep. Also depending on the weather, certain items can perish during a long trip.

For preparing for a long trip, you can also refer the following thread.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/drive...nce-drive.html

[SJM1214]

I always keep dry fruit in the car during long drives. The best part of this dry fruit is you can keep munching it while driving. In case of the long drives, mom ( and now wife) always make some food for me to carry in the car. Its always dry stuff like Parathas, Boiled Eggs, Puri-Sabi etc. That's enough to cover the meal during the initial phase of the drive. Apart from dry fruits, I keep Oreo biscuits with me. Oreo is my newly found obsession during the drive.

However, when I am with family, there is always a big plastic container in the car with a different kind of Gujarati Snacks likes Khakahra, Handavo, Thepla etc.

[libranof1987]

My family does long trips as well but we tend to stop at roadside dhabas/restaurants for meals: that allows us the opportunity to take a physical/mental break from driving (rarely do we drive more than 2-2.5 hours without a break), and also fresh (hopefully), warm food. We do carry some food to full in for hunger pangs in between the big breaks though. Homemade food + quick chai at roadside stall make for a good, short break.

Coming back to your query: we generally like to carry something that is light on the stomach, won't lead to indigestion, a bloated feeling, nor something that gets us to want to go the restroom.

Dry snacks: peanuts, khakras, biscuits, chikkis/candy bars
Sandwiches
Bread rolls, cup cakes
Parathas are the evergreen favorite
Over-cooked dal-rice if you're traveling with too young/old or slightly unwell passengers
Cut fruits
Water: if we're doing a long road trip, we typically get the pack of 15, 1 litre Bisleri bottles

[BenjiRoss]

Originally Posted by GTO

Welcome to Team-BHP

Related Thread

That thread has a lot of edible content too. Is it a digestible idea to merge this thread into that please.

[Tgo]

Saunf (Fennel), Ilaichi (Cardamom), Laung (Clove) are what I like to chew on especially to keep the mouth fresh which is required after every roadside chai (usually extremely sweet) break to kill the sweet aftertaste. It goes a long way in keeping the driver alert.

[Eddy]

Hey, how come nobody's mentioned chewing gum ? That is my must have on a long drive

[Chetan_Rao]

Candy bars, juice/buttermilk tetrapaks, a few apples/oranges, a crate of 500 ml water bottles and chewing gum. I usually don't eat much while driving, drink enough liquid to stay hydrated and leave full meals to end-of-day stops.

[JoshMachine]

I usually pick a variety of food items ranging from freshly prepared food like sandwiches, rolls etc. along with dried/packed foods like dry fruits, wafers/chips etc.
I always stay away from keeping meals (rice, gravies, curries etc) in the car.

And depending upon the season (like summer), I take a huge armament of water in "coolers", so as not to stop on the way for such essential requirement.

[SmartCat]

We carry only oranges and nothing else.

Advantages:

1) Kills both hunger and thirst
2) Car doesn't smell of food
3) Car doesn't become messy (we swallow the tiny seeds)
4) No mouth odor
5) Does not take too much storage space
6) Available all through the year (unlike other fruits).

Disdvantages:

Sometimes, we end up with sour ones!

[MaheshY1]

On my first ever solo ride, I carried the cheapest Patanjali biscuits (the parle-g equivalent.) Because they're not as sweet as the others and quickly soak in the milk.

Speaking of milk, I had a 1L tetra pack to give the biscuits company. The combination is sure to not get my stomach upset. I can't say that about the dhaba food.

Milk and biscuits contain barely enough fibers so I won't have to visit the loo too often. It also has adequate calories to keep me awake but not enough to make me sleepy.

However, I remember reading on another thread about having peanut butter + banana sandwiches. The member said that it remains edible even after a day or two. I'm planning to try that on my road trip.

Peanut butter, bread, banana, milk, and biscuits. Sounds like a complete meal.