Are you gearing up for the holiday travel season? Lucky for us we live near family; however, we still have to pack foods for a bumpy, country road drive to my parents house for the holidays and the in-laws too!
What’s a girl to do that likes to cook and bring foods?
It takes a little pre-planning, picking the right foods that travel well, and proper storage! Stay tuned for your chance to win some wonderful storage items and gift cards to make those delicious recipes! Thanks to Alamo for sponsoring this post and giveaway for the holiday travel season!
5 Holiday Food Travel Hacks (Tips)
1. I always save a cardboard box to put my food in when traveling, then I wrap a towel around the dish so that it protects the dish from moving and sliding.
2. Packing foods in mason jars can make for great food storage for liquids such as chili or soup. It also makes great storage for salads!
3. When transporting desserts, be sure to use proper carrying cases such as cake carriers and cupcake carriers. Then, secure them using tip #1 to avoid sliding.
4. Use flat surfaces, like the floorboard of the car. Do not put them in the seat or they will fly off the seat when driving.
5. Drive carefully, for instance if you have a husband like mine who thinks he is a NASCAR driver, it’s probably not a great idea to let him drive.
5 Easily Transported Recipes
2. Pumpkin Pie
4. Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Ball
Now, are you ready to win some wonderful storage products plus a $75 AMEX Gift Card?! Thank you to Alamo for sponsoring this post and giveaway. If you are traveling and need to rent a car this year, be sure to sign up for the Alamo Insiders which will give you 10% off a rental. Also, be sure to use the Alamo Deal Retriever to find the best deal!
Giveaway
All you need to do is leave a comment letting us know your favorite food travel tip or recipe that is easily transported in the comment section!
I’m giving away 2 Prize Packs! One will be for a recipe ideas and one for a food travel tip, so be sure to enter both of them!
Travel Friendly Recipe Prize:
- $75 AMEX Gift Card
- True Fabrication Tote
- Cool Gear Salad Lunch Kit
- Tupperware Round Cake Taker
- Alamo Carabiner with Sanitizer
- Alamo 16oz Travel Mug
- Alamo Rugby Tote Bag
Best Food Travel Hacks (Tips)
- $75 AMEX Gift Card
- True Fabrications Tote
- Cool Gear Salad Lunch Kit
- OXO 12 Piece LockTop Container Set
- Tupperware Round Pie and Pastry Container
- Alamo Carabiner with Sanitizer
- Alamo 16oz Travel Coffee Mug
- Alamo Rugby Tote Bag
Now, are you ready to win! Leave your comments below to enter to win one of these great prizes! I can’t wait to see what your favorite travel friendly tips and recipes are!
This giveaway is open to US Residents 18 & Older only. The giveaway begins now and will end on Monday December 9th at 11:59 CST.
Be sure to follow along on Twitter at #AlamoHolidayHacks!
Disclosure: This post is compensated and sponsored by Alamo; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Comments & Reviews
WOW could I ever use this! I love to take things in crockpots. They are heavy but don’t tip easily!
That is exactly what I was going to say. I also have a electric fondue pot. I bring the cheese and the bread with the pot and set it up there. Easy breasy
I like to wrap dishes in towels to make sure they transport cushioned and save my car from spills.
I used an Ikea bag I found, it was huge and made out of like a tarp like material. It carried a turkey breast and 2 sides just fine!! Sure could use the giveaway for Christmas! God bless!!
Bring a husband or a kid to hold the dish! Lol That is my #1 tip. Make sure it’s someone you can trust to drive carefully or hold it properly. I have had smashed birthday cake & chicken noodle soup all over my car. Thank goodness it was just leftovers from after the party.
Definitely have someone else to hold the dish, or someone else drive:)
I like to make baked beans in my crockpot and take them. That way they stay warm and all i have to do is plug them in somewhere. Also I purchased a thin round storage container that is perfect for transporting deviled eggs 🙂
I love fabric casserole holders… they come in handy. My fave recipes to transport are Lasagna and anything casserole. Pies, and cupcakes instead of cake.
Traveling far with food is never fun! My favorite dessert to bring is pretzel crusted brownies. Break up 2 cups pretzels and mix with 1/2 a stick of butter and make a crust and then use your favorite brownie recipe on top. So good and really easy to travel with. no sliding around.
If I’m going far, I try to bring an item like a cake that can be frozen beforehand and let it thaw along the way. It seems to help keep it together and looking great for a longer time.
I try to transport refrigerated foods to parties. I find it’s much easier to stack things in a cooler, using cold packs to cushion and support the dishes.
Best place is the floorboard behind my husband, he’s tall, so put food down first, then when he moves his seat back against the carrier & it can’t move! Or me holding it if it’s delicate.
Save your cardboard boxes and use them to sit your dishes down in when you put them in the car. This will help keep them from sliding and spilling!
I love sausage balls for traveling. You can make them ahead of time and freeze them to cook when ready. And you can bake them ahead of time and they travel really well.
For traveling with food, I love using my Pyrex dish and travel container. It has a wicker basket that holds the dish and a pocket for a hot/cold pack. Then it zips up and has straps for easy carrying. It keeps cold foods cold, and hot foods warm. And it’s very portable.
I have a crock pot with a travel bag. It helps keep the lid on. :). Our favorite easily transported receipe is homemade chex mix or white chocolate m&m mini popcorn.
My fav way to travel w/food is basically hold it myself! I don’t trust my husbands driving, the floorboard, bags, or the seat. Ha! But after reading a few comments above, maybe I’ll try something new!! My favorite thing to bring to any party is jalapeño dip &chips; it’s the easiest thing on the planet and it always gets eaten. All it is is cream cheese & a jar of jalapeños– people are always like– “wow, what is this dip?” haha! It’s very addicting. 🙂 🙂 🙂 happy commenting!
A container of cookies is always easy to transport! If it’s something that needs to be kept cool we always load up our cooler in the trunk.
I love those warmer bags for carrying casseroles and keeping hot foods hot.
Thanks
I like trail mix and homemade dark chocolate pecan brownies as travel snacks, especially for long fly trips.
I’m making seasoned pretzels tonight! how funny that you posted this today. Happy Holiday Eating & Traveling!
My favorite travel tip: I do a lot of crockpot cooking, especially holiday meal recipes that can be. I have a Hamilton Beach crockpot where the lid actually hinges to the top of the crock. I LOVE this! It also has a gasket seal around the lid, eliminating any leaking, spilling or sloshing around your car’s interior when transporting foods. And it even comes with it’s own large spoon that hooks to the top of the lid! It is a true godsend.
I love taking granola and some homemade cookies to take with me. Fruit already cut up is also a great idea. Thanks for the chance to enter.
We travel to OKC a lot & I take food for gatherings. I use my crockpot a lot or a bean pot wrapped in a towel in a box for hot items. I also sometimes put those hot items in a cooler. They do keep them hot!
I try not to take fragile foods so always offer to take casseroles, sides or desserts that won’t break apart easily!
If it’s a cake, I leave it in the pan with the lid. Not as pretty as a cake stand but it holds the cake together better for long car drives!
My favorite holiday recipe: We love this dip and make it every year. It is so tasty, frugal, and easy to put together for a crowd.
Buddig Beef Dip
1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 (8 oz) sour cream
2 pkgs Buddig L Beef, chopped
3-4 stalks green onions, diced
In microwave, soften cream cheese just until it can easily be mixed with the sour cream. In bowl, mix together all ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with crackers, ruffles or pretzels for dipping.
I always get volunteered to bring a salad with all the fixings for a family dinner. I use every plastic container that I have with a lid, but the biggest helper that I have found is the plastic compartmented containers from the grocery store that are from fruit and/or veggie trays with the lids. I can fill one or two with all the salad toppings such as black/green olives, beans (red or black), cukes, tomatoes, etc., put the lid on and everything stays in place. I pack everything into the cooler with ice packs and keep the dressings in the bottles.
For road trips I like to take fresh fruit cut up in ziploc bags, and fresh veggoes to munch on. Sandwiches also — chicken salad or tuna salad ….and also boiled eggs. I carry wet wash cloths in ziplocs for easy clean up.
I love honey roasted cinnamon chickpeas! So tasty AND good for you!
http://www.fitsugar.com/Roasted-Honey-Cinnamon-Chickpeas-27908653
Drain off as much excess juice as you can from veggies… Then add a little water when you get to your destination to reheat.
I wrap my dish in a great container then put it in Super large handle shopping bag roll down the sides so it is a automatic cushion for my dish and if I have lots to take then put together all the bags in cardboard boxes. This really works well!
Well when traveling with food, I’ve always had someone to hold it but if I didn’t I would place bags of dried beans around the dish to keep it from moving!
I take a one dish meal such as my Shepard’s pie. 2 lb. ground sirloin, one chopped onion, 4-5 garlic cloves, 4 tb. Worcestershire sauce , 1/2 tsp. salt & 1/4 tsp pepper. a good dash of Cheyenne pepper. brown and put in deep casserole pan.cover with a thin layer of shredded cheddar cheese. add a bag of defrosted peas and carrot mixed veggie plus a half pack of corn om top of meat mixture. top with a good layer of mashed potatoes and then another layer of shredded cheddar cheese. Bake for 30 min. at 400. Easy to take feeds a crowd and super tidy with the cheese crust!
For casserole and things in baking dishes, I have a neat holder that the pan fits into that keeps it warm, and if it spills, it goes into the holder and not everywhere. Baked goods go in Tupperware type containers so that they won’t spill over or get smashed. My favorite thing to take to people is Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas, and Hatch Macaroni and Cheese.
If you want an easy to transport item offer to bring water bottles. If you want to bring a treat bring muffins,cookies,brownies…yum!!!!
I usually transport my broccoli rice casserole in a crock pot! It fits nicely in the floor board of my car. Also leaves room in the oven for other food once I get to my destination.. 🙂
I wrap my dish in foil then wrap a towel around that. It then goes in a plastic dishpan on the floor of the car.
My most requested holiday recipe is italian marinated green beans wrapped in bacon. Once baked they are easy to transport in any container.
I wrap hot dishes in foil and then in towels to hold the heat.
I have a crockpot with a stretchy loop that keeps the lid secure! Love to use tat to transport the goods!
My tip for travel is to make things like cabbage rolls and transport in a disposable dish with a lid. Heat up in the oven when you arrive and your dish is like it just came out of the oven!
I like the tip to put a water bottle in the bend of the seat and then setting the dish down and it stays flat rather than all sliding out.
A quick and easy treat to make is Peanut Butter Clusters. Bring 1 cup white Karo and 1 cup sugar to a boil. Stir in 2 cups peanut butter and 4 cups Rice Krispies cereal. Drop by spoonfuls on wax paper to cool. Yummy and so easy!
Have the dear hubby drive and you hold your awesome dish you made. Otherwise I like using my crockpot, it’s easy to keep things warm!
So Awesome!!
We had Thanksgiving at our house this year so I didn’t have to transport anything. I did buy inexpensive plastic bowls with lids and holiday ziplock bags to send leftovers home with our parents. We did cook THREE turkeys and only had 6 adults to eat….so there were a few leftovers!!!
My travel friendly recipe is fancy pants mashed potatoes.
3 lbs of red potatoes, washed and quartered. Leave skin on
1/4 c salted butter
1/4 c sour cream
1/2-1 full cup of half and half
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 cup of Kraft Shredded parmesan, Romano and asiago cheese
1/2 cup of green onions
Just boil potatoes to liked consistentcy, drain, add ingredients and mix to your preferred texture
Easy to make and they aren’t your every day potatoes. My family loves them 🙂
Salt and pepper as needed
I have a crockpot with a lid that snaps on, love that!
I actually love to use my crock pot, it has clasps that close the kid tight
I love this! My favorite food to bring is Clotilde Dusoulier’s apple tart from Chocolate and Zucchini. It’s easy to transport, because it isn’t all too delicate. My other favorite is her yoghurt cake.
I love the idea of the insulated crock pot carriers!
Wrapping my crockpot in a towel is the thing I do the most when travelling with food.
To travel with food I use a few tricks. I have a Crock Pot with a snap on lid and I wrap it in a towel and place in a cardboard box. For cakes I start with the bottom of a cardboard paper box cut off, cover the cake with plastic wrap, place the cardboard cut out on top of the plastic wrap and wrap securely with foil. Then I wrap with a towel and place in a box. Perfect frosting survives the trip 🙂
my food travels in a milk box from the local grocery store, with blankets to hold the blank space
My husband makes fun of me, but a lot of times I use the seatbelt to strap stuff in so it can’t move around!
My favorite travel snack is a mason jar with nut butter in the bottom (about a 1/2 inch) and then I place celery sticks into the peanut butter and screw on the lid. I have also done this with hummus and carrots. It helps limit the mess and the number of containers and my 4 year old son loves anything he can dip (and so do I!)
My favorite travel food tip is for my 3 kiddos and they call it “picnic in the truck” Each kid has their own container with multiple dividers & a lid. I can customize each container for each kiddo. For larger dishes I, like everyone here, use my crockpot that has a locking lid and insulated carrying case. I also have a set of three casserole dishes with tight closing lids and insulated carrying cases (mind you we got them 13 years ago this coming Monday!)
Travel Friendly Recipe – chicken enchilada dip (serve warm with tortilla chips)
1 bar cream cheese
1 8oz bag sharp shredded cheese
1 small can diced green chiles
1 can chunk chicken drained (or leftover rotisserie shredded)
taco seasoning or cumin to taste
add sour cream as garnish or stir in if you want a creamier consistency
bake in oven on 300 until bubbly or warm in crock pot. This recipe makes a small casserole size maybe 8×8-ish and you can double the recipe very simply to make a double batch (leftovers are just as good as the first time around)
I love my stay or go crockpot, it has a latching lid so the lid stays put. I usually wrap the whole thing in a towel too just to be safe.
Towels. I usually just have to wrap the dish in towels. And always transport it in the front seat. I once made the mistake of putting a decorated cake in the back hatch of my SUV. Big mistake. My 5 yr old was chunking his belonging over his head into the back and when we arrived at our destination I had a baseball glove in the middle of my cake.
I always put saran wrap on before putting the lid on my crockpot. It’s less likely to spill that way.
When we traveled Gluten Free and Casein free we would cook for the week and make sure we booked a hotel with a good sized refrigerator and microwave. We also researched Gluten Free options before traveling and it worked out great!
Puppy Chow!!! Not only is it soooo good, it’s EASY to transport!!!
I use a cooler in the back of my car to safely transport food. It keeps everything contained, and if there are spills it is easy to clean.
For bringing food home from out of state, we used a tote and put ice in it. The Papa Murphy’s pizza traveled great. (We asked them to double wrap it) Glad that now we just have to drive across town to get it.
My travel friendly recipe is a spinach dip bread bowl. You hollow out a large, round loaf of bread and fill with a mixture of frozen spinach, sour cream, mayo and water chestnuts. Makes a great snack and when you put the bread “lid” on the bowl, it is easy to transport.
My best travel tip for food is to try and keep what you have to travel with simple so it will fit in a carrying case. If I make a casserole I will put it in a Pyrex dish with a lid and a towel around for extra precaution or I will make a cake and put it in a cake carrier.
My famous dish for the Christmas holidays is homemade caramel popcorn. Can’t leave home without it. Travels easily in a big Christmas tin. Always empty on the way home’
Volunteer to bring drinks! You can just put them in an ice chest. Keeps them cold & def easy transport!
Wrap in towels to keep warm and then in the floorboard of the car to prevent sliding. My favorite dish to take is spicy bacon deviled eggs.
If I am traveling with a stew. I put the pot inside another pot with a silicone potholder on the bottom. I use a waaay bigger pot it never fails me.
My favorite travel dishes are always cookies because theyre so easy to travel with!!
Do what my mom always did, use grandma’s long, beautiful picnic basket and line the bottom with newspaper, put our baked beans and whatever else we bring in for a tight fit. Then, a layer of newspaper and some towels on top. Easy to carry with the handles on the basket and can get in the car all in one trip. Kind of an old tradition, but works. Would love to win some new things to use!!
I carry hot food items in a long square wooden basket lined with newspaper on the bottom and then a layer of old dish towels. I then place the dishes in the basket and pack them tightly with either more newspaper or dishrags so they wont move around and stay put.
I don’t anymore,,,I always make such a mess. Sure do miss it.
My mom always swears by wrapping things (like a ham, which she often brings to family gatherings) in foil, then in newspaper! Now that my kids are older, it’s great to have them hold the food for me! 😉
When I bring dishes to someone’s house, I use one of those insulated casserole carriers to make transporting easy and it has a handle to easily pick and take in the house.
The easy dish I take is my potato salad. I make it the night before to help save time on the day of.
Home made pie (pumpkin or apple) from our house gets transported in a box with a towel wrapped around the pie.
I have a pie basket that I never imagined using when I received it as a wedding gift. It is my favorite tool to use when transporting pies, complete with a little shelf so I can fit the second pie in.
I use a box packed with dish towels if I’m unable to hold the item myself!
I have a large wicker picnic basket that I keep packed and ready to go at all times with paper products. I then pack it with different flavors of jerky, chips, fruits and granola bars. All stuff that is easy to grab and go.
I have been known to use a “clean” laundry basket and bath towel to keep my goodies intact.
I do not own a crockpot with the latch down lid and I have experienced BBQ Beef in the floorboard of my car from a toppled crock…so a recent event I transported chili in the same crock and my sister suggested to “TAPE” the lid down. So, I saran wrapped the lid to the crock pot and placed in the box with the towel and WALA!!!!
What we do to feed people 😉 Merry Christmas!
I love to take sweet crunch treat (think chex mix, only sweet!). It’s easy to take in Ziplock bags. I also use my Crockpot with a bungee cord over the lid to transport just about anything!
I’m a sweets girl so I love to bake. I would say my brownies are easy to transport 🙂
If I am traveling with dishes that have glass lids, I like to tape the lids down to stop the “rattling” noise that drives me crazy!
It would be such a blessing to win this:) I think I would replenish spices and such we lost from the tornado!
I love the Pyrex casserole tote. Makes transporting my lasagna to potlucks easy!
I always love to take a zippered carrier. My Pampered Chef one can hold my pie dish (secured with straps), pie server, a can of whip cream and a small bag of nuts!
I use the locking containers to transport my side dishes and goodies, and then when I get to the event, I put them in bowls or on plates
My recipe idea I make and carry many times is sausage cheese balls
I love to put my soups (after they have cooled) in large zip bags and then place them in the crockpot. When I get to the party, I just plug in the crock pot and empty the bags. Save the bags for any leftovers to help with tranporting home.
I love little pig in a blanket at parties. They travel well in plastic bags placed inside the serving container.
anything baked in a pan, is easy to transport while traveling because it won’t make a mess or spill, etc., like, brownies, a cake, cookies. Lasagna is easy to travel with, you can keep it in a therm tote to keep it hot.
jslbrown_03 at yahoo dot com
I use my crockpot quite a bit -transports easily
thanks for the giveaway
I definitely love my Thirty One utility tote ! I bought it knowing that I could fit a casserole into it easily.
An easy dessert to travel with is a Trifle. My bowl has a lid too. Any Trifle travels easily.
This is great! I have a friend leaving to care for her mom that has been recently diagnosed with breast cancer and we (our friends) are trying to pack her down with some meals and other foods to take with her. Muffins always travel well and can be frozen once you reach your destination for later use. Cookies are great also! I also like to make homemade granola bars.
my fav thing to take to parties is making french onion dip but instead of messing up a bowl to mix in just add the lipton onion soup mix directly to a 16 oz sour cream carton. Mix well. Put the lid on and refrigerate. There you go easy to carry and add a bag of chips to take with you. Simple and no mess. No leftover dish to bring home.
I like to take things in a crockpot, my lid seals, so it won’t leak.
When I take something in thr crockpot, I use 2 rubber bands, they each get wrapped around the knob on the lid and them one around each of the handles.
A crock pot keeps food hot for an extended length of time. Love to cook with mine.
When I fly i always take some food with me from home, and I freeze it the night before then put it in my checks baggage and surround it with my towels, that way if there is any possibility of spills its on on my towel, and the towel and checked baggage leaves it cooler 🙂 plus no TSA issues with checked baggage!
My Travel Friendly Recipe is sausage rolls, easy to make, tasty and something every member of my family loves!
My Best Food Travel Hacks is use Ziploc bags! They are fantastic for the kids because they can grab food out of them and zip them closed to store items.
My best food travel hack is that when I make my buffalo chicken dip for parties I put the lid on the 13×9 glass pan. I then put a silicone oven mitt underneath the glass (between the floor and the glassware!) I also bring two extra oven mitts to carry the pan in to the party since it is usually still hot! 🙂 Just a tip! lol. Thanks for the giveaway!!
My best travel friendly recipe is my sausage and cheese dip in the crockpot. I have a wall outlet installed in my car (it came stock with the car so it is safe lol) , and I plug in the crock pot and it keeps the sausage and cheese dip warm!
RECIPE:
1 jar Pace Picante Sauce (Hot or mild, up to you!)
1 full block of Velveeta cheese
1 roll of Jimmy Dean Sausage
It is AMAZING ! 🙂
Thank you so much for the chance!!
We love trail mix! So easy!
My favorite food travel tip is to make sure the dish is secure, and covered properly.
A recipe that would be easily transported is cookies! It’s more dessert than main dish, but still delicious!
A salad is pretty easy to travel with and also sliced veggies and fruit! Forget the frosted cake unless you have a great container! Lol
My travel tip: Use snapware to transport your food. They work great!
Recipe for peanut butter balls: 1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered milk
Mix all ingredients together and eat!
I advice to make cooking itself FAMILY TIME! The process of cooking is such a great moment to work together as a family. So, have your kids join in on cooking: peeling potatoes, shucking corn and popping string beans can go a long way.
I love to bring appetizers. Veggie platter. Everything can be cut up ahead of time & put in zip lock bags. Put dip back in sour cream container to carry. Cheese, crackers, grapes are always a hit & easy to wash & cut & zip lock bag. Everyone loved my crab stuffed mushrooms & crab rangoons this year! Shrimp cocktail is always a winner! Rinse & ziplock bag! Cocktail sauce already in a jar. I also bring deserts like assorted homemade cookies, peanut butter fudge & chocolate fudge…easy to carry once it sets…bring serving dishes to cut & present. Happy New Years everyone!
I use these for cocoa blends and homemade applesauce. Mason jars are great for transporting just about anything, even loose bolts, etc.
I save the lids from cases of paper. I line the box lid with a folded beach towel and place my tray of food directly from the oven to the box lid. Next you cover your tray with aluminum foil and ten fold the towel over the top. Your food will stay warm for hours!