Let’s talk about snacks (baby, let’s talk about you and me). But not just any snacks. Healthy, real food / paleo travel snacks that can fuel you through a hunger pinch whether you’re playing the tourist game and walking around a super cool new city, skiing, hiking all day, are on a long road trip, or even just running a long day of errands! Goal: avoid the hangry monster. This is especially important on vacation, because if you’re starving when you sit down to a meal, you’re much more likely to make less-than-optimal food choices, which may leave you feeling like crap after (both physically and mentally!)

P.S. Want to snag a goodie bag of a bunch of my favorite paleo travel snacks? Scroll down to the giveaway below!!

I’ve listed all my current favorite paleo travel snacks here, plus links for discount codes + where to find them! Snacks with Dana cheat sheet: jerky for on-the go protein, bars for when you need a small meal, and I’ve got a lot of other options like nuts, chia bites, protein power balls, and superfood trail mix for when you just want a little snack. Fresh options like fruit, avocado, hard-boiled eggs, etc. are great if you can bring a cooler along for a road trip or something! And remember, always check your ingredients!

Pro tip: bring tupperware or ziplock bags to carry your snacks!

Jerky: On-the Go Protein!

DNX Bars 
Bricks Bars (Amazon)
CHOMPs Snack Sticks (Amazon, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods)
Vermont Smoke & Cure (Amazon, Whole Foods)
Epic Bars & Jerky Bites (Amazon, Whole Foods)
Wild Zora Meat & Veggie Jerky Bars (Amazon, Thrive Market)

Bars: for when you need an energy boost

RXbars 
Perfect Bars (check the refrigerated section!)  
This bar saves lives (Amazon & Starbucks)
Kind PRESSED fruit bars (Amazon, Whole Foods)
Larabars (grab them on Amazon, at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, etc.)
LUNA Bars

Other snacky stuff

Homemade Superfood trail mix
Homemade Protein Power Bites
Bare Coconut Chia Chips / Apple Chips (Amazon)
Banana chips (pro tip: combine Justin’s Almond butter packs + banana chips!)
Plantain chips (Amazon, Thrive Market, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s)
Sweet potato chips (I like Jackson’s Honest brand, cooked in coconut oil! Grab them on Amazon, Thrive Market, Whole Foods, etc.)
Snack pack olives (Amazon, find them at trader joe’s, MOM’s, or oloves brand)
Nut butter/coconut butter packs (single-serve) – Justin’s brand, Barney’s brand (Amazon)
Fruit squeeze packs – applesauce, mixed fruit
Nuts – plain, raw, unsalted
Dark Chocolate!* (Favorites: Mindo, Alter Eco, Eating Evolved, Taza, Theo, etc. – always check your ingredients!)

*Yep, I just told you to bring dark chocolate on vacation. If you have high quality treat options around, you’ll be less likely to go for crappy desserts on vacation *just because you’re on vacation and want a dessert*. Go for the good quality stuff so you don’t leave feeling like crap!

Fresh stuff: For road trips, or if you can bring a small cooler

Fresh Fruit (go for easy-to-carry kinds, like bananas and apples!)
Avocado
Hard-boiled eggs
Tuna salad
Leftovers from dinner the night before!*
Single-serve guacamole cups – grab them at costco.
Sliced raw veggies
Paleo Banana Muffins
“Phat Fudge” / Fat bombs (coconut butter base) – for long trips, a great energy boost between meals! The’re kind of treat-like, but don’t awaken the sugar dragon when you’re out of your routine! (Thanks @imstephtacular for the tip!)
Homemade energy balls

*This is one of my favorite travel hacks. If you go out to dinner and are staying at a place that has a mini kitchen or fridge, save your leftovers from dinner and repurpose them for breakfast or lunch the next day!

Bonus: Healthy Travel Hacks (Nutrients & Probiotics)

Vital Proteins Collagen Packs – Traveling can be a big stress on your health, especially if you already have digestive or gut problems. Taking this collagen along with you on vacation is a great way to keep your gut in check while traveling, a way to get all your essential amino acids, and a great source of protein if you’re going to be on-the-go all day!

Chamomile Tea – to help you relax at night!

Natural Calm Magnesium Packs  – If you have trouble sleeping or getting adjusted to a new time zone on vacation, these magnesium packs are a great travel hack to get you relaxed and on a good sleep schedule. Magnesium is an essential mineral that’s needed for over 300+ enzymatic reactions in the body (so you could say it’s pretty important), and the more stressed you are, the more depleted you become. It helps you relax, and will help you get to sleep much easier if you take it around bedtime. 

Saccharomyces boulardii (Probiotic) – commonly known in the nutrition world as the cure for traveler’s diarrhea; but can also be used in a preventative way. If you have a weak stomach, frequently get sick while traveling or are going to an area where you know you may pick something up, take these along with you and take 1-2 every morning.

Activated Charcoal Capsules – As someone with celiac, I always take this with me when I travel in case of accidental cross-contamination (aka getting “glutened”). If I suspect that’s happened, I’ll pop 1-2 of these activated charcoal capsules as soon as possible, which helps the body naturally eliminate any toxins. *Disclaimer – this DOES NOT mean you should take these every day of your vacation (or life), or for weight loss purposes.

Sea salt / travel-sized seasonings – if you have a mini kitchen in the place you’re staying, or just want to make sure you have high quality sea salt when you travel, I’d recommend bringing some of your own spices or salt, so you don’t have to buy some when you get to your destination!

What’re your favorite real food / paleo travel snacks?