The Best Allergy-Friendly Snacks For Traveling

Gluten free, dairy free, egg free, and vegan food for on the go! Totally packable, healthy and allergy-friendly travel snacks the whole family will love.

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I adore snacking, especially when I get to enjoy my favorite allergy-friendy travel snacks while exploring the globe!

Packing allergy-friendly snacks is an absolute must when traveling with food allergies.

After years of trial and error, I have learned that planning ahead helps so much! It means I can avoid the fear of not knowing if there will be safe options to eat while on the go.

I always make an eating plan before I take off for a trip. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always mean things go as planned.

There have been plenty of times I have been caught off guard and left without an option. Whether a restaurant was closed or there weren’t any safe items on the menu when I arrived – it was a bummer!

To make sure that I can always avoid getting hangry, I have my favorite snacks and meal replacements on hand. It keeps my energy and mood up, even in stressful travel situations.

Picking The Right Snacks

I like to pack a variety of allergy-friendly travel snacks when preparing for a trip.

For me that means a mixture of salty and sweet items, meal replacement options, along with a few treats.

Keeping my energy up is so important when traveling. That’s why healthy options are a must, as they don’t make me feel sluggish or groggy.

Bringing calorie dense options is also helpful as it allows me to get filled up without having to take up a lot space in my bag.

It is nice to have a few treats as well, in case I have a craving that day and can’t find an suitable alternative where I am.

Related: How To Create An Allergy-Friendly Eating Plan When Traveling

How To Carry Your Snacks

Packing your snacks for travel is simple!

To protect things from leaking, I prefer to carry them in a reusable zippered travel bag.

I like this set because there are a variety of sizes. There are various size options that work perfectly for different lengths of trips, for my checked luggage, or my carry-on.

Of course, you can always use plastic freezer bags. If you choose to go that route, I recommend doubling up your bags. That way you have a back up in case one of the closures fail during your travels.

Since I am just one person, I don’t carry a whole bunch of snacks with me every day while traveling. I’ll take one or two items out of my zippered bags each morning and put them in my purse or backpack. Then I am prepared with my snacks for the day!

How Many Snacks Should You Bring?

I don’t want to weigh my luggage down unnecessarily, but I still want to have options. So, how many do I bring?

How many snacks I pack for a trip generally depends on how confident I am in my restaurant options. It can also be impacted if I believe I could find safe options at local convenience stores or grocery stores.

Although I plan to be prepared, these are only snacks. I always plan to eat real meals while traveling and have meal replacements as backups.

As a general rule of thumb: pack a minimum of one meal replacement/calorie dense option and one snack or treat for each person, each day. For a 7 day trip, that would mean 7 meal replacements/calorie dense foods, and 7 snacks/treats, per person.

I make sure to divide my food stash up between my checked luggage and my carry-on bag. That is the best way I found to ensure I always have something with me to eat.

Related: How To Effectively Communicate Your Food Allergies When Traveling

Allergy-Friendly Travel Snacks For Your Carry-On

After a few very hungry flights, I created a special list of snacks for my carry-on bag.

Specifically, there are two things I avoid for my allergy-friendly carry-on travel snacks: nuts and anything resembling a liquid.

Although I don’t have a nut allergy, carrying nut containing snacks on an airplane can be a bad idea. For example, once I had packed only items containing nuts in my carry-on for a 7 hour flight. I got settled in my seat and was ready for takeoff. It was then announced by the pilot that nothing containing nuts could be eaten on the flight because someone had a nut allergy. It had not even occurred to me that would be an issue! Now I avoid all nuts for my carry-on and help protect those with nut allergies.

In the past I accidentally had packets of nut or coconut butter and they were taken away by TSA. Apparently in their scanner they looked like liquid, which meant my calorie dense food was no longer available for my trip.

Carry-On Snacks:

• Protein powders and shaker bottle
• Chickpea snacks
• Nut Free Bars
• Seed and fruit snack mix
• Fruit Snacks

If you decide to bring powders in your carry-on, I recommend buying the individual serving packets. Packing powders in plastic bags can be tricky when going through security!

Related: How To Create Your Own First Aid Kit For Travel

Allergy-Friendly Travel Snacks To Pack in Your Luggage

Checked luggage is the place where I pack the majority of the snacks for my trips.

I try to focus on calorie dense and high protein to help keep me full and energized during my travels.

Checked luggage is where I put packs of nut or seed butters, protein bars (nut based), candy containing nuts, and extras of snacks I couldn’t fit into my carry-on.

Checked Luggage Snacks:

• Nut butter, coconut butter, or sunflower seed butter
• Olives
• Nut Mixes
• Protein Bars and Bites
• Peanut Butter or Almond Butter Candy

Conclusion

Packing healthy, calorie dense and high protein snacks can be a lifesaver when traveling. Allergy-friendly travel snacks are easy to order in bulk and pack into individual bags for each member of the family who needs them. It will help everyone happy and prepared for whatever food surprises may come their way.

I want to hear from you! Have you ever been caught without something to eat while traveling? What are your favorite allergy-friendly snacks for travel?

My Travel Must-haves: