The best way to Make a Trip Meal Plan (Free Printable)


Inside: Use this simple step-by-step course of to create a trip meal plan so you may take pleasure in your journey extra and stress much less!

A beach scene with beach umbrellas and chairs in the distance
Planning now may also help you stress much less when you’re there!

The purpose of trip is to get away from the grind of alarm clocks, vacuuming, and work conferences that ought to’ve been emails.

So meal planning for trip could really feel type of incorrect.

However a little bit of advance planning now can imply with the ability to calm down extra when you’re at your vacation spot.

As a result of having a plan means you may deal with making recollections, as an alternative of spending treasured trip time determining what’s for dinner.

Even in the event you plan to take a break from cooking and eat out rather a lot, it nonetheless helps to map out the place you’re going when–and what you’ll eat the remainder of the meals. Meal planning may prevent cash.

BONUS: Simplify trip meal planning! Seize my free Trip Meal Planner printable.

Restaurant meals on a tableRestaurant meals on a table
Make an inventory of eating places you need to go to whereas in your journey.

The best way to Create a Trip Meal Plan

Step 1: Mind Dump

Listing potential breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, in addition to the eating places you need to go to. Give you a fast listing of potential first-day meals, once you is likely to be worn out out of your journey and wish one thing ultra-easy. Nice concepts for simple, fast first-night meals embrace take-and-bake pizzas, meal kits reminiscent of HelloFresh, an enormous cheese/charcuterie board, or take-out you’ve ordered upfront.

Inquiries to ask your self:

  • How a lot do you need to make your personal home-cooked meals versus eat out?
  • Are there favourite meals you wish to have on trip?
  • Does your gang favor largely wholesome meals throughout trip time or extra indulgent issues?

Additionally contemplate dietary wants and must-haves, in addition to any meals or cooking gear you may deliver from dwelling to make issues simpler (and cheaper).

Inquiries to ask your self:

  • Are there any allergic reactions, intolerances, dietary wants, preferences, or particular consuming habits you should contemplate?
  • What are must-have trip meals? This is likely to be particular meals you historically eat on trip or regional must-haves like lobster rolls in Maine or pizza in NYC.
  • Are there components and meals objects you may deliver from dwelling, both not out there (or wildly costly) at native grocery shops, reminiscent of specialty spices and seasonings?
  • For those who’re going to make your personal meals, is your trip rental stocked with the cooking gear and important objects you want? We’ve discovered some leases woefully missing in kitchen utensils like spatulas and fundamental gear like skillets. For those who’re doing a highway journey (versus flying), you’ll be capable to pack extra. As an illustration, contemplate packing a favourite chef’s knife to make meals prep simpler and sooner.
  • Are there alternate choices for individuals who could not like the principle dish (assume choosy eaters, younger and outdated)?
A road in UtahA road in Utah
Plan your meals together with your itinerary in thoughts.

Step 3: Make a Plan

Sketch out a plan for every day, together with who’s answerable for making dinner (or making dinner reservations) every evening.

Inquiries to ask your self:

  • Do you’ve got an itinerary you may work round? As an illustration, are there notably busy days in your trip when easy meals (or take-out) could be finest–versus a lazier day for one thing extra time-consuming?
  • Is there any meal prep you are able to do to avoid wasting time throughout the week (like making an enormous batch of in a single day oats the primary morning or baking additional hen breasts one evening for lunch the subsequent day)?
A charcuterie board sits on a white countertopA charcuterie board sits on a white countertop
A charcuterie board makes a easy first-night meal.

Step 4: Construct your grocery listing

After I’m on trip, it’s my purpose to spend as little time as potential on the grocery retailer (as a result of, trip). So being extra-strategic about buying is essential. 

Inquiries to ask your self:

  • When is the perfect time to buy groceries? Will you be too drained from a protracted journey to go straight away?
  • Is there a approach to divvy up the listing between individuals to make buying sooner?
  • Are you able to order groceries for pick-up (or supply) to keep away from the crowds?

BONUS: Simplify trip meal planning! Seize my free Trip Meal Planner printable.

Get my free trip meal planner

Obtain my free trip meal planner. It’s a printable PDF that features:

  • Brainstorm sheets with lists for meals to make, eating places to go to, must-have meals, and meals/gear to deliver from dwelling
  • Trip meal plan template for every day with a clean house for every meal (and who’s cooking) plus room to incorporate something on that day’s itinerary that will have an effect on meals. Print as many sheets as you want.
  • Grocery listing templates: Prepared-made template on your grocery listing that’s organized by class to hurry issues up. Print as many of those as you want as nicely.

BONUS: Simplify trip meal planning! Seize my free Trip Meal Planner printable.

Ingredients for a HelloFresh meal sit on a white countertopIngredients for a HelloFresh meal sit on a white countertop
A dinner meal equipment may also help simplify trip cooking.

Ideas for simplifying trip meals

  • Get a meal equipment supply. Our private favourite is HelloFresh.
  • Order groceries upfront. Discover a native grocery retailer the place  you need to use InstaCart or an identical service for grocery pickup or supply.
  • Be versatile. Trip isn’t the time to emphasize out about following a plan to the letter. Your trip meal plan is meant to cut back stress, not add to it.

Crowd pleaser meal concepts for trip

Personally, I wish to maintain issues fairly low-key for trip meals. I’d relatively spend extra time on the seaside or seeing websites than within the kitchen. So our go-to meals are usually fairly fundamental on trip. Listed here are a few of our favorites:

  • Pasta (like this Sausage & Spinach Pasta)
  • Tacos
  • Breakfast for Dinner
  • Fish tacos: Bake an enormous tray of breaded fish fillets, then set out numerous toppings
  • BBQ Hen, baked or grilled (verify to see in case your rental has a grill)
  • Scorching Canine & Hamburgers/Veggie burgers
  • Sheet pan dinners
  • Sandwiches & Salads
  • Massive salads with protein like hen, salmon, or beans
  • Sub sandwiches made on baguettes
  • Pesto pasta, chilly or scorching
The front of an Instant PotThe front of an Instant Pot
For those who’re touring by automobile, packing your Immediate Pot could possibly be a sensible transfer.

Cooking gear to contemplate bringing

Relying on how nicely your trip rental is stocked, you could need to deliver some gear to make meal prep simpler. Listed here are some concepts:

  • Sluggish cooker or Immediate Pot
  • Panini press or waffle iron
  • Sharp knives
  • Spatulas and different cooking utensils
  • Massive sheet pans or pots if cooking for a crowd
  • Blender (I’ve discovered leases usually have drained, worn-out fashions)
  • Reducing board
  • Massive skillet (I’ve used too many nasty, chipped nonstick skillets on trip!)
  • Spices and seasonings



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