Summer time means road trip and travelling with friends or family or both!

This means packing a cooler and getting your mix tape ready for the long haul.

If you’re traveling by car, it can be easy to fall back on fast food options, rest stop vending machines and gas station snacks. After all, they’re oh-so-convenient. But those quick food choices come with a price: They’re typically loaded with sugar and saturated fats. ……and they come with a literal price, too — one with a pretty high markup. Instead of relying on pit-stop snacks, a pre-packed cooler and icepacks in the backseat can go a long way to satisfying your road trip cravings without breaking the bank or fueling your tank with empty calories.

Grab a cooler and a picnic basket (or a canvas tote or other bag) and pack these healthy road trip snacks:

In the bag

• Applesauce.
• Single-serving containers of tuna.
• Homemade trail mix with nuts, seeds and dried fruit.
• Air-popped or bagged popcorn (stick to kinds that are low in salt and no butter).
• Protein bars .
• Peanut butter ( or nut butter) sandwiches on whole-grain bread ( rye is my favorite.. its full of fiber so it will keep you fuller longer).

In the cooler

• Fresh veggies, like baby carrots, celery sticks, bell peppers, snap peas or mini cucumbers.
• Fresh fruits that don’t make a mess, like bananas, apples, plums, apricots or grapes.
• Low-fat string cheese or cheese slices.
• Single-serving containers of hummus or guacamole.
• Whole-grain wraps with turkey or chicken, avocado, shredded carrots and hummus.
• Water.

Remember that stocking up for the drive home is just as important as when you head out.

Shopping at convenience stores and gas stations

Sometimes, grabbing a bite from the gas station or convenience store might be your only option. And that’s OK. You can typically find healthy road trip snacks even in corner stores, if you know what to look for.

Sure, chips, candies and giant sodas may be plentiful in those aisles, but they’re not going to be your healthiest choices for the ride ahead.

Look instead for options like:

• Applesauce.
• Low-fat Greek yogurt.
• Hummus with veggies.
• Fresh fruits.
• Pre-cut veggies.
• Oatmeal.
• Single-serving bags of veggie chips.
• Single-serving containers of tuna.
• Air-popped or bagged popcorn (stick to kinds that are low in salt and no butter).
• Trail mix without candies.
• Protein bars.
• Bottled water or canned sparkling water.