DIY Holiday Gift Series- Travel Food Bag and Snack Ideas for the Plane

posted on: Tuesday, December 14, 2010


The moment Christian asked me what I wanted for Christmas I said what I wanted so fast he couldn't even understand me. Or maybe, he just pretended not to understand.

Is asking to travel by myself totally unreasonable?

I want my family there I just don't want to travel with them. I want an airplane ride solo sans-children  because after coming back from Brazil in September, I officially hate traveling with my children. Enzo asked if Hawaii was 4 plane rides away. We told him it was just one. "That's why I like Hawaii more than Brazil." He said. Ouch! But can you blame him?! That's why I like Hawaii more than Brazil and I love Brazil

Anyway, we are on a plane this very second. We are on our way to Hawaii. This post was scheduled. I wrote it yesterday. If I don't respond to your comments it's because the plane crashed, the chances of that happening though are slim so really I need to focus on making the trip not so terrible.

Food!
What happened to peanuts and soda on the plane?
Did it really cost the airplane companies so much money that they can't feed us a little snacky snack?
Seriously.

Whatever, we're taking our own food and our won hip travel food bag to boot. It's insolated so that I can pack tuna fish sandwiches and not worry about it going bad. Wanna give someone a good Holiday gift Give them a travel food bag for the plane filled with yummy food. The'll love you for thinking of them and will appreciate the food they can barter off for good headphones, or who knows maybe even a little game of solitaire on someone's ipad.


1- Find a blank canvas insulated bag
2- Iron ons! I love iron ons. Urban Outfitters is my favorite place to find iron ons and Mike Perry's Iron On Kits are a recent obsession.  A more recent obsession would be printing my own iron ons but since my printer... forget it let's not even go there... (CHRISTIAN!!!)

3- Make a cool design. Play with it, get input, mix things up. 
4. Iron it on. This is the tricky part even though it should be the easy part. I always put the iron on low and leave it on for half of the time that it actually asks for. I like the faded look and I've burnt things in the past which was sad.
5. Fill it up with yummy treats that will not induce gas. Whinny kids who fart are the worst.



Snacks for the plane:
  • Lollipops. We always take lollipops for Enzo because it helps to have him suck on something when the plane is landing otherwise his ears hurt, hurt, hurt.
  • Beef  jerky or sandwich meat. Protein keeps the hunger away and it's easy to munch on.
  • String Cheese. I make my kids actually string the cheese. It gives them something to do on a long ride.
  • Fruit. Since we always travel to places where we can't bring fresh fruit we make sure to eat it all on the plane. Grapes are a favorite because they also help quench the thirst.
  • Water. We bring empty water bottles and fill it up after  passing through security.
  • Veggies. We always bring baby carrots, they're crunchy and delicious.
  • Nuts. Peanuts make my kids gassy. No peanuts. We bring almonds instead
  • Candy. Enough so you can bribe them to stop kicking the seat in front of them.
If you are taking a longer flight that serves meals I would recommend checking out AirlineMeals.net to see what kind of food you're getting. Often times it's not a bad idea to pack your own food.

What's your favorite snack to eat on the plane? 


21 comments:

  1. Ooooohhhh, tuna fish? You're sure to make friends as you travel if you have tuna breath ;-)

    On second thought, take the tuna. It might cover up the farts.

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  2. You travel smartly! I never remember to pack enough food when I'm traveling.

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  3. I also pack food for long flights and we don't even have small children with us. I never like the airplane food and I'm a gluten-free vegetarian so it's really impossible to feed me. I pack the same as you except the meat of course and the lollipops but I do have candy for sure, and mini-cheese sandwiches. Cracked me up that what you wanted for Christmas was to fly alone, hope the flight is as uneventful as possible for you.

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  4. we - hawaii - welcomes you and your crazies.

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  5. Very very cute! Thanks for sharing were to find the cute iron-on's!!!! I didn't know they had insolated canvas bags! SCORE!! ;)
    Have fun in Hawaii you lucky girl. oh, and it is absolutely, positively NOT crazy to ask for a plane ridew no kids! I LOVE alone time. Plane trips are the perfect time to read, listen to music or just sit in silence! Golden!

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  6. I ALWAYS include chocolate! I often travel alone with my small kids (lap kid included) and so all my food has to be easily openable and eatable and not too messy, so that for the most part they can do it themselves or with little help from me. (imagine my trip last month...7 months pregnant, lap child, and a 4 year old...I couldn't even bend over to get anything from under the seat:)

    Enjoy your ONE flight:)

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  7. I don't travel often by plane and my kids have never been on a plane yet....although they would love to have the ride. Good luck on your travels, it sounds as though your plane ride with kids will go off without a hitch!

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  8. Several thoughts. 'This too shall pass'. It's the kids ages. Once they are a bit older the plane stuff is a non event. Bravo on the food on planes. We are gluten free so it's a must BUT since we've committed to a higher quality diet, we don't want to eat alot of what is available on planes.

    Lastly did you ever hear the study done on the sanitary quality of the ice in planes? Due to the bacteria in the water pipes I believe, it's something to avoid. More bacteria in the ice than in a toilet. Ick.

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  9. This post was so funny but I'm with you. I don't travel with kids but travelling with my husband is a similar experience! And yes, I need to pack a nice food bag every time we travel. This DIY was perfect for me :)
    Happy holidays in Hawaii!

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  10. Have a wonderful trip! I don't have kids but I can imagine how stressful traveling with them can be. I don't know how my parents did it all those years. Love your tips on making it through a long flight!

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  11. Ha - I'm going to Hawaii, and in a very similar fashion, am glad it is only one flight away ... and my favorite snack. Hm. Does bourbon count?

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  12. Haha - love the gas comment. I don't have kids so this would have never occurred to me. But I imagine that whinny kids with gas must, actually, be the worst!

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  13. the empty water bottles are such a smart idea? why didn't i think of that??

    watch out with the grapes, they're a diuretic and will dehydrate ya and make you have to pee more. ;)

    my favorite snack? cheezits and wine!

    have a lovely vacation!

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  14. @Rachel You are a freakin saint! How but more importantly why? Why did you travel like that?

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  15. LOVE this idea! Where did you find blank canvas insulated bags?

    Is it sad that I have already planned and purchased the non-perishable snacks that I'll be eating on the plane next week two weeks ahead of time? =)

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  16. @*kimmie* I got it as swag at the Foodbuzz conference, the other side has a Sigg thing on it. Did you get one? I have seen them on sale before online.

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  17. I couldn't agree with you more. Children and travel do not mix! Snacks are key. I used to take chex mix unmixed so that they could take the time to make their own. Then we would play a game and count who had more little pieces in theirs before they could eat it. Anything to keep them occupied :)

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  18. I've been purposely trying to avoid flying on US-based airlines on long trips lately, especially when I do the ~11-12 hour flight to Hong Kong. Asian airlines treat you so well! But if I do get stuck having to fly on United or something, I try to pack a couple of onigiri rice balls to snack on. Hope you're having fun in Hawaii!

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  19. Flying is just not fun anymore, and so expensive with all the a la carte add-ons! But I agree, I traveled to St Maarten with my 6 month old this past summer, completely stressful! Enjoy your trip.

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  20. It's so funny that I'm reading about these iron-on's today on your post! Jacob and I just talked about doing these this week! I got them for him for Christmas last year, but sadly, we haven't use them yet. Time to open them up and get some good use out of them!

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