As we reported before, about 50 million of you are planning on traveling this Thanksgiving holiday season; moreover, 95% of you 50 million people are choosing to hit the road rather than fly. This means that, if you’re following the advice of healthcare professionals and travel experts, 47.5 million of you are going to need snacks. Why’s that? Because carrying snacks and drinks with you helps you stave off the temptation of stopping at every exit for something to eat or drink and, thus, increasing your risks of coming into contact with the coronavirus.
So, what kind of snacks should you get? Well, first, get what you like to eat. That bag of dehydrated salt and vinegar seaweed chips that your vegan work colleague gave you a year ago will probably still be sitting on your dash when you get back home after the New Year. However, if you need help in deciding what makes good road food snacks, Stuckey’s is here to help. It’s all part of our effort to make road trips fun again. (Besides, road trip snacks have kind of been our thing since 1937 when we started selling pecans out of shack in Eastman, Georgia.)
Yes, it’s true nearly food can be a road trip snack (though spaghetti probably wouldn’t be a good idea, especially while you’re driving). That being said, however, there are some foods that are clearly superior to others when it comes to snacking behind the wheel. (And by superior, we don’t necessarily mean healthy. Actually we don’t mean healthy at all. Again, eat what you like. It’s your road trip.)
Anyway, we digress… here’s the list:
SANDWICHES
Whether it’s the standards like bologna and cheese and PB and J, or you plan on going full Gordon Ramsey between two slices of bread, sandwiches are a great road trip snack. You can eat them with one hand and they really don’t take that long to prepare beforehand.
EVERYTHING’S HUNKEY DOREY
We were going to suggest plain old popcorn here, but then we remembered that we like our popcorn buttery. And we mean buttery like that 10W30 grade of butter they drown your popcorn in at the snack bar of your local cinema. However, that tends to leave grease all over the inside of the car that last longer Armor All. Then we remembered that we also like that white cheddar popcorn, but we nixed that idea, too, because instead of grease stains all over your dash and steering wheel, you have white cheddar powder all over the steering and dash. Not a good look if you get pulled over by the police.
Anyway, if you’re going to eat popcorn on your road trip, make it Stuckey’s Hunkey Dorey – a fan favorite from coast to coast because it’s loaded with a mouthwatering mix of caramel-covered popcorn, almonds, and pecans. Rich in flavor and a pleasure to eat, Hunkey Dorey is always a hit at any party – even if it’s a party of one headed from Fort Wayne to Fort Lauderdale and back on their Thanksgiving break.
I WANT CANDY
Thanks to the sugar in candy, it can give you that little bit of an energy boost you need in between stopping to refuel. We’re talking sweet little treats that are neat to eat on any road trip like Stuckey’s Pecan Divinity Bars and Pecan Pralines. More than often not, however, small candy like Stuckey’s Toffees or Stuckey’s Salt Water Taffy will last longer than a chocolate bar, making you less likely to stop more often.
MEAT TREATS
A mainstay of nearly every single convenience store on the road, meat treats like Slim Jims, Jack Links and other dried and cured meat jerky products are a great source of protein and, like many snacks on our list, can be open with your teeth eaten with one hand – important stuff to know while driving down both the interstates and back roads of America.
HAVE SOME STRING CHEESE INCIDENTS
String cheese was once thought of as a snack food for kids, but then something curious happened: those kids grew up and still ate string cheese. Then they had kids and gave them string cheese. Now everyday from eight to eighty is snacking on string cheese. However, if you’re planning to bring string cheese along with you on your trip, food safety experts suggest you bring along a cooler to store it in as string cheese left out at room temperature for more than three or four hours is not a cool thing to do. In our car, however, that cheese would be lucky to last three or four minutes before it’s eaten.
CHIPS IN A CAN
Pringles (and their counterfeit store-named brands) are actually pretty amazing. Not only are they less greasy than most other bag chips, they also come in a boatload of awesome flavors like “Overloaded Baked Potato” and “Bangkok Grilled Chicken Wings”. In fact, the only drawback is the more you eat, the deeper you have to stick your hand in the can which can be a big problem while you’re driving, so be careful! The next thing you know you’re swerving all over the road trying to get your hand free.
When you’ve finally pulled over, you notice a cop has also pulled over behind you. When you tell him the story, he isn’t buying it as he stares at that white powder on your steering wheel and dashboard. He isn’t buying the white cheddar cheese popcorn story either, so instead of finding yourself holding a turkey leg at Aunt May’s dinner table in Poughkeepsie, you find yourself in a bathroom holding a plastic cup hoping and praying that your lawyer shows up soon. Maybe buy your Pringle’s (and their counterfeit store-named brands) in smaller cans. Just saying.
FRUITS AND VEGGIES
By fruits and veggies we mean a strawberry shake and french fries. Okay wait. We’re just kidding. We realize that there are some of you who actually like to take real fruits and vegetables on your road trips, and it’s probably not a bad idea. In fact, we suggest you make little portable cups of fruits or veggies with dip that you can sit in the cup holder like the one shown in the picture above. Get the recipe here.
AW, NUTS!
Nuts, like fruits and veggies, are not only a great road trip treat, they’re also packed full of healthy good things like vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber. And these aren’t your grandpa’s plain old salted peanuts we’re talking about. We’re talking about bagfuls of Stuckey’s Toasted ‘n Salted Pecans along with our other signature flavors including Honey Roasted, Vanilla Bourbon, Honey Cinnamon and Honey Glazed. We’re also talking about the great flavors of Front Porch Pecans including Sea Salt, Maple and Unsalted flavors.
But wait! We’re not finished going nuts on this road trip just yet. Along with pecans, Stuckey’s is also the place to go for that other famous Georgia nut – the peanut! You can get them Honey Roasted or Salted ‘n Toasted, or why not both?
And of course we didn’t forget the cashew available in Toasted ‘n Salted, Honey Roasted, or seasoned with a little Salt and Pepper. Heck, you can even get them mixed with pecans, almonds, and peanuts in what we call our Honey Cinnamon Nut Mix for a real nutty and Christmassy-tasting kind of treat.
STUCKEY’S PECAN LOG ROLL
That’s right. We saved the most iconic road trip snack for last. We mean, is it really a road trip without a Stuckey’s stop for a bite of that creamy nougat center mixed with sweet and delicious maraschino cherry, hand-dipped in rich, buttery caramel before it’s rolled and rolled in a plethora of pecan pieces? Mmmm… makes us want one now just thinking about it. (Or maybe even two.)
Stop in one of your closest Stuckey’s locations and grab a few of our world famous pecan log rolls or other fine pecan candies and snacks on your next road trip. Or better yet, go to our website and get them sent to your home before your next road trip.
And don’t forget that the holidays are fast approaching and from hats and t-shirts to coffee mugs, our branded Stuckey’s merchandise always makes a great gift for anyone on your Christmas list. Visit stuckeys.com to find out more.
Stuckey’s – We’re Making Road Trips Fun Again!
Whether your next road trip is by car or by rail, it’s not really a road trip without taking Stuckey’s along. From our world famous Stuckey’s Pecan Log Rolls to our mouthwatering Hunkey Dorey, Stuckey’s has all the road trips snacks you’ll need to get you where you’re going.
For all of the pecany good treats and cool merch you’ll need for your next big road adventure, browse our online store now!
Stuckey’s – We’re Making Road Trips Fun Again!