Let’s face it, snacking on a package of peanuts for a four-hour-plus flight sitting in economy is enough to make someone hangry. Think first-class food is better?

Depending on which airline you fly on, yes your-first class food experience could be epic. Or you can choose to not roll the dice, come up with your own meal plan on the cheap for a plane and while on the road.

For the cost of a package of Pringles or a fruit and cheese tray, you can create a healthy stash of snacks, don’t take up a lot of space in your carry-on, and won’t have you running to the bathroom mid-flight.

Your neighbors will look at you in envy wishing they had thought about the idea first.

Airplane Snack Ideas

1. The walking salad

All you need is a Starbucks grande (medium-sized) cup (good reason to treat yourself to an iced caramel macchiato or tea lemonade), a freezer ziplock bag, your favorite greens, dried fruit (cranberries or blueberries), your favorite nuts (cashews or almonds), sliced fruit or vegetable (apple or carrot), your favorite salad dressing, and travel bamboo utensils.

Add one to two tablespoons of salad dressing on the bottom, followed by dried fruit, nuts, sliced vegetable or fruit, and greens on top. When it is time to eat, dump all the ingredients in the Starbucks cup in the freezer bag.

Roll the sides down and enjoy. For DIY homemade salad dressing ideas, check out my post, Healthy Salad Dressing Recipe.

2. Sliced carrots and ranch dressing

3. Gourmet caramel apple

Before I depart for my destination, I stop at a chocolate store (Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory at the Minneapolis-St.Paul Airport) and purchase one gourmet caramel apple (sliced in quarters) and a couple of chocolate-covered pretzel sticks.

4. Fruit slices (tangerine, banana, apple) and honey

5. Olives and feta cheese

6. Sliced apples and a side of peanut or almond butter

Slice one apple into quarters and store it in a small ziplock bag or container. You can either buy peanut or almond butter, make it yourself, or if there is a machine that makes it at the grocery store, I recommend this option as the only ingredient is nuts.

Put two to three tablespoons of peanut or almond butter in a separate small ziplock bag or container.

7. Homemade nuts and dried fruit mix (peanuts, M&Ms, raisins)

8. Candied pecans

Crunchy, sweet, and salty, why not add these to your walking salad? Click here for the recipe I found on Allrecipes.

9. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich

10. Stay hydrated with some comforting tea

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