This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #Cbias #GiantEaglePerk #CollectiveBias
Summertime growing up meant family road trips of some kind. The destination varied, depending on the year, who we were traveling with, and where we had been the most recently. We would leave at the crack of dawn, drive all day, and when it was time to stop, we’d stop. I can still clearly remember my parents getting my brother and I out of the car to walk into whatever hotel/motel we were stopping to sleep at. Traveling internationally was no different. We’ve road tripped around Australia, Italy, France, Switzerland, and Germany, and those road trip memories are as deeply ingrained as those of the Western states road trips.
Road Trip Picnic Baskets | The Snacks Are Where It’s At
Throughout our trips lunch was often a picnic in a town park, or along a river, consisting of what was picked up at local markets and small town grocery stores. Turns out that some things don’t change all that much.
The freedom to explore and stop whenever there’s something that you want to see and do is fantastic, and was a formative part of my childhood. Throughout college, road trips were still a big part of my life, driving back forth from Ogden Utah to Portland for a couple of years, Ogden to Las Vegas, and each summer Ogden to Grand Junction Colorado to spend time with family.
[bctt tweet=”The best part of any road trip is the snacks. What’s in your basket? #ad #cbias #gianteagleperks #collectivebais” username=”cookeatexplore”]
As an adult, summers still mean road trips, but rather than driving through Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Colorado, and Nevada, (when I say that I’m from the West, I’m really not foolin’ around) I’m exploring based out of Columbus Ohio. The MOST integral part of any road trip (aside from whatever vehicle you’re driving, and the gas used to get you there)? The cooler and the snacks. The savings earned through the Giant Eagle Fuel Perks program make stocking on drinks and snacks crazy easy (and make it so that I can continue to fund my summer road trips.)
Last summer I headed South to explore with Alicia on the Southern Summer Road Trip, this summer I’m staying slightly more local, my focus on exploring my new home state of Ohio, and it’s neighbors. (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia, for anyone keeping score)
Read more about the Southern Summer Road Trip by clicking [HERE] and [HERE]
When it comes to road trips, I firmly believe that aside from your car, the keys, and the gas you use to get there, the snacks and are one of the best parts of any road trip.
Fuel Perks & Get Go | Save More, Do More, with Giant Eagle
Let’s take just a second and talk about Fuel Perks. They’re crazy easy to earn, even easier to redeem, and my personal favorite, you earn them by doing what you’ll do in the normal course of life. Buying groceries and gas, filling your families prescriptions, you know. Life. Adulting.
Using Giant Eagle Perks, and making sure that I fill up weekly at Get Go, I’m able to save enough money on the weekly errands that I’m able to squirrel the savings so that I can continue to explore my new surroundings, stock my road trip picnic baskets, AND, I’m able to add a handful of magazines to my road trip shopping cart, and it doesn’t blow the budget.
How fast do these perks add up you ask? Giant Eagle has a real handy calculator on their website, which you can access by clicking [HERE]. Check it out, and play with the sliders to reflect what your household spends, and lemme tell ya what, you’ll be shocked at how fast the perks add up.
Packing a basket? Ask your self the following questions.
What is my go to flavor profile?
For me? Alllll about the sour. Always. Lemonade, pomegranate, sour cherry, and that granulated sour goodness that coats sour candy, if I ate nothing else ever, I’d be happy. With that being said, sour candy is ALWAYS at hand. And on a road trip? I stock up every time I fill up the gas tank.
You’re sitting to savor a meal, soaking in the surroundings and enjoying the company of those you’re with, what will be enjoyable to savor?
Easy. Cheese, a crusty baguette, olives, sliced meat, and bottles of water (wine, if we’ve stopped for the night). Sitting with your feet in water, or dangling off of the back of the tailgate sharing a meal of bread and cheese is soothing for your soul.
What do I feel better after eating? Will I be able to sit comfortably in the car after eating this?
My picnic of cheese and baguette is all well and good for me, you have to ask yourself though, what will I feel better after eating? If you’re lactose intolerant, or have issues with gluten, my picnic lunch won’t work at all for you, so make sure you take care to listen to your body, and get what works for yours. Pit stops can be few and far between, depending on where you’re traveling.
Also, word to the wise, keep in mind where you may be stopping for your roadside picnics. Some foods are far messier than others.
#cbias #GiantEaglePerks #CollectiveBias
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