Why Do I Buy All the Snacks on the Plane From Trader Joe’s
When I fly, my snacks have two very important tasks. They should keep me from starving, but more importantly, they should entertain and distract me from how much I hate flying.
But packing a good snack bag isn’t as easy as throwing a bunch of your favorite foods into your carry-on bag. Besides the following TSA rules, I have a few of my own:
- No crumbly, brittle stuff that won’t last in my poorly organized backpack.
- Taste is prioritized, but some nutrition must be involved. The flight already makes me feel bad physically, so there are only Snickers and Cheetos bars – a bad plan.
- Only food with your fingers. I don’t want to ask for anything, like dishes (which they probably won’t have anyway).
- Nothing offensive smelling because it’s just gross and tasteless and I’m not as tasteless as I look.
- I also like things that come in neat little portions, but that’s not critical because there are Ziploc bags and bento boxes.
Over the years shopping for airplane snacks, I’ve found myself consistently happy with the choices at Trader Joe’s. Trader Joe’s isn’t your average grocery store, it’s a cool grocery store, and their food is just (casual) fun. They also, as a company, seem to be quite obsessed with snacks, which is my personal aesthetic taste and these are my favorites:
All dried fruits
I’ve been eating these mango and pineapple slices since they were available for purchase, and their chewy, slightly sour nature is perfect for air travel. Not only do they make your jaw move – and your ears pop – but acidic foods can help with any nausea associated with motion sickness. If tropical fruits aren’t your thing, TJ’s has a variety of other dried (and freeze-dried) foods like apples, peaches, apricots, and all kinds of blueberries. Yes, and if you like your dried fruit a little like a child, there are always these beauties, cheap, tasty and reminiscent of the fruit snacks of my youth.
Lots Nuts and Nut Blends
Joe – if there is such a merchant at all – must be crazy about nuts, because his shop of the same name is full of raw nuts, roasted nuts, candied nuts and everything else. (Harlan Pepper would love that .) I’m partial to candied pecans.
Then there is the trail mix, also called a variety of different nuts, mixed together with a few other things. Nuts and dry mixes are great plane foods because they are easy to eat, filling, and (by my standards, at least) very healthy. If you want to be virtuous, grab the Go Raw Trek Mix bag, which is surprisingly delicious despite the lack of salt and chocolate shavings, or you can be like me and grab some of the super sexy Tempting Trek Mix that’s included. comfortable handfuls.
Light olives
Pitted and brine olives don’t seem like good travel companions at first glance, but TJ’s have removed the pits and packed them in handy little pickle-free bags. Not only are they the perfect salty snack – especially if you bring in some of the meats, which we’ll get to in a moment – but you should probably add them to your Bloody Mary or in-flight martini .
Meat and cheeses
Trader Joe’s have a pretty decent selection of what I call “Adult Lunches” and are very portable and easy to pack. Citterio’s small meat sticks are small, spicy, salty and addictive; Prosciutto-wrapped mozzarella (ahem, string cheese) is all that is good in one package, and the genoa salami / provolone combination is a glass of Chianti apart from an Italian picnic. You can wrap crackers or bread with these meats, but the crackers can crack and crush the bread, and I don’t like crumbs.
If you don’t eat meat but want to get in on the cheese promotion, TJ’s has a variety of portable dairy products as well. I love their fresh goat cheese medallions , but they can be a little crumbly for travel, and I absolutely live on their fresh mozzarella sticks that look like string cheese but have no strands and taste like fresh, creamy, dreamy mozza.
Chocolate, Spirit
Airplane travel is not a candy-free airplane ride, and Trader Joe’s has some really great candy. I love chocolate, but they have a really great selection of marmalades and licorice, if that’s the kind of thing you like, baby. They have large tubs of peanut butter and chocolate covered almonds that you can repackage into smaller, travel-friendly servings, but look down the aisles at checkout to find small packages of your favorite foods.
The only non-chocolate candy I have to eat when traveling is Ginger People’s Ginger Chews. I’ve always had problems with motion sickness, and these super gingerbread lozenges soothe a sore stomach as you might not believe.
They also require good chewing, which is great if there are pressure issues in the ears and sinuses while they are in the air.
Breath freshening agents
Unless you’ve brought (and used) a tiny toothbrush in your carry-on baggage, your breath will likely be as stale as the air in the cabin when you land. Luckily Trader Joe’s has my favorite brand of mints (Myntz) that I could only find on TJ’s or on the internet . They are quite strong, sugar-free and “dentist-recommended” for what it’s worth. (Seems like nothing against dentists, but “four out of five” of them always recommend something . I want to talk to that fifth dentist; they seem to have very high standards.)
These are all pleasant reasons why I stop in front of the plane at Trader Joe’s. Can I buy similar items at other grocery stores? Of course, but I know and love these particular brands and know that I can get them in one trip. Will this trip be overshadowed by Trader Joe’s incredibly poorly designed car park? Yes, but the fact that I’m ready to deal with this should tell you how devoted I am to these airplane snacks.