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    Home » Blog » Meal Planning

    Food to Bring for a Hotel Picnic

    Published: Jun 20, 2013 · Modified: Sep 30, 2022 by Tiffany Dahle · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    These hotel picnic recipes are perfect for saving money on the dining budget for your next family vacation.

    A travel bowl filled with yogurt and granola.

    Our family loves to travel using reward points for hotels, frequent flier points for plane tickets, and any other membership or discount plan we can think of to save money on everything else.

    The one area that we really seem to struggle with is the dining portion of the travel budget.

    Tim and I both really enjoy having a nice sit-down meal at least once a day.

    Fast food & quick service are nice easy fixes once in a while, but without at least one higher quality meal a day, we get cranky.

    When you're traveling for several days or a week, especially with kids, that can really add up quickly!

    I know that all bets are off once we leave the hotel room so the best way for me to keep the family budget in check is to save money on breakfast by eating things I've brought from home.

    At the same time, it is still a vacation. I look for special treat type breakfasts so we still feel like we're doing something fun and different than our routines at home.

    To sell this idea to the children who may be disappointed they don't get to the hotel's pancake buffet, I dub these "Hotel Picnics."

    We camp out on towels on the floor and make it memorable.

    What to Pack for a Hotel Picnic

    It's just breakfast so you don't need a kitchen arsenal but these items do come in handy!

    1. Portable Dishware and Picnic Supplies

    A lightweight set including a small bowl, plate, utensils & cup for each person.

    You can make individual picnic kits and store them in lunch totes for each member of the family or have one big tote bag filled with all the supplies you need.

    You can read more about my favorite hotel picnic supplies here.

    But generally you'll want:

    • Utensils
    • Cups
    • A plate and/or bowls

    2. Travel Bottle of Dish Soap & Scrubbie

    Washing these dishes is no big deal, they mostly just need a quick rinse!

    Forget the towel and let them air dry. You're on vacation too!

    3. Easy Breakfast Treats

    These breakfast suggestions are filling, portable, and low mess.

    Best of all, you can make them far in advance of your trip and they will keep well in the freezer.

    You don't need to feel pressure to make them the day before you go when your hands are going to be full with packing.

    • Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bars
    • Big Batch Pumpkin Bread Recipe
    • Make-ahead Breakfast Burritos
    • Banana Zucchini Bread
    • Easy Blueberry Scones
    • Cranberry Orange Muffins with Streusel Topping
    • Fresh Peach Scones
    • How to Make Trail Mix for Road Trips

    Fresh Items to Buy at Your Destination

    To round out your simple hotel picnic breakfast, you just need to get a few items at your destination and keep them in the hotel fridge.

    If you plan ahead, you may be able to even order grocery delivery to your hotel through Instacart or pick up the groceries through the specific grocery chain's online ordering.

    All you need to buy is:

    • A large container of your family's favorite yogurt
    • Fresh milk
    • Fresh fruit of choice: splurge on the pre-cut fruit salad from the store or get travel-friendly fruits like apples, bananas, or oranges

    For less than the price of one hotel breakfast for a family of 4, you'll have breakfasts for your entire trip!

    More Recipes to Cook on Vacation

    If you're renting a condo with a kitchen or another longer term rental, you may be interested in my entire meal plan for a week at the beach.

    It includes everything you need to cook an entire week of dinners including this tasty sample of dishes:

    • Firecracker Cream Cheese Pinwheels
    • Fresh Tomato Pasta Toss
    • Oven Baked Salmon
    • One-Pot Taco Skillet

    More Meal Planning Tips and Lists

    • All the Book Club Dinner Ideas You'll Ever Need
    • 40 Delicious Date Night at Home Dinner Ideas
    • 20 Easy Mardi Gras Recipes for Family Dinner
    • 30 Valentine's Day Dinner Recipes for Kids

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    1. Leigha

      March 28, 2014 at 8:34 am

      One way my hubby and I travel and save is by using airbnb.com and/or homeaway.com.
      It's basically a way to rent an entire house or apartment. This gives the opportunity to bring our own groceries and have all of the conveniences of home. We absolutely love it! We even bring our tabletop grill. we have the option to go out for dinner or dine at home and it has been a HUGE blessing to our family. We've stayed at lakefront resorts for as little as $55 a night! I highly suggest this travel option for future trips!

      Reply
    2. Heather

      June 22, 2013 at 10:14 pm

      If a hotel offers breakfast, we always take advantage of it 😉
      But we also pack a cooler with lunch fixin's: tortillas, cheeses, deli meats, bagged spinach, fruit salad, pasta salad, and broccoli salad are favorite standbys. Then we find a park or rest stop and have a picnic table lunch.
      On really long road trips we bring their razor scooters in case we don't find a park- that way they get to go play and expend some energy before the next leg in the car.

      Reply
    3. Kim - Liv Life

      June 20, 2013 at 10:11 am

      We do this even still!! As we travel for Liv's dance competition, time and $ are factors in going out to eat, hence we carry along. While she's almost 14, I'm thinking she would still LOVE this picnic set in place of the costco paper that we bring.
      A little planning, a cooler and lots of ice can go a long way to saving a few dollars.

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. 50+ Easy & Fun Picnic Ideas for Kids – Child Development says:
      April 17, 2021 at 10:11 pm

      […] Traveling? Save money on restaurants and have a Picnic at the Hotel with this great idea from Peanut Blossom! […]

      Reply
    2. 50+ Easy & Fun Picnic Ideas for Kids – Parent Babycareall says:
      April 17, 2021 at 10:02 pm

      […] Traveling? Save money on restaurants and have a Picnic at the Hotel with this great idea from Peanut Blossom! […]

      Reply
    3. 50+ Fun Kids Picnic Ideas - Kids Activities Blog says:
      March 10, 2014 at 7:01 am

      […]  Save money on restaurants and have a picnic at the hotel.  Great idea from Peanut […]

      Reply
    4. "On the Go" Travel Recipes & Tips for Kids - Melissa & Doug Blog says:
      June 20, 2013 at 11:16 am

      [...] In her post, she shares: [...]

      Reply

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    I believe a great family recipe is one that makes everyone at the table happy, not just the kids. I'm the author of two bestselling cookbooks for kids that are chock full of recipes everyone in your family will love. I'm also the hostess of the best online book club for moms.

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