There will inevitably be times when you don’t have your airfare snacks handy.

It could be an unexpected trip, or all the snacks are already eaten. Or maybe you’re such an angel that you gifted the snack pouch to your partner, a pilot who is off flying their line, leaving you to fend for yourself on a road trip.

Whatever the reason, you need an answer to the burning question: how can I eat #actuallyhealthy and maintain health and energy when stranded snackless?

We’ve previously shared the answer for various situations, like at major airports and at Starbucks, but out and about, here’s how to save yourself from snacking purgatory.

Reliables for road trips

In the winter of 2020, Justin took a pandemic road trip across the heart of the country. He learned that past California and the Rockies, the healthy food landscape gets pretty bleak, limited to fast food stops and gas stations. Justin, of course, brought tons of his airfare favorites—his Lupii bars, Bear Bars, Earthy Krunchy Snacks Kale Chips, Healthy Truth Pizzalmonds, and Thunderbird bars, to name a few.

Like many pilots, by mid-trip, he was running low. Luckily, gas stations and 7-Elevens have a few select items that make the grade.

Wonderful Pistachios

Warning: these are addicting. Something about dry-roasted pistachios makes it near impossible not to eat the entire bag it in one sitting. Quantity aside, the healthy force is strong, as these are dry-roasted without oil or other crap added—rare for nuts. Outside of the higher salt content, these beat most other options on Route 66. Get the smallest size you can, and futilely attempt portion control.

Banana

Don’t overthink it—just grab a nanner. We try to avoid the apples at convenience stores because they (a) are among the Dirty Dozen foods that have the most pesticides on average (buying organic or washing thoroughly is recommended), and (b) they are usually mealy and terrible. Bananas, though, are resilient and delicious, plus they balance the salty, fatty pistachios from both a taste and nutritional perspective. Though potassium quantity in bananas is a little overrated, getting a solid potassium source to counter sodium intake is doing good for the bod.

Bouncing around the burbs

How many times have we been in some random suburb on a road trip, heading to a meeting or social event, and just needed a snack. These towns usually offer a lower-end supermarket or a big-chain pharmacy. Fear not, there are a few saviors to be found.

Larabar

This brand is popular, and with good reason. It remains one of the few bars with #actuallyhealthy ingredients and mass distribution. The ingredients of virtually every other bar on standard grocery store shelves include added sugars, sweeteners, oils, isolates, thickeners, and worse. You can even find Larabars at any Walmart or Target. Fair warning: some of the options, (particularly and unfortunately the ones with chocolate) have added sugar, so avoid those. Our favorite is the Peanut Butter Cookie.

Bare Snacks

Bare is another company that has grown to significant scale while maintaining it’s health-focused approach. 👏 Their fruit chips are available at Hudson News stores in most airports now, as well as in Target, Walgreens, and Safeway. We usually go for the apple, or maybe the more-elusive carrot or sweet potato.

The REI secret

A few days ago, cofounder Justin—our resident nomad—was just about to open his laptop in a WeWork in Santa Monica, CA. He froze, fear-stricken, realizing he had forgotten his airfare pouch. His palms starting sweating, his heart began racing… until he remembered the REI Secret.

There are REI and REI Co-Op stores in most major cities, and if you’re lucky enough to be close to one, head straight there. Try to ignore the aspirational candy of the tents and sub-zero-temperature-rated sleeping bags, and head to the checkout line. Even REI—whose customers are outdoorsfolk in extreme need of great on-the-go nutrition—has depressingly few healthy options, with added sugars, sweeteners and oils and other fake ingredients galore.

There’s one significant exception…

Bearded Brothers bars

We first encountered these gems in another on-the-go, stranded-snackless situation in New York City in 2016. Amidst the hotel’s offering of croissants and cookies, we spotted a-cool looking food bar from Austin, TX. Imagine our surprise that the ingredients in the Ginger Peach flavor were simply ginger, peach, dates, walnuts, and almonds. The same holds true for other flavors.

If you find yourself in a foreign US city—whether Santa Monica or Santa Fe, Boise or Brooklyn—and you need a healthy pick-me-up, stop into an REI and grab yourself a Bearded Brothers bar.