For 20 years, Samantha Brown has traversed continents, experienced culture, and tasted adventure applying her…
How I Avoid Becoming ‘Hangry’ On the Road
Do you ever get hangry?
I’m sure you do. We all do. Even me, the “queen of perky”, has temper tantrum moments. And when I’m on the road, hanger is usually the culprit. When I’m hungry, I get angry. The best thing you can do in this situation is to find food immediately.
This, of course, is easier said than done– especially if you are traveling internationally. You never know what’s going to be open, or if you there’s a language or cultural barrier that might make it more difficult to get food now! I had a moment while trying to order pizza in Rome, and it got ugly (check out the embarrassing details in the video below).
Experience is a great teacher, and ever since that Rome trip, I’ve never not traveled with a jar of peanut butter. It really is the most dependable snack– shelf stable, high in protein and goes with everything. You might not be able to find a sandwich shop at 2am, but you can probably find crackers or a banana, right? And if worst comes to worst, just dip the ol’ index finger in and voila! Bye-bye, hanger!
What makes peanut butter an especially fab travel companion is its American-ness (is that a word?). Hardly any other countries sell it, and people are curious about this American treat. Share some of this “strange” snack, and I guarantee you’ll make new friends.
Here’s more on my I never travel without peanut butter:
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I have heard stories about TSA taking away jars of peanut butter at their check points due to “security” concerns. Any suggestions on how to get around this situation?
You said you take peanut butter with you where ever you travel — even over seas — well our peanut butter was taken away when we tried to take it with is on mission trips over seas — why do you get to take it and we could not ?
I believe I heard Samantha say in her video that you can find peanut butter in travel size packets. But what works just as well for me is trail mix. It can be found in small single size packets or a larger bag that will last a while. Since it’s a solid you don’t have to worry about security issues.
I always travel with peanut butter too! I share many of the same reasons you listed above, but also, it’s cheap and easy to carry. It’s great for train rides when the food is expensive and you’re on a long trip. Also, while many countries don’t carry it in their regular stores, usually countries with a lot of American expats have some version of an American store where you can stock up. And yes, it is a conversation starter, but I’ve actually found quite a few people that don’t like it that much when they taste it!
My Ma was a fan of those packs of peanut butter crackers when we traveled as kids. You can get peanut butter in single-serve pouches (Justin’s makes them), but if you are carrying them on, you should put them in the TSA liquids bag, not loose in your carry-on. Or you can stash some in your larger luggage. Jars of PB need to be stowed in the checked in baggage. I’ve done it.
Very clever and very helpful. I’m gonna remember that.
Kashi bars are my travel food for the “hangries.” I also pack a small ziplok bag with Andes mints or other wrapped chocolates and my favorite tea bags…so much better than the plain black tea they offer on the plane.
WE HAVE PEANUT BUTTER IN CANADA!!!!!!
This was one of your BEST spots Sam! I agree with you: I LOVE Peanut Butter and it is the best “go to” when one is hungry! And, who knew that it could also be the key to World Peace?! Love you! Jim in Orlando.
Please, please, please DON’T eat peanut butter on a plane! A peanut allergy is one of the most severe and people eating on a plane have caused me to use an epi-pen twice. In fact just yesterday, my husband was flying from JFK to O’Hare and saw a little girl who started to go into anaphylaxis due to someone a few seats ahead eating peanuts. Fortunately the mother had a epi-pen and they were in the landing pattern at O’Hare so an ambulance met them on the runway and rushed them to the hospital. Please put the peanut butter in your checked bag!
Traveling with Hashimoto’s means keeping my blood sugar stable, so I take a small plastic jar of almond butter–serves the same purpose without aggravating my autoimmune issues or someone else’s peanut allergy. And I haven’t had it taken away at security–yet! (Fingers crossed for my next flight!)
My go-to travel snacks are omega trail mix from trader joe’s and protein bars / soya bars / granola bars, and yes these bars come in peanut butter flavor!
I’d like to second and expand upon the comment above from Liz. If you must travel with peanut or other nut butter, please be very diligent in keeping it from all public surfaces. That tiny smear of peanut butter on the arm rest of a chair in the airport boarding area could cause a fatal anaphylactic reaction in a child. (For a severe reaction, an EpiPen may not be sufficient.). Traveling with children who have allergies is already very difficult; please exercise a little caution to make it a little safer for them.