I have sooo many GREAT travel tips to share! I'm one of these people that loves to see what's around the next corner. I've traveled almost every other weekend my entire adult life and I've learned a lot!  Here are few things that I hope help your next travel adventure.

1- Plan Your Meals- You have to eat anyway, so traveling by car shouldn't increase your budget more than gas. Planning meals will make your experience a lot more carefree. 

2- Bring Spices- I have small containers that I put fresh sea salt, ground pepper, and garlic salt in. Depending on what I make, I may bring additional spices like allspice for potatoes or cinnamon for grilled apples. This will save you a ton of money and enhance the taste of your food. Mmmh! 

3- Rice- I put dry rice in mason jars. There's no need to bring a measuring cup. Remember where your rice line was on the mason jar, dump in the pan, fill up to where rice line was twice with water and cook! There are so many one-pot rice meals to make! One-Pot Rice, Broccoli and Cheese is my favorite. If there's any left, you can store the extra in the mason jar. Bonus for later!

4- Fresh Herbs- Buy or bring your own fresh herbs to enhance any meal. I like buying the combination herb packets that you get at the produce section in the grocery store. It's cheaper than buying them individually and can add so much flavor to even simple meals. One time my husband and I cooked some rice with fresh herbs on the beach. Super easy, healthy and above all, yummy!

6- Portable water filter- This is a great way to ensure you have fresh, filtered water when you travel by plane. You won't have to spend any money on plastic water bottles. This is not only healthier but better for the planet! Come on, it's easy to squash in your luggage! 

5- 5 Gallon Water Jug- I bring this with me when I camp or stay at an Airbnb. There are water refill stations in most cities, where you can refill with filtered water for cheap. If you are out in areas that don't have water refill stations, bring your portable water filter. Problem solved! 

5- Cooler Bag- When I fly anywhere, I bring my cooler bag. It's flat, compact and ensures I'll have fresh yummy food wherever I go. I purchased one when I flew into Seattle to go camping for two weeks in British Columbia. It seriously worked better than my hard cooler at home and it was cheap! Worth every penny!

6- Rainbow Smoothies- It's sometimes hard to get your daily allowance of fruits and vegetables when you go camping. That's why I make a batch of Rainbow Smoothies before I go. I put them in the cooler to have on the road or as a recovery drink after a long hike. One batch is 5 mason jars. They last 2 days, sometimes 3. Juice and smoothie shops can be a great alternative, but I find a lot of them have a lot of added sugar. That's why I like to bring my own. It'll also save you money.

7- Mix Dry Ingredients- Who doesn't like a pancake breakfast! Mixing dry ingredients, and putting them in mason jars will make it easy to make one early morning. Dump, add wet ingredients, stir, cook, eat! 

8- Olive Oil- Buy small glass containers to put olive oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, maple syrup, and other liquid products in. I take the oils on planes with me to prevent needing to buy them at the store. These types of products add up quickly on vacation. I don't know about you, but I have better things to spend my money on when I travel. TIP: Wrap glass jars in towels to help secure them. Place them in a silicone bag in the middle of your suitcase (or plastic bag if you don't have silicone).  I've never had one break, but if I did, this would prevent it from getting all over.  

9- Pre-wash and cut veggies and fruits prior. I know this might sound time consuming for some people, but it sure is a time-saver when you are camping. It also makes sure they are properly washed and you don't use all the extra water you have, cleaning your food. 

10- Premake meals- Heat, and serve  — does it get any easier than that? Be creative! Cheesy Cauliflower Soup or Kinda Chili, Kinda Not is the perfect example of premaking meals. A few other suggestions are marinara and spinach dahl. Cooking pasta or rice and heating up your sauce of choice, makes for a quick, easy meal that doesn't feel like camping! 

11- Dishes- The more you have, the more complicated it gets. Bring one serving of dishes for everyone, one cooking pot, one lid, and spatula. That's all you need. (You may also need a sautee pan depending on your menu).

12- Bags- Bring small silicone bags or beeswax wraps to store food like sandwiches in.  Also, don't forget to bring your reusable shopping bags! Help Save The Planet!!!

13- Dogs- Bringing a rope for a running line helps if your dog like's to wonder when you don't want him/her too.  Bring a carabiner, attach it to the leash, then attach it to a running line to keep them safe!