Grilling on the Go: Easy Meals for Traveling

ByLorrie Bradshaw

To grill, or not to grill? Great question! If you have access to a grill, it’s a fantasic option to help you save money on not just one day of food, but several.

Many vacation rentals, parks, and even some RV parks and campgrounds have grills available. And if you’re taking your own portable model, that will also open the door to some simple meals that are affordable, easy to prepare, and perfect for feeding a group if you’ve got one.

This guide will show you how to plan for grilling while you’re on the road and what foods you can make that will stretch out over several meals, saving you some big bucks.

Why This Earns a Spot in the Car

Grilling naturally fits the rhythm of vacation. After a day of hiking, swimming, sightseeing, or relaxing at the beach with friends, cooking outdoors is a great fit.

It’s one of the healthier ways to cook, it’s faster, and taste better too!

You can’t beat the convenience of it and, and you can cook almost anything!

What This Saves You

One restaurant cookout-style dinner for a family of four can easily cost:

  • Burgers or chicken: $40-$75
  • Drinks: $10–$20
  • Tip and tax: $10–$20

Typical total: $60–$110

The same meal prepared on the grill often costs:

  • Burgers, chicken, or hot dogs: $15–$25
  • Vegetables and sides: $8–$15

Typical total: $23–$40

Estimated savings: $37–$70 every time you replace a restaurant meal with a grilled meal. These numbers will vary depending on the area of the country your visiting.

Travel Food Game Plan

The base of your grilling strategy needs to be centered around these questions:

  • What gives us leftovers?
  • What can we cook all at once?
  • What should we prep before we leave?
  • What can we buy fresh after we arrive?
  • What makes cleanup easy?

Plan for picking up fresh vegetables, buns, fruit, and salad ingredients, after you’ve reached your destination.

If you are at a vacation rental that has a grill, you are probably all set with the tools you need. Check ahead! If not, plan on taking your grill tools.

Grill Meals Worth Making

These feed everyone for less

These can create tomorrow’s lunch

These make inexpensive sides feel special

Helpful Guide: The Spices and Condiments That are Worth Packing

Will Travel Tip

For a ready to grill meal night one: freeze marinated meat before you leave. It acts like an extra ice pack in your cooler and will be ready to throw on the grill once it thaws.

Why Smart Travelers Do This

Smart travelers don’t think of grilling as a single meal, they think of it as a way to cover multiple meals with one cooking session.

A grill makes it easy to prepare larger batches with very little extra effort. While dinner is cooking, tomorrow’s lunch can cook right alongside it.

That means:

  • fewer restaurant meals
  • fewer cooking sessions
  • less cleanup
  • more flexibility throughout the trip
  • more value from every grocery purchase

One evening around the grill can provide enough food to simplify the next day or two as well.

Before You Hit the Road

Choose one protein and two sides that can be used in multiple meals during your next trip. For example, gill the turkey and corn on the cob for dinner and make turkey sandwiches the next day. Create your grocery store list around these ideas.