Three people sitting around a grill, cooking vegetables.

Grilling on the Go: Easy Meals for Traveling

ByLorrie Bradshaw Updated on

To grill, or not to grill? Great question! If you have access to a one, 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.

Finding easy food to grill while traveling opens the door to simple meals that are affordable, quick to prepare, and perfect for feeding a group.

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, cooking outdoors is a great fit.

It’s another option for cooking that convenient, easy to flex with your schedule.

What This Saves You

For a family of four, a restaurant cookout-style dinner might look like:

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

Typical total: $60–$110

The same kind of meal prepared on the grill can often cost much less:

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

Typical total: $23–$40

That puts the potential savings at roughly $37-$70 for one dinner.

But the savings aren’t the only benefit. Grilling lets you eat on your own schedule, skip the wait for a table or takeout, and enjoy a simple cookout wherever you are.

Grilling Roadmap

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

Simple works best when you create a plan for using a grill.

These feed everyone for less:

Can create tomorrow’s lunch:

Makes inexpensive sides feel special:

Don’t forget your spices and condiments so that you can add some variety in your meals!

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 for you 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, grill the turkey and corn on the cob for dinner and make turkey sandwiches the next day. Create your grocery store list around these ideas and you’re going to love the money and time it saves you!

Happy grilling!