Vacation Meal Plan for Families: 7 Day Plan & Expert Tips

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When heading out on a family trip, creating a vacation meal plan can make things much simpler. Freeing up the parents time for fun activities, like playing games with their kids, or heading to the beach.

I’ve found having a meal plan ensures we’re fueled and ready for our adventures, without the stress of last-minute food hunts and hangry kids & adults. It also gives us an opportunity to use that extra money for special meals and bucket list activities that may cost more.

But planning meals for a cottage, vacation rental, or road trips can be challenging, especially when you want to create quick & easy meals, shop smart, use leftovers, save money and manage everyone’s food preferences.

Which is why we’ll go over the meal planning tips we use on our own vacations 1 to 3 times a year, as well as give you plenty of vacation meal ideas and two sample 7 day vacation meal plans of ideas we’ve used ourselves.

So, let’s dive into how we can make your next family vacation deliciously simple and memorably fun!

Family Vacation Meal Planning Tips

When researching & creating your family vacation meal plan, first look into where the closest local grocery store or markets are, and if they’re afforable options close by. Then consider the following:

• Know Your Destination: Tailor your meal plan to fit your destination. Beach trip? Think light and fresh meals. Heading to cooler climates? Warm, comforting dishes might be the go-to. We also like to consider the kitchen facilities we have access to and plan accordingly.

• Keep It Simple: Stick to vacation meal recipes that require few ingredients and are quick to prepare. Consider dishes that can be made ahead and are transportable, or meal kits that take only a little bit of time. Vacation time is for fun, not slaving away in the kitchen (at least that’s my motto).

• Keep Meals Familiar: Also, include familiar favorites, especially if you have kids. A taste of home can be comforting, and we’ve found having at least some tried true favourites can make meal times less stressful. Our kids have never started to miraculously like mushrooms just because we’re on vacation.

• Plan for Flexibility: While it’s great to have meals planned, be ready to switch things up. Maybe you stumble upon a local food market or a must-try restaurant – leave some wiggle room in your plan for spontaneous culinary adventures.

• Involve Everyone: Get input from the whole family. Kids might enjoy picking out their favorite snacks or breakfast items. This not only makes meal planning easier but also ensures that everyone looks forward to the vacation meals. We’ve often ended up with unique & fun dishes this way too.

• Pack Smart Snacks: Always have a stash of easy-to-carry snacks for those in-between meal hunger pangs or unexpected delays. Think granola bars, fruits, nuts, or crackers & cheese – something to keep the energy up and the hangries down.

• Make food ahead: When feasible, make food ahead such as muffins, cookies, desserts.

• Create a shopping list: Along with your vacation meal plan, a grocery list will help you make sure you have what you need, without spending a lot of money extra on things you don’t.

• Optimizing storage space: Ensure food remains fresh and safe to eat by using proper containers & coolers with ice packs when possible. We tend to use reusable silicone bags and compact, stackable boxes. They help in maximizing fridge and cooler space, keeping meals organized and accessible during your trip.

PRO MEAL TIP: When possible, use a delivery service to have your first couple of days (or more) food delivered to your vacation rental that first night. Saves you time & hassle on your vacation & usually doesn’t cost very much.

7 Day Family Trip Meal Plans & Tips

I’ve put together a couple of 7 day vacation meal plan examples, with quick meals that have worked well for us as a family. Here are a couple of other tips we use when vacation meal planning:

• Leftover days: Typically on days 4 & 7 we try to eat up any leftovers, and just make meals according to what we have available. However, I’ve made 7 full days of ideas so you can pick and choose what you prefer.

• Use pre-made food: We use foods we pre-made at home, or pre-packaged foods like salads, burgers, cut up fruit and the like when we can, to decrease the time we spend in the kitchen on holidays.

• Repurpose leftovers: Another tip is to choose meals where you can use up the leftovers in meals over the next day or two. Such as leftover salad, meat, bread, fruit etc. This cuts down on waste & your time.

After our sample meal plans we have over 100 vacation meal ideas, including some tasty snack ideas and of course desserts.

7 Day Meal Plan Ideas #1

Here’s our first 7 day family vacation meal plan. Many of these ideas can be bought as pre-made or ready-made meals at the store if you want less work. Easy vacation meals with all your favorite things  for when you want to take a break from the local restaurants. 

If you’re staying in a hotel room with only a microwave, that will have to be a whole other post, as it will be harder to bring your own food & cook it. 

This meal plan offers a diverse range of meals to cater to different tastes.

MEAL TIP: Have theme dinner nights. Use ideas like Mexican, Indian or Italian food, BBQ, Appetizers or finger foods only. Be creative, it can make your trip meals more fun.

⭐️ More travel resources for families to help plan your vacations.

7 Day Meal Plan Ideas #2

This plan balances healthy options with some fun treats, ensuring there’s something for everyone in the family. Feel free to adjust according to dietary needs or preferences.

Quick & Easy Vacation Meal Ideas

Here’s a comprehensive list of family-friendly vacation meal ideas, categorized under Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Desserts, and Snacks to give you a wide range of options.

Breakfast

1. Pancakes with assorted toppings (berries, bananas, chocolate chips, fruit sauce, yogurt, syrup)
2. Scrambled eggs with cheese and spinach
3. French toast sticks
4. Oatmeal with nuts, honey, and fruit
5. Yogurt parfaits with granola and berries
6. Protein Balls
7. Bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon
8. Fruit salad with a variety of seasonal fruits
9. Breakfast burritos with scrambled eggs and salsa
10. Muffins (blueberry, chocolate chip, raisin bran, lemon cranberry)
11. Cereal with milk and fruit slices
12. Smoothie bowls with toppings (chia seeds, coconut flakes)
13. Belgian waffles with maple syrup
14. Breakfast sandwiches with egg, cheese, and ham
15. Banana bread slices
16. Avocado toast
17. Quiche with vegetables and cheese
18. Mini egg muffins with bacon, cheese and spinach
19. Croissants with jam or Nutella
20. English muffins with peanut butter and jelly
21. Homemade granola with dried fruit and nuts

Lunch

1. Sandwiches (turkey, ham, cheese, peanut butter and jelly)
2. Wraps with grilled chicken and veggies
3. Pasta salad with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella & salami
4. Grilled cheese sandwiches with soup
5. Tacos with various fillings (beef, chicken, beans)
6. Chicken Caesar salad
7. Canned Chili or Soup
8. Quesadillas with cheese and beans
9. Hummus with pita bread and veggies
10. Sushi rolls (vegetable, California, etc.)
11. Hot dogs with various toppings
12. Personal pizzas with customizable toppings
13. Macaroni and cheese
14. BLT sandwiches
15. Chicken nuggets with dipping sauces
16. Tuna salad sandwiches
17. Veggie burgers
18. Corn on the cob
19. Baked potato with toppings (cheese, bacon, sour cream)
20. Nachos with cheese and salsa
21. Quinoa & Feta Cheese Salad

Dinner

1. Easy Chicken Casseroles
2. Anything grilled or BBQ – Hamburgers, Chicken, Steak , Seafood etc.
3. Spaghetti with meatballs
4. Beef or Chicken stir-fry with rice
5. Baked or grilled salmon with lemon and herbs
6. Meatloaf with mashed potatoes
7. BBQ ribs with coleslaw
8. Chicken wings & Salad
9. Fajitas with peppers and onions
10. Vegetable curry with rice
11. Pork chops with applesauce
12. Shrimp pasta with garlic butter sauce
13. Beef tacos with toppings
14. Homemade burgers with fries
15. Chicken pot pie
16. Vegetable stir-fry with tofu
17. Sloppy Joes
18. Casseroles
19. Southwest Black Bean Salad
20. Fried Rice
21. Chana Masala & Rice (Curried Chickpea Dish)
22. Gnocchi (my daughter’s favourite, she’ll eat for breakfast lunch or dinner)

Desserts

Most of these can be either make ahead desserts, store bought or even put together at your vacation rental if you have the kitchen for it.

1. Chocolate chip cookies
2. Brownies
3. Fruit popsicles
4. Apple pie
5. Cheesecake
6. Rice pudding
7. Cupcakes
8. Lemon bars
9. Banana split
10. S’mores
11. Ice cream sundaes
12. Carrot cake
13. Strawberry shortcake
14. Peach cobbler
15. Chocolate mousse or pudding
16. Fruit salad
17. Key lime pie
18. Apples & Caramel Dip
19. Tiramasu
20. Cinnamon Rolls (buy premade dough)
21. Graham Crackers with sweetened cream cheese spread in the middle.

Snacks

Snacks are essential. We have some travel snack recipes you might like to try as well.

1. Trail mix
2. Jerky
3. Popcorn
4. Fruit Pouches / Applesauce cups
5. Cheese and crackers
6. Veggie sticks with dip
7. Fruit kebabs
8. Granola bars / Protein Bars
9. Pretzels
10. Mixed nuts
11. Apple slices with peanut butter
12. Rice cakes with cream cheese
13. Yogurt
14. Mini sandwiches
15. Sliced cucumbers with hummus
16. Hard-boiled eggs
17. Dried fruit
18. Roasted chickpeas
19. String cheese / Baby Bell Cheese
20. Chia seed pudding
21. Protein Balls / Energy Balls
22. Muffins
23. Fruit Leather / Fruit Roll Up
24. Chex Mix

Let’s Spice Up Vacation Meal Prep!

Meal times can be a breeze, thanks to some super savvy meal preparation techniques. Here’s how you can whip up delicious, budget-friendly meals with minimal fuss during your travels.

• Batch Cooking Magic: Before you even pack your bags, get busy in the kitchen. Cook up big batches of family favorites like pasta sauces, hearty chili, or comforting stews. Freeze them, and voila. You’ve got ready-to-go meals that just need reheating. Less time cooking equals more time vacationing.

• Prep Like a Pro: Chop, marinate, mix. We like to do all this before we leave. That way we can arrive at our destination with pre-cut veggies, marinated meats, and meal components ready to throw together. Or spend some time in the first day or so prepping everything so you can have healthy meals without the hassle of starting from scratch each time.

• Versatile Ingredients for the Win: Think of ingredients that you can use for multiple meals – chicken, rice, veggies. They can transform into various meals, from stir-fries one day to salads or wraps the next. This means shorter shopping lists, less to pack, and a sprinkle of creativity in your meal planning.

A little planning and prepping go a long way in making sure your trip is as relaxing and enjoyable as it should be. And for us, we prefer spending more time with our kids, and less time in the kitchen.

Final Thoughts: Let’s Savour The Moments!

Remember, it’s the simple things that make life sweet, like sharing a meal with those we love.

On vacation, these moments become even more special, weaving memories that stay with us forever. Smart meal planning isn’t just about being budget-friendly; it’s the magic that brings us together, whether under a sun-kissed sky, beside a cozy campfire, or at a beach house, make sure to make your summer vacation meal plan.

It turns meal times into joy-filled experiences. From peaceful breakfasts with scenic views to satisfying dinners after fun-filled days, these are the precious highlights of our travels.

So, let’s embrace vacation meal planning for its ease and savings, focusing on what truly counts – making every family vacation an unforgettable journey.

Related vacation tips & meal ideas:

• 25 Easy Camping Breakfast Ideas To Kickstart Your Day
• 50+ Stress-free & easy camping meals & recipes kids will love
• Easy No Cook No Refrigeration Meals
• Family road trip packing list (+ free checklists)
• Family beach vacation packing list (+ free printable lists)