Going on vacation? Want to plan your meals in advance? In this blog post I share how to meal plan for vacation using meal planner templates. If you want to save time, money and effort on food prep during your next vacation, keep reading.
What is a meal plan?
A meal plan is a document that is created to plan your meals in advance. You can plan your dream menu, or use a meal plan to use up all of the ingredients in your kitchen. Either way, creating a meal plan is very useful for saving time, money and effort. It’s also a great tool for recruiting help in the kitchen because when you have a plan, it’s easy to delegate cooking tasks!
Further reading: How to meal plan: Step-by-step directions for planning your weekly meals
Why meal plan for vacation?
If you’re heading on vacation, creating a meal plan in advance is a useful tool for managing your food budget and meals during your next excursion. This is very helpful if you will have access to a kitchen because you can grocery shop and bring ingredients with you to your destination. Here’s a few other great reasons to create a meal plan for vacation:
- Save money on meals you prepare yourself
- Avoid relying on restaurants to feed you
- Enjoy quality time with your loved ones in the kitchen
- Eat the food you want to eat while on vacation
- Stick to a healthy diet while on vacation
Vacation meal planning
You can meal plan for any kind of vacation. Here are a few types of vacations that are perfect for meal planning:
- Camping
- Staying at a vacation rental home
- Staying in a hotel room with a kitchen
- Road trips
Vacation meal planning template
I’ve created a very useful tool for meal planning called the Easy Vegan Meal Planner™. This meal planner was created around my simple, four-step meal planning system that includes templates for you to PLAN, SHOP, PREP & TRACK your weekly meals. The planner comes in both PDF and spreadsheet formats for easy planning both online and offline. It’s great for vacation meal planning, as well as any other time you want to create a meal plan.
View the meal planner on etsy >
Learn more about the Easy Vegan Meal Planner™ >
Let’s get into our topic for this post: How to meal plan for vacation (using meal planner templates):
How to meal plan for vacation
Meal planning for vacation is easy! Here’s four simple steps to meal planning for your next vacation:
Step 1: Plan your meals
Planning your meals in advance helps save time, money and effort. Here’s how to create a vacation meal plan:
Take inventory of your food at home
First, if you plan to bring any ingredients from your home with you on your vacation, you’ll want to “take inventory” of the food you already have. This means going through your refrigerator, pantry, and other food storage areas, writing a list of everything you have and the quantity of each item. The PLAN and SHOP templates in the Easy Vegan Meal Planner™ both include spaces for recording your food inventory.
There are some ingredients you may want to bring with you, including ingredients that you may only use small quantities of. Here’s a list of ingredients to pack so you don’t have to purchase them when you arrive at your vacation destination:
- Salt
- Pepper
- Herbs
- Spices
- Sweeteners
- Extracts
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Coffee
- Boxed milk
- Grains
- Legumes
- Dried fruit
Choose your vacation meals
Once you have determined which ingredients you want to bring from home, it’s time to choose the meals you want to enjoy during your vacation. I suggest choosing meals that are:
- Easy to prepare
- Budget friendly
- Some meals that are for special occasions, such as a fancy dinner or brunch
- Able to be prepared with minimal ingredients
The PLAN template includes space to list the meals you would like to enjoy on your vacation.
Create your weekly meal plan
After you have chosen the meals you want to enjoy, the next step is to assign those meals to mealtimes that will take place during your vacation. The PLAN template includes space for assigning the meals you have already listed in the template to meal times for breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner and dessert. Depending on the length of your vacation, you may or may not use every space, and that’s ok.
Step 2: Grocery shop
You can grocery shop for the remainder of the ingredients needed either before you leave for vacation, or once you arrive at your destination. You’ll want to create a grocery shopping list to ensure you purchase everything you need.
The SHOP template in the Easy Vegan Meal Planner™ includes a list of over 150 ingredients already filled into the list. All you will need to do to create your grocery list is circle or highlight the ingredients you plan to purchase, and write in the quantity needed of each item. This makes it quick and easy to create a list and saves you time from inputting or handwriting your list.
Here’s a list of places to grocery shop while on vacation:
- Farmer’s markets
- Chain grocery stores
- Local grocery stores
- Health food stores
- Produce stands
- Convenience stores
Step 3: Meal prep
If you have time and energy, it’s a good idea to do some meal prep right when you get back to your vacation accommodations with your ingredients. Preparing some or all of your ingredients in advance can help limit stress during meal times. Having some foods ready-to-eat is a good idea for hungry travelers.
Here’s a list of five vacation meal preps for quick snacks and meals:
- Chopped fruit
- Trail mix
- Chopped vegetables
- Dips and spreads
- Chips, pretzels, crackers and popcorn
The PREP template has space for you to write a meal prep plan with a list of preps, quantities, dishes, dates, and more.
Step 4: Track your meals
Lastly, it’s a good idea to track your meals while on vacation for several reasons. If you have brought limited amounts of food and do not have access to purchase more while you’re on vacation you may want to track your meals so you don’t run out of food. If you hope to maintain a healthy diet while on vacation, tracking your meals will help you keep a log of what you’ve consumed.
The TRACK template in the Easy Vegan Meal Planner™ includes space to track your intake of the Daily Dozen, as well as your water intake, meals and leftovers.
Grab your copy of the Easy Vegan Meal Planner™ template system to plan meals for your next vacation >
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