I’m a big fat nerd when I travel. The very thing that used to make me roll my eyes at my mom as a kid is what I do now. I pack all my food when I travel. My mom’s primary motivation was monetary (and that’s definitely part of the picture for me as I hate spending $20+ at the airport just on a bottle of water, a sandwich and a snack, I mean really?!??) but I am also strongly motivated by the environment and the disposable nature of airport dining.
So I always pack a snack bag and I make no apologies about it. Moms do it all the time for their kids, so why don’t we do it for ourselves? I’ve learned over the years that being environmentally conscious and/or frugal requires planning. No instant gratification here. But it really doesn’t take that much time and with some smart choices, you’ll be spending a LOT less and also using less resources.
Oftentimes people believe that strict TSA requirements = no food. That’s not the case at all. Sure, you can’t bring liquids totalling more than 3 ounces, but you can bring your own sandwiches, snacks, fruit, even fruit salad like I did.
On this trip I packed a PB sandwich (wrapped in a reusable sandwich wrap, like the ones you can find here), a fruit salad in a glass Pyrex bowl, slices of cheese, an apple and an oat bar.
I always bring my water bottle and fill it up at the water fountain once I pass security:
I bring my reusable coffee mug and stop by the coffee shop (iced coffee on this warm day):
I even bring my cloth napkin! And sure, it may cause some to raise eyebrows, but frankly, I don’t really care (and actually was paid a compliment by my airplane neighbor!).
One thing I did roll the dice on (and lost unfortunately) was my choice of sandwich. Because we didn’t have a lot of options in the house, I went with peanut butter, but soon learned we were on a peanut free flight due to an allergy (and last thing I want to do is cause a mid-flight emergency for someone!) so I wasn’t able to enjoy my sandwich until after I landed; luckily I brought enough goodies to hold me over otherwise.
So next time you’re preparing for a flight, why not do a little prep and planning and pack yourself a snack pack? It may not seem like a big eco-step, but like I always say…every little step counts and the cumulative effects of a bunch of people taking little steps can make a huge difference!
