i LOVE traveling on Amtrak. We are often on for 30 + hours! This is the way we pack (for me, hubby, and one-year-old): A tupperware of muffins made the day before, a loaf of bread, a small cooler with lunch meats, pre-sliced cheese, and grapes (condiments come from the concession in the lounge car), goldfish, and a variety of other snacks and treats.

The dining car food isn't too bad, but it's pricy. The lounge car food is detestable (who wants a cheeseburger freshly microwaved?!), unless you get something packaged like crackers and cheese, pretzels and hummus, etc.

It's taken some work and we learn something new about packing food every time we travel.

I'm definitely a planner/packer. I figure life will force you to wing it plenty, so I like to count on having a snack.

For trips, I like bringing something to eat-depending on how long the ride is: snacks for shorter trips or portable foods like sandwiches for longer ones. I try to research a few eateries at pit stops (unless it's a direct flight), so I have some assurance that I'll be decently fed and not price gouged for bad food.

I always always need some sort of emergency snack with me, and bring that no matter what transportation I'm taking or how long I'll be gone. But other than that, I would see it as an opportunity to get out of a rut or just to relax and not worry too much. Yeah, it is probably more expensive to not bring along your own food, but I wouldn't want to lug it around anyway. But I love that you can bring wine on, that is fabulous!

The food on Amtrak is not that great, especially in the snack cart. Bring what you can because the options will get old quick. Other than that, we love to travel on the train!

I am getting on a plane to go to New York tomorrow. My flight (from LAX) is not serving a meal on board. This is the first I've ever experienced this! So, at lunch today, I picked up an extra ham sandwich to go. I am pretty excited to eat it tomorrow!

I'm definitely a planner and bringing a yummy sandwich is a must for a long trip!

I've never ridden the train long enough to really need to worry about food, so I'm sorry I can't assist with that.

Flight-wise, though, I try to bring a PB&J sandwich (don't have to worry about refrigeration) or two, since the meals may not be something I can eat (lactose and gluten intolerances). I may also have pretzel nuggets, beef jerky (usually home made!) or mixed nuts.
And bottles of water.

Wing it! You never know who you might meet in the dining car. I'd also have some almonds in my purse for emergency hangry attacks.

Get a hamper from Harrods. Well, a girl can dream, right?

Take food with you for a long trip. Dinner in the diner is okay, but it's expensive. Breakfast is okay too. But bring a lot with you. You'll get bored. Stave it off with things you don't normally let yourself eat. Bring nuts & crackers & cheese to eat in the observation car with your afternoon drink. Bring boxes of shortbread and your own favorite tea bags. Loaves of nut bread. Saucisson sec & a pocket knife and some little plastic baggies (it won't go bad in a few days). Pack a little ice chest. A few splits of champagne might be nice if you can figure out a way to keep 'em cold, and a pair of flutes to give your trip tone! A bottle of sherry or Amaretto. Bottles of water. If you're not having a private room probably this will all be too much. But definitely bring food.

I just had to chime in because my husband and I made this trip by train from Seattle to Chicago three years ago. It was the worst trip ever! We were excited and had this romantic idea of traveling by train. The train kept breaking down, lots of weirdos on the train walking around without shoes on, the train kept stopping to let people off to smoke and getting further behind schedule. And worst of all, they kept running out of food! We were winging it as far as food went. We had only packed a bag of fresh cherries and half of a sandwich. We had planned to eat in the dining car or the snack shop, but both kept running out of food ever time we went to grab a bite. We pretty much didn't eat anything until we got to Chicago. I would never travel more than five-six hours on an Amtrak again. The cost was almost the same as flying- I'd rather fly!

When I was younger and taking long road trips with my parents, my mom would pack a ton of snacks. She'd have chips, candy, Danish butter biscuits (a treat we only got when travelling), fruits (mostly grapes and oranges) and cheese sticks. She'd also have several water bottles with her.

Now that I'm older and travelling by myself, I've rarely packed any food for my trips. I usually just wing it. I think that looking for and finding food on the journey is as great an adventure as the journey itself.

Most airline food is horrible, so I sometimes will cook things that can be eaten at room temperature - noodle salad, open sushi (easier to prepare than rolls), tortilla, pasta with roasted veg, etc. Once I arrive at my destination, I prefer to eat locally. It's not a holiday for me if I have to worry about cooking.

1. always bring a bottle of wine with you on long amtrak trips. i just got back from a trip on the coastal starlight & made instant pals with the only other woman who brought some wine with her.
2. peanut butter & apple sandwiches hold up well while travelling.
3. if you pick up a bag of frozen fruit (strawberries, mango or peaches work well) the fruit only gets better as it unthaws and is a nice alternative to candy.

Planner. But hardest part for me is remembering to bring it! In the hustle of getting out the door I seems to always forget to grab my food bag. Happened twice on my travels this past weekend and I had packed some delicious grain salads! :(

In India, where my relatives are from, long train trips are normal for many people. In addition to the meal car, many families bring their own hampers/bags with stainless steel tiffin containers. There are many regional recipes there that will keep well for 24-36 hours including savory rice dishes, steamed rice cakes, and lots of other veggie options.

Now, with a young kid, I have learned that I should not leave the house on the weekend without a packed lunch that is kid-friendly and allows for grown-up nibbling: sandwich, crackers, fruit, a juice box, maybe a granola bar for me. And a bottle of water.

Both a planner and a wing it person. To leave my town, I have to take a jet, a small plane, a boat or a ferry. I could be traveling for 20 minutes or 6 hours, or I could be hopping thru airports or ferry stops all day. I always have snacks in my bag - granola bars, trail mix, water bottle, hard candy, etc. If its a longer trip, I pack more hearty options. But I take advantage of whatever is available to along the way - the local fishing guide grilling steaks in King Salmon... Chef Walter's sweet potato gnocchi in Seattle....Chicago Mix popcorn and some cheese and crackers from OHare... count me in!