Packing a Hotel Room Cooking Box for your family road trip will help you make easy, delicious meals in your car, motel, or hotel room on the way. We made delicious meals that saved us a ton of money on our trip. You’ll see here how you can cook in a hotel room when you have just the right tools.
I’ve compiled all my Road Trip Posts together into an Ultimate Road Trip Guide Post that you can read here.
It’s not such a great idea to be downing burgers and fries for days on your road trip. Your gut will pay for it, your wallet will pay for it, and your waistline will pay for it.
Plus, it just gets boring.
You can use the items in your hotel cooking box whether you’re making breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Related: Family Road Trip – Top 10 Tips
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How To Set Up A Good Hotel Room Cooking Box
First of all, it’s important to start with the right box for your kitchen items. We chose a plastic tote like this, that was 16 in. X 24 in. to fit everything inside. You don’t want it too big, but big enough that you can close the lid.
Having collapsible items really helps keep things compact.
Your tote can even double as a dishpan. Trying to wash things in a tiny hotel bathroom sink is not so easy, but filling up a tote with soapy water in the tub makes things so much easier.
You’ll want to take an Instant Pot, slow cooker or rice cooker along. It won’t fit inside your tote, but that’s ok because it can just ride along in your trunk or the back of your van. I vote for an Instant Pot because it’s the most versatile. It can saute, slow-cook, steam, and even cook rice.
Read: Hotel Room Meals for Your Instant Pot
Read: Easy Road Trip Meal Ideas for Families
What To Put Inside Your Hotel Room Cooking Box
Keep in mind that what I put in a kitchen box may be a little different from what you use due to your food preferences, the number of people traveling, and how long you’re traveling for. These things have worked great for us and are really useful for nearly any meal. You can get a big list of different meals that can be made in your hotel room or even at a rest stop by reading Easy Road Trip Meals for Families.
Hotel Room Cooking Box Packing List
There is a printable download available at the bottom of this post.
I ran across this amazing travel cooking set on Amazon the other day, and it would work out so well to pack in your box and add just what you need. You’ll see that it has a lot of the items on this list.
Preparation Items
- Chef’s Knife – pick a good, sharp, multi-purpose knife
- Paring Knife
- Small Cutting Board
- Collapsible bowl set – one like this will save space, they can be used for storage and microwaving
- Strainer – this one is Collapsible
- Measuring Set
- Oil or Cooking Spray
- Salt/Pepper/Spices – this one holds 6 different spices
Utensils
- Can Opener
- Kitchen Shears – so much easier than knives sometimes
- Tongs – We use these all the time
- Large Stirring/Serving Spoon
- Bottle Opener
- Corkscrew
Cleaning Supplies
- Handy Wipes
- Dish Soap
- Dish Scrubber – check out these fun silicone scrubbers
- Washrag/Towels
Service Items
- Wine Glasses – silicone (lightweight and unbreakable)
- Plastic Tablecloth – for those rest area or park picnics
Disposable Goods
- Paper Plates/bowls/cups/paper towels
- Snack Cups
- Plastic Silverware
- Napkins
- Ziplock bags
Related: Super Fun Road Trip Activities for Kids
If you keep this travel cooking box packed and ready all the time then you can just grab it and go when you’re ready for your next trip.
You will find it so simple to cook for your family in your hotel room when you are prepared this way. It will not only save you time but money, too on your next family road trip.
And, just think – the quicker you get dinner made, the quicker you can get to the pool or hot tub after a long day driving or sightseeing.
Create this fun Travel Journal to showcase your adventures:
Traveling can be so expensive … and you don’t want food to be the thing that holds you back from exploring those adventures right around the corner. Use the ideas above to leave room in your budget for the things you really want to do.
Happy Adventures!
