Traveling? Not Much Effort Equals Eating Well on the Road

I went on a full-day road trip yesterday and, like any time I travel, I make sure to pack food for lunch and/or dinner, plus snacks.

Yes, preparation takes some time and effort, but if leftovers and ready-to-eat items (i.e. avocados, cheese, canned sardines and tuna) are used, the time is minimal and often is quicker than finding a place to eat and waiting for food to be prepared. And I won't even get into the conversation about what's actually available at highway rest stops, train stations, airports and tourist attractions.

The spread in the photo above took me about 20 minutes to put together and allowed for a hearty picnic lunch on a beautiful late winter day. Starting from the bottom left corner and moving clockwise:

Cheese – Ready to go. (The only reason I opened it was to include in the photo.)
Bread – I cut three slices, which took about seven seconds.
Avocado – Ready to go.
Sardines – Ready to go.
Dark chocolate – Ready to go.
Hard-boiled eggs – Ready to go; prepared on Saturday while cooking Saturday's dinner.
Homemade trail mix – I put some peanuts, walnuts, dried apricots, dried figs and cereal into a plastic bag; prep time was two minutes.
Salad – This took the longest to prepare (about 15 minutes). In a bowl I mixed together leftover bulgur and leftover lentils with spinach, arugula, parsley, chopped carrots, roasted beets (cooked on Friday), olive oil, apple cider vinegar, unrefined sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Does anyone have any favorite foods they prepare when traveling?