Those of us buried under a few feet of snow are daydreaming about summer vacation. And, since freeze drying keeps coming up in vacation conversations, we thought we’d share how some of our customers are planning to use their freeze dryers to make vacationing – and traveling in general – easier, healthier, and less expensive.

1. Don & Kathy’s RV Trip – Don & Kathy are new empty nesters and they’re about to embark on an RV adventure. (Actually, it’s an old converted Westfalia camper with the pop-up top, but you get the idea.) While Don will eat anything that isn’t moving, Kathy is on a specialized diet; fast food and gas station goodies simply aren’t on the menu for her. In order to maintain the diet that helps her feel good and maintain her weight, she’s busy creating a stash of her favorite meals for the trip.

Freeze-dried meals and snacks are a perfect fit for their little retro Westfalia because they don’t need refrigeration and they are very compact. Did I mention they’re taking their two dogs? Kathy’s also taking along six weeks of freeze-dried pet friendly meals for her furry copilots.

2. Ed & Barb’s Sailing Trip– We have customers on the East coast who spend their summer vacation sailing. Their sailboat is small, so, space is at a premium. Ed’s the cook in the family so he’s creating a menu of meals that can be prepared quickly and eaten at sea, even in rough conditions. Their favorite sailing meal is vegetable lasagna. Barb says it’s got vegetables, protein, and carbohydrates, in near perfect proportions, and is delicious on chilly, windy evenings.

3. The Wright Family Goes to Disneyland– The Wrights are a large family of seven who have been planning a trip to Disneyland for a year. Now, if you have a large family, you know that eating in restaurants is a special challenge. If you’ve ever been to a mega-resort you also know it’s extremely expensive to feed yourself, much less five kids!

The family shopped around and found a rental with a compact kitchen. Each of the kids get to choose the whole menu for one day of the trip and help prepare (and freeze dry) the meals in family-size portions. The kids are allowed one snack in the park per day, otherwise they’ll eat back at their hotel kitchen or at the picnic grounds by the hotel pool. What a cost savings!

4. Bev & Mike’s Colorado Getaway– Bev and Mike’s plan is to hole up in a cabin for a week, take long walks and bike rides, read books, and watch movies. They have no plans to hit any restaurants, instead they are freeze drying a week’s worth of dinners and planning simple breakfasts and lunches. Sounds like heaven.

I love these ideas – not only do they free up vacation funds, they streamline meals and eliminate cooking. And, everybody gets to have their favorite foods on hand, including the food that helps them stay healthy.