Airport food gets boring fast. package Tuna and Uncle Ben's rice is great and easy to pack.

Bagels, peanut butter, tuna packets, cans of chicken all are great if your trying to stay strong and save $$... BareNaked used to make a great protein granola mix...I was in better shape on this diet than when I ate at home and ate pasta's, burgers, fries etc..

For day 1 might have packed some perishable leftovers like pasta or a sandwhich etc.. Day 2 and 3 would be the bulk food stuff. If you have an OPS area like we did in CVG there was always plenty of time to run to the fridge so I ustilized that pretty often.

I found it important to maybe grab an airport meal or meal on the road once a tour to get something a bit more tasty. And break up the routine of tasteless food

Anything, eaten over and over, will get boring in time. Taco bell may be the exception to this rule...

There ya go! ;)

This entire thread is a sad testament to what should be a good career.

I didn't ever pack food in year 1, making $14.60/hr. The entire thing sounds like a lot of ass pain to avoid $15-$20 in food expense. Where do you put all this stuff? Bagels, sandwiches, pasta dishes, tacos, bringing your own beer?? :confused: I have so much crap for a 4 day trip without dragging an ice chest. Slam click to avoid spending money?
Laying in a hotel room with exercise bands doesn't sound like a great time, but to each his own, I suppose.

Sorry this is what people need to do to save money.

Wanna see a city on a budget? Pack exercise clothes and a pair of good running shoes.

Your per-trip outlay will be nil and you'll still get to see what a city has (or doesn't have) to offer you.

The single biggest waste of money for pilots on the road, IMO, is alcohol. Having one beer once or twice a trip isn't going to bankrupt you, but those folks who sprint to the bar are ****ing away their per-diem.

As for food expenses...as others have said, pack a small cooler. I used to get 2 full days of food out of a small soft-sided cooler. That provides flexibility if you want to go out with the crew or have a specific meal somewhere, but allows you better control cash outlays as well as the quality of the food you consume.

Easy Gentlemen!!!

Fly a dinky turbo prop and you will return to your domicile every other leg! Then you can just pack your food at the fridge on the crew room. But, but me want to fly a jet for peanuts

I second the alcohol. It's expensive and a waste of money. You're better off drinking at home. Not only does this keep you from ever drinking too much on an overnight, beer in the grocery store averages $1/beer. At a bar, it's probably about a $4/beer average.

For those of you who commute, do you usually just put your food in your rollerboard or do you carry an extra black cooler? If that's the case, do you ever have problems getting all your stuff on when you are commuting?

I pack a large cooler enough for 4 days and never have a problem, usually bring my flight case in case there open time at other bases