A hungry traveler's guide to the open road

Taking a trip by car doesn't mean you have to rely on fast-food drive-thrus for your meals. Here are some rules I follow to eat well on the open road.

1. Relax the plans. Leave room for serendipity. It's a vacation, not a marathon.

2. Get off the interstate and out of chain restaurants.

3. When it comes to eateries, check for key words. Places with words in their names like "kitchen," "cozy," "diner," "stand," "cafe," "parlor," "supper club," "BBQ," "box," "hut," "drive-in," "lunch," "pig," "tea room," "meat market," "coffee cup" or "cafeteria" are usually worth at least one try. If the parking lot is jammed with locals (check license plates), it's a good bet.

4. Picnic. It's the best way I know to pause and really take in where you are. Think deli sandwiches under a roadside tree, or a lakeside breakfast in the Rockies complete with eggs scrambled over an open fire, campfire coffee and wild berries.

Stock the car with a blanket to spread on the ground and pillows to sprawl on.

Pack one basket with everything you need for eating (including wet wipes), another with tools. Have a plastic cutting board, knives and a few plastic bowls. For ambitious cooks, include BBQ tongs, a pancake turner, towels, oven mitts, a skillet, and a coffee pot. A big cooler is essential. Pack it with bags of ice each morning so it's ready for the day's finds.

5. Shop local: farmers markets, bakeries, butcher shops and groceries.

6. Talk to people. That's how to discover the sheep dog trials at a nearby farm, or the baked bean supper this weekend.

7. The one essential guidebook: Jane and Michael Stern's newly updated classic, Roadfood. These regular contributors to The Splendid Table know this beat better than anyone.