From the servo to the best and worst of country bakeries the meat pie is a solid choice. In the bakery stakes seasoned travellers will have their go-to along favourite routes, and a preference whether traditional beef or something fancy (dare way say artisanal). You may question why this Aussie icon isn’t number one. Simply: driving one handed, with the threat of dropped filling or sauce. Not advisable. It’s a pull over affair and for that it’s in at number eight.

“Once you pop you just can’t stop,” is one of the truest statements in advertising. While you’ll now find flavours like Chicken Souvlaki, Beef Taco and Chicken Salt, we say go old school: Original, Salt and Vinegar, or Sour Cream and Onion. The tube may be iconic but it’s also a two-handed job once you’re down to the dregs; very much requiring a co-driver.

It only takes a moment to be pulled into the Death Star like tractor beam of the servo Hot Chip cabinet. A road trip feed that would be higher if it were not for the many, many, sad and limp renditions of what should be potato perfection. Try harder Hot Chips, try harder.

Top of the pile when it comes to bakery staples, the Vanilla Slice could actually inspire a road trip; visiting winners and honourable runners up in the hotly contested Great Australian Vanilla Slice Triumph (first held in 1998). Is there anything that can match the vanilla slice for its iconic status? We think not. You perhaps disagree?

You may be shaking your head in disagreement or disgust, but the Chiko Roll makes the list by design alone. An enduring Aussie classic it was created by Frank McEncroe, a boilermaker from Bendigo. His goal was simple: a snack you could eat at the footy and other outdoor events, Chiko in one hand, beer in the other. Making the jump to the servo bain marie, it’s as if it was made for the road. It’s also proof that what happens on the road trip, stays on the road trip.

Twisties, Shapes, Burger Rings, hell, even Grain Waves. We considered them all, but the big cheese wins out. Nothing quite packs the punch of this (possibly too orange) corn snack. We favour them in box form and extra marks go to the finger loading capacity.

As with the Chiko Roll it’s partly a matter of design, but what forces the sausage roll up the rankings is again country bakeries. A hot tip on towns to stop at for the finest sausage rolls is road trip intel of the highest order. Country towns tend to do it tough, from bushfires, to drought and a lack of traffic from COVID restrictions, so eating a sausage roll, or two, is a selfless act that safeguards rural economies. Yep, we’re not fully convinced on this last point either, but we have to justify road trip gluttony somehow.

Lollies take the top spot. We have a feeling there’ll be some degree of controversy over this one but let’s look at the evidence. A true road trip snack that can quite happily live in the glove box or the centre console; they don’t melt, go cold, drip or drop crumbs. They deliver a much-needed flavour burst and sugar hit. We favour the dangle from the corner of your mouth method, slowly drawing the snake in until it’s consumed.