I never go on a sit without a trip to Trader Joe’s first. They have several trail mix options in individualized packets. Give me some fruit and nuts and I can survive anywhere!
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Our travel kit always includes an aeropress, related filters and limited ground coffee (top-up in local shop).
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Totally agree. Have you tried the ginger chews from Trader Joe? I am addicted.
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Oh yeah. Those Ginger Chews are a must on travels. Since you know Trader Joe’s, here’s my latest passion there—though you can’t take it on journeys. In the freezer section they have a new Mochi. It’s Blood Orange ice cream in the center and is absolutely delicious. For those of a certain age it reminds me of orange cream cycles from my youth.
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Every time I hear about Trader Joe’s, it’s someone mentioning something that sounds absolutely delicious! I wish it existed in the UK.
It looks like I can buy some of the seasonings online at a premium though - chili lime seasoning and “everything but the bagel”. Are either of these worth me paying a little extra for?
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I always carry a few standbys that I can make meals from. Vacuum packed Part baked bread rolls, Pasta, Cheese, Grapes, Avocado, raisins and some tinned meat (corned beef or SPAM) that way I can have a pasta meal, or toast at least, until I can get to shops for a stock up.
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We sit full time and only by car, so have the luxury of bringing whatever we want. One thing I started doing was bringing my stovetop coffee maker, as I learned not every house has a coffee maker and even when they do, sometimes they are either very complicated or don’t make a strong cup! So bringing mine has solved that concern and it’s super easy to transport. We also travel with a cooler bag, so I can pack meats & dairy with ice packs for a longer trip, although we rarely sit more than 3 hours away.
Oh and I always grocery shop before arriving because all I want to do is settle into the house with the pets first. I don’t want to have to go back out and orient myself to a grocery store to get food right away. So we bring our usual items so that when we land somewhere, we basically have all our pantry & fridge needs for about a week or at least a few days worth!
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I like to use “Everything but the Bagel” on avocado toast!
I don’t care for the chili lime seasoning.
Maybe someone can bring you some from the US on their travels? Trader Joe’s has lots of unique products and is a fun place to shop. The footprint of the store is smaller than most grocery stores, so you can easily see everything.
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Since visiting Colombia, I always travel with tons of tea bags. (In Colombia, black tea just isn’t a thing! Even a good green tea was hard to find.)
I also always travel with a corkscrew bottle opener. Most places have one, but once, my stay (an airbnb) was missing one, and I remember desperately following advice from the internet that said I could stuff a shoe with a tea towel and sit the wine bottle inside, then hit the sole of the shoe repeatedly against the wall to push the cork out. It didn’t work. 
I don’t drive, so any time I’m staying in a semi-remote location where it takes a real trek to reach the grocery store, I like to minimize those treks by doing one big shopping trip at the beginning of the stay (I’m usually staying for 1+ month/s) and then freeze a few types of meals to pull out week-by-week.
I’ve also found that soda bread is a great go-to: minimum ingredients (flour and a little baking soda and salt are really all that’s required, with buttermilk or a little lemon or vinegar being ideal as well) and fairly quick to make (~20-25 mins in the oven). On sits where the owners have freely offered their pantry goods, I’ve been able to find all of these ingredients on Night 1 (using water + [if avail] vinegar instead of buttermilk), and then I just replace whatever flour I used after completing my first grocery trip.
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@Silversitters I had my first experience with an aga on a sit earlier this year too, and I loved it!! It’s great for making bone broth, if that’s something you’re into, because you can just leave the bones in the simmering oven overnight 
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As far as cooking in a strange kitchen, I learned to Mis en Place. Have everything ready before you start the actual cooking and you won’t have any problems. If I know what I want to make, I bring my spices in little baggies.
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The Chili Lime seasoning is great in guacamole but I don’t know if you get avocados. Everything but the bagel is great for eggs, etc. My latest favorite are the Blood Orange Mochis but that will never make it to the U.K😂. They are truly a unique grocer and fortunately or unfortunately, are 5 blocks from my house. I actually list that in my HO listing.
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In my opinion, Trader Joe’s Everthing But the Bagel is a little heavy on garlic, so if you like that, go for it. Also, google Trader Joe’s Everthing But the Bagel and you will find the ingredients to make your own. Not sure if it would taste the same, but maybe worth a try.
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I used to love orange cream sicles when I was young, but orange vanilla seltzer works for that. If I am going to eat ice cream, then it is ice cream. I have my favs. But I make myself only buy on sale. What upsets me is that Whole Foods discontinued Rum Runner cheese. It was the best and only sold at Whole Foods. Made by Satori, but only for WF.
Making veggie chili today. Lots, so I can freeze. It is only in the 60s and cloudy. Being close to the ocean isn’t let it get warm. So chili today.
That is a great idea!! You can actually find recipes online, and here are some other ideas for how to use Everything but the Bagel seasoning:
Sprinkle over bagels, avocado toast, scrambled tofu, potatoes, homemade bread, salads, roasted veggies and more.
If you cannot find black sesame seeds in the UK, just leave them out, but you must have the regular sesame seeds! Do you have Asian grocery stores there? The dried flaked onion and garlic might be hard to find also.
For folks who like ginger chews:
The Trader Joe’s version is made by the manufacturer especially for TJ’s and that version is less strong than normal on ginger.
Personally, I love stronger ginger flavor and have been buying these ones (made in Indonesia) for decades. They’re widely available at Asian stores / supermarkets.
Cost Plus World Market — a U.S. chain — also carries ginger chews. They have the biggest selection I’ve ever seen — different flavor combos and brands. World Market has tons of wine at reasonable prices, as well as the biggest selection of treats and teas from abroad, many countries, including Europe and Asia.
If you miss flavors from home while sitting from abroad, World Market probably can help. Like they carry many British biscuits, Marmite, Yorkshire pudding mix, custard powder, Yorkshire Gold tea, etc. They also carry a big selection of gummy candies from various countries, ones you often can’t easily get in the U.S.
I made a visit to World Market just before leaving on my current travels, to resupply my husband. It also carries different flavors of chips/crisps and chocolates from various parts of the world.
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BTW, H Mart is a Korean supermarket chain that’s located on both U.S. coasts. It’s hugely popular with many folks, whether Asian or not, because it’s got large selections of produce and all sorts of foods at reasonable prices. It’s like a much nicer version of Ranch 99, another Asian chain.
The U.S. coasts tend to have the most such businesses, because that’s where Asian-Americans with the best incomes are concentrated most heavily.
Like in Seattle they have T&T, a huge Asian grocer where people lined up for the grand opening. Not only does it have huge selections, it also has a hot-food area that offers sushi, baked goods and much more. Like I was able to find their Peking duck kits — all prepped and ready to eat.
In San Francisco, a huge Korean grocer (Jagalchi) just opened in Serramonte, a large mall in Daly City. Again, people waited in line for the grand opening. Why: Massive selection and good prices, plus hot food ready to eat. And at such stores, spices often cost a fraction of what they do at typical supermarkets.
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Learning about a Peking Duck KIT was enough to justify my entire THS membership! I am SO excited, and sure enough I found a “T&T” grocer within driving distance of my next sit. I CAN’T WAIT! 
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I usually go to Cost Plus World Market and get items for my welcome basket for my sitters. Great selection of items.
Also never heard of the market TNT until last week when someone on Next Door posted they are opening one up in our area.
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T&T (not the AC/DC song).
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