How to Assemble the Perfect To-Go Sandwich for the Road

Packing sandwiches for the open road can be messy business — by the time lunch rolls around, the sandwich bread can be squishy and saturated with tomato juice. Once you start eating the sandwich, more of it can end up in your lap than in your mouth. Let's toss those subpar roadie sandwiches aside and start making perfect travel sandwiches instead. All you need are a baguette, your favorite condiment, an avocado, deli meat, cheese, and a large lettuce leaf. Learn the magic behind the one-handed, spill-free sandwich that's easy to eat while you're on the open road.

Standard loaves of bread tend to be too fragile for travel. They squish, become soggy, and seep the sandwich contents everywhere. A baguette is the far superior choice for travel, because it's easy to hold and has a hardy crust that can soak up moisture.

Here's the secret to finding the perfect baguette: choose one that is individual-sized with a soft, spongy interior and a sturdy crust. Avoid sourdough on the drier side; you want the baguette to be crusty but malleable enough to bite without using your other hand to help tear off the bread. Remember, this is a one-handed sandwich for the road!

Use a sharp bread knife to cut the baguette across the center of its horizontal axis. For an even cut across, place your left hand flat and firmly down on the top of the baguette, and begin sawing the middle of the baguette with the knife in your right hand.

Here's another helpful tip for getting an even cut: bend down so the knife is at your eye level, and always make sure the knife is parallel with the cutting board as you cut.

To make this sandwich more travel friendly, pluck out the bread innards to create a bread bowl, so the sandwich fixings fit snugly inside. Bread lovers, leave the top half of the bread intact and only pluck out the bread from the bottom half.

On a really hot day, skip the mayonnaise and slather mustard instead. Honey Dijon offers just enough sweet and tart flavor, plus its syrupy consistency soaks into the bread without making it soggy.

Add the avocado to the bottom of the sandwich half (inside the "bread bowl"). If the avocado is less ripe, slice it very thinly and spread the slices across the bread.

If the avocado is super ripe, press and spread it into the baguette. Creating an avocado spread is the best way to prevent avocado chunks from flying out while eating the sandwich.

Rolling the meat and cheese together holds everything intact for easier, cleaner eating in the car. Simply roll cheese into a deli slice like a burrito. Each sandwich should hold between two to four pieces of rolled meat and cheese.

There are no tomatoes in this sandwich, mostly because they don't hold up for hours in the car and the jelly insides are always messy. We're topping this sandwich with lettuce only.

Find a large lettuce leaf and cut it, so its stem side is the same height as the baguette. Tuck the leaves under, until the lettuce leaf is the same size as the baguette.

Ta-da! Your sandwich is complete. The ideal travel sandwich is evenly stuffed with fixings, none of which are sticking outside of the baguette.

Before wrapping it up, check to see that the sandwich rests comfortably in your grip. If your fingers are straining to hold onto it, then your sandwich is too thick. Take out some of those fixings, and test for thickness again. Otherwise, if it feels just right, it's time to pack it.

To keep your hands mess free on the road, place the sandwich in a wax paper "koozie." Start with a square piece of wax paper. Fold it in half to create a triangle. Slip the sandwich in between the paper until the sandwich bottom hits the fold of the paper, and the tops of the triangle rest in the center of the sandwich. Fold the right side of the paper tightly across the sandwich, and repeat on the left side. To save the sandwich for later, wrap it tightly in clingy plastic wrap or in a large plastic baggie.

The wax paper makes it easy to eat with one hand while you are driving, plus it helps catch spills and seepage. Packing travel sammies will never be the same again!

Check out more great recipes from POPSUGAR:

7 Sandwiches That Travel Well

10 Car-Friendly Foods to Pack on a Road Trip

10 Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Inspired by Other Recipes