Whether you’re planning a camping trip, a road trip or travelling elsewhere, and you want a few familiar comforts from home to make your travels that bit more enjoyable. When travelling off the grid where there are no cafés close, you might be wondering, what’s the best way to make coffee on the go? There are a few portable coffee machines on the market which allow you to still make your favourite coffee, so keep reading to find out more.

How to make a coffee when you are travelling

Depending on how you are travelling, your access to the right equipment, as well as electricity might be limited. We have covered all possible scenarios, offering several different suggestions for how you can easily make a coffee while travelling.

If travelling by motorhome or car, a travel kettle which plugs into your vehicle’s socket is a great option for boiling water to make coffee on the go. For many of the methods listed below, you will need to be able to boil water to make your coffee, so this is a great starting point.

However, if you are travelling by foot, perhaps on a trek or camping trail, you might want to think about preparing before you go. Nowadays, you can buy flasks which keep water hot for up to 24 hours, which would be perfect before a weekend camping trip. To find out how to make coffee while travelling, have a look at our favourite methods below.

Methods of preparing a coffee while travelling

Pour Over Coffee On-The-Go

For those married to their drip coffee, you’re in luck - pour-overs are great portable coffee makers and fairly easy to use for on-the-go, as they don’t require any electricity. You will just need some hot water, filter papers and your favourite ground coffee to make a delicious filter coffee. For a more compact alternative, you can buy portable coffee filters which take up much less space and with little to no loss in quality.

AeroPress coffee maker for camping

The AeroPress is one of the best coffee methods for travel, due to its size and ease of use. Small enough to pack in a camping bag without fear of glass breakage, the AeroPress uses immersion-brewing technology and pressure to brew a consistent cup of coffee in just a couple of minutes. It even filters the coffee for you, so you don’t need to worry about grounds floating in your cup.

Simply pack your coffee grounds and AeroPress, a flask or thermos of hot water and you’re good to go!.

Travel Coffee French Press

The French Press is another convenient method for making coffee on-the-go and you can easily purchase travel-friendly options made of stainless steel, with spill-resistant lids and built-in insulation to keep your coffee hotter for longer. Many of these options double as on-the-go coffee mugs, and as a bonus, you can use them for making loose-leaf tea.

Moka

A moka pot is a type of coffee percolator which uses vapour pressure to drive hot water through ground coffee to brew a cup of coffee. The traditional moka pot is heated on top of a stove, but you can also buy electric moka pots which are better suited to travel, as they can be plugged into plug sockets. Travel moka pots are ideal for travelling when staying at hotels or guest houses with access to electricity.

Cowboy Coffee

If you fancy yourself as a proper wilderness explorer, and if you have the ability and it’s safe to do so, you could make yourself some ‘cowboy coffee’ by building a campfire and boiling your water over the fire, before adding fresh coffee grounds and stirring. Let the concoction sit for a few minutes after it with the help of a sieve or a paper filter.