Are you planning a family road trip and want to ensure it goes smoothly? Road trips with kids can be extremely rewarding, if you do it right. No one wants to hear the dreaded “are we there yet”, on repeat for hours on end. So, I’ve put together my best 10 road trip hacks that I use with my own kids.
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Road Trips With Kids
Road trips are one of my favorite ways to vacation! There’s nothing quite like the anticipation of a long car ride, knowing thatwe not only get to wind up at a fun destination, but also get to see cool stuff along the way.
My husband and I have taken our kids (ages 12 and 5) on numerous road trips over the years. We love taking New England road trips to see fall foliage, or long road trips to avoid flying.
We’ve done everything from short 3-hour trips from Boston to Connecticut to see the Mystic Aquarium; 6-hour rides to Pennsylvania to see Philadelphia, Hershey Park, and Sesame Place; 7-hour spontaneous trips to Niagara Falls in Canada, 10-hour drives to see the cherry blossoms and explore Washington DC; and even a 2-day adventure down the East Coast to go to Disney World.
Suffice it to say, we’ve learned a thing or two in our travels. We figured out a few ways to not only make everyone’s lives easier, but also to make road trips enjoyable.
Read on for my road trip hacks for families! When you’re done, check out my Ultimate Family Road Trip Packing List where you can snag a free printable packing checklist for your next road trip with kids!
Road Trip Hack #1 – Prepare, Prepare, Prepare
The absolute number 1 most important aspect on a road trip with kids is preparation. You want to be prepared for the minor inconveniences so they don’t turn into major problems.
If using your own car: Make sure your car registration and inspection sticker (if applicable) is up to date. Make sure your oil change and other maintenance items will last the length of your trip with room to spare.
This is important. One time, I got all the way to Florida before I realized that my inspection sticker had expired! Fortunately for me, no one else noticed and I never got pulled over, but man, the stress once I realized what happened was real.
If renting a car: Make sure you understand your rental car agreement. Mileage, location, pick up/drop off points, all can be factors that may add costs to your trip if you are unaware of your specific contract details.
Be sure your car insurance includes collisions, personal injury, liability, and comprehensive coverage, and that it extends to your rental car. If not, you may need to purchase rental car insurance through the rental company.
Have a game plan for things like a flat tire. Make sure you have a spare and all the tools you need to change it.
Keep wipes, paper towels, and trash bags on hand for spills, sticky hands, or car sickness. When my kids were potty training I kept a mini potty in the car for those inevitable times when they “just can’t hold it”.
Have a change of clothes ready for everyone in case of bathroom accidents or spills. Be sure to pack a first aid kit with bandages in different sizes. Also add various medications for kids and adults in case the need arises.
Key takeaway: The more preparation you do before you leave, the smoother the entire trip will go!
Road Trip Hacks #2 – Drive At Night
One thing that we’ve found to be a great idea when taking a long road trip is to leave in the middle of the night, like midnight or so. This serves a dual-fold purpose.
One- the kids sleep all night long, so by the time they wake up, we’re already that much closer to our destination. They realize that we’re already multiple states away from home and the long drive all of a sudden doesn’t seem quite so long to them.
Two- by strategically timing our departure, we can avoid the morning rush hour traffic hold ups of the big cities. Sitting in traffic is a drag any time, but especially on road trips. So, avoid peak traffic times in congested areas whenever possible!
Road Trip Hack #3 – Comfort Is Key
When taking a long car ride, comfort is key. Bring blankets and pillows, and have everyone in comfy clothes. You want the kids (and the adults!) to be able to nap in the car.
Bring sleep masks to block out the light from streetlights or the sun. If the kids have special stuffed animals or blankets or loveys make sure they have them!
Expert Tip: If they use it every day, or it’s a comfort item to them, make sure they have it!
Another thing I strongly recommend is having the kids wear slip on shoes. Flip flops, slides, whatever is comfortable AND easy.
There are always a lot of stops on road trips. No one wants to deal with the hassle of lacing up sneakers or boots every time you need to get the kids out of the car. It’s just one more way to eliminate stress on a family road trip.
Road Trip Hacks #4 – Snacks are Essential
I cannot, I repeat, I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH the importance of snacks!! We all know someone who gets hangry if they haven’t eaten in a while (okay, it’s me, I’ll admit it), and nobody wants to deal with that in an enclosed space.
The thing is, crackers and chips aren’t going to cut it. You need nutrient-dense, protein-packed foods to make it work.
Pack a cooler with deli meat rollups, fresh fruit, cheese, veggie slices, hard-boiled eggs, sandwiches, etc. Beef jerky and protein bars are great snacks too. Our son loves peanut butter, so we usually have the little to-go packs of Jif on hand, or bring peanut butter crackers.
I’m not saying don’t bring candy and chips and stuff, just don’t only rely on those things to keep the hanger at bay.
Make sure you also have some caffeine for the adults. On our road trips, my husband and I try to switch off between the two of us, alternating between driving and napping. It doesn’t always work out that way, so always make sure to keep some form of caffeinated beverage in the car.
This is also where paper towels, wipes, and trash bags come in handy. A quick clean up after a snack means much less clean up is needed once you’re at your destination.
Road Trip Hack #5 – Make It Fun
Road trips are a great way to get quality family game time in. Some of our favorites are I Spy, the License Plate game, Categories, I’m Thinking Of, etc.
We always start our road trips by predicting how many big trucks we can get to honk at us with an arm pump. Then we all have a blast pumping our arms at the truckers hoping they’ll see!
It’s also a good idea to listen to a fun audio book too. Harry Potter is always a favorite. You can bring mini travel board games, string to make friendship bracelets, fun paper to make origami, and travel sized Lego kits.
Expert Tip: Bring a ball so you can play quick games of catch while stopped at rest stops or if you find a park. A jump rope is another good way to let kids burn energy on pit stops.
Road Trip Hacks #6 – Busy Bags
Everyone gets their own backpack filled with age-appropriate activities, books, and toys.
My 12 year old daughter packs her own bag. Typically, she puts a couple chapter books and a notebook for drawing or writing. Journaling the road trip is a wonderful technique for keeping older kids engaged!
She also packs her iPad and phone with chargers, headphones, a stuffed animal, and a puzzle book. If she’s going to be missing school then we’ll have her bring some schoolwork too.
My 5 year old son has his backpack filled with the toys he had been using the most lately. Usually for him that’s some Disney character figurines or monster trucks.
He also brings a few books, a coloring book with a little box of crayons, and a few smaller toys that he likes to steal from his sister.
We add those as a wow factor for him and it seems to keep him occupied for longer. “Wow you get to play with your sister’s toys, aren’t you so lucky she’s letting you do that! That’s so cool!”
Fortunately, big sister plays along by selecting the toys he can borrow, and it works out great for everyone.
Road Trip Hack #7 – Build In Stops
One important road trip hack to keep in mind is this: don’t think of a road trip as simply a way to get from point A to point B. Think of it more as a way to see things you may not have seen if you just flew to your destination.
Build stops into your trip to break up the drive and keep things interesting. Make it fun for everyone!
For example, one Christmas we took the kids on a road trip from Boston to Disney World. We decided to leave at a time of night (Tip #2!) that would enable us to make a leisurely stop in New Jersey to eat breakfast and see the Statue of Liberty. We all got to take a nice walk and get some fresh air before we continued down the coast.
By adding this stop into our drive, it allowed us to take in a national monument, get some exercise, and break up what otherwise would have been just a long ride. It also gave us the opportunity to turn it into an educational moment for our 10 year old (at the time) daughter.
On this same trip we also decided to stop in South Carolina at South of the Border. On our drive we started seeing lots of billboards for South of the Border, so it made a perfect car game (How many billboards will there be? Answer: A LOT!), and built the excitement and anticipation for stopping there. We all got to stretch our legs, do a little shopping, and eat some food before we continued on our way.
Road Trip Hacks #8 – Pack A One-Night Bag
Depending on the length and details of your road trip, you may wind up staying in a hotel before you reach your final destination. Or maybe the journey IS your destination!
Either way, you don’t want to have to drag all of your luggage in and out of every hotel, every time you need to spend the night. So pack one smaller bag separately, with a change of clothes, toiletries, and a swimsuit just in case, for everyone. That way you only have to bring one bag in and out with you when you stop for the night.
Road Trip Hack #9 – Electronics Usage
Now this is a debated topic in road-tripping families. Some families find using electronics takes away from the road trip experience. We all know how laser-focused on electronics kids can be, so they don’t get as much out of the experience as they would if they weren’t staring at a screen.
Other families swear by electronics on road trips. It keeps the kids occupied and content, gives the parents some quiet time, and helps make the time go by faster.
My take on electronics is somewhere in the middle. We download content for everyone on various devices so it can be watched without WiFi, but also make sure to mainly focus our attention on playing games and doing activities as a family.
When someone is napping, headphones go on and everyone has some “alone” time, watching TV shows or movies or listening to music. Generally we prefer to limit the screen time within reason, and enjoy each other’s company by playing games and just talking.
You’d be amazed at the conversational ability that kids have when they step away from their everyday life!
Road Trip Hacks #10 – Be Flexible
Perhaps the biggest key to a stress-free successful road trip with kids is staying flexible. This means you don’t rigidly adhere to your pre-planned itinerary, but instead keep a more go-with-the-flow sort of attitude. By all means, have a plan. But keep it general.
On one of our recent road trips it was late in the afternoon, and we had been driving for a while. The kids were getting antsy so we pulled off the highway and found a playground nearby. Everyone got out some pent up energy, and we continued on our way.
By being flexible on our road trip, we were able to attend to the physical needs of everyone and avoid meltdowns from being cooped up for too long.
Although the game plan is to alternate sleeping and driving between the two of us adults, it doesn’t always happen that way. On our road trip down to Disney, by night time we were both tired and figured we could all use a bed to sleep in. So we simply searched for hotels in the area and booked one on the go.
I simply opened the map on my phone and searched the area for hotels. Then I went onto Booking and made our reservation for the night.
Instead of being stressed that we HAD to get to a specific hotel by a certain time (what if there was traffic, or an accident, or construction? Or what if we made better time than we assumed, and could get further down the coast than we thought?), by being flexible in our arrangements, we took the stress out of the trip and were able to get exactly what we needed, when we needed it.
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