This post contains affiliate links.
Road trips with your family are not for the faint at heart. Heck, traveling with just your spouse can be aggravating! But after several years of annual family road trips, our family has a pretty good grasp on how to get across those state lines without losing our minds.
Whether it’s young kids or teenagers, I’ve got everything compiled here for how to keep everyone in the car entertained, fed, and happy. A happy car full of people means a more meaningful vacation!
Snacks
All the Snacks. I like to pack a little bit of everything, because you never know what you’re going to want when you’re in the middle of nowhere and there’s nothing but gas station burritos. Sweet, salty, get all of it!
Magic Marker Coloring Sets
These mess-free coloring books are a life-saver! We took some Peppa Pig ones on our Lexington, VA road trip this summer and they were perfect because our daughter could draw and scribble all over her paper and if her little hand slipped off the paper, no big deal! These markers only allow them to mark on the special paper provided, so colored hands, windows, or seat backs! I found these great options: Peppa Pig, Disney Princesses, Paw Patrol, Baby Shark, Finding Dory, Mickey Mouse, and even blank pages for them to draw and scribble and make their own masterpieces!
Road Trip Bingo
This is a fun activity that the kids love to play and the great part is that because of the little icons, our youngest doesn’t have to worry about not being about to read in order to play with her big brother. There’s also no little marker pieces, so everything is clean and in one piece.
Activity Trays
This summer’s trip was our first time to use these collapsible activity trays and they were awesome! We got the kids each their own color tray and loaded it with all of their items. It had enough space to hold their books, coloring books, markers, bingo cards, a couple snacks, and prop up their iPads. And then when we got to our destination or they were done using it, it folded up on itself. Perfect! I also liked that it buckled behind their backs – so they weren’t constantly having to pull them up or shift them if we took a turn.
Tablets with Pre-Loaded Apps (and Headphones!)
Whoever invented the idea of mobile entertainment should be awarded a Presidential medal. Seriously. I can remember traveling with my parents when I was young and taking a portable tv/dvd combo we borrowed from some family friends with us that plugged into the cigarette lighter in the car. Nowadays, our kids have entertainment built into cars and every aspect of their lives. Santa brought our kids’ Amazon Fire Tablets last year and the kids love using them a bit before bedtime to calm them down. The same can be true in the car. We let them have limited screen time and they stay relaxed and quiet. QUIET, people! It’s seriously amazing. Just remember to load them up with games, books, and movies that don’t need wifi in order to be played. We also got them these soft, over the ear headphones so we wouldn’t have to hear all of the beeps, whistles, and noise.
Wipes and Paper Towels
Kids are gross. And it’s pretty much inevitable that they’re going to spill stuff. Come prepared so you aren’t stressed about it. And make sure they’re up front with you and ready at a moment’s notice. I know from experience that we had our fair share of spilled drinks and nastiness in the backseat that I had to whip out many a wipe for.
Plastic Bags
Plastic grocery bags from supermarkets, Target, and the like are perfect trash bags for road trips. I always hate it when the kids just throw their trash anywhere and this is a great way to manage the trash and throw it out when you fill up for gas.
Patience. And lots of it.
Kids aren’t typically as interested in seeing mountains, lakes and landmarks as we adults are. So keeping your cool when they could care less about looking out the window is super important. Remember, they’re just kids. Enforce the same rules you have at home to keep it consistent. And have fun!
If you’d like to see more traveling with kids tips, follow me on Pinterest!
