Road trips are an American past time, and with the rising costs of flights, it can be a great way for you and your family to have a fun vacation together. However, if you aren’t prepared, your dream vacation could easily become a nightmare. Keeping kids busy, clean, safe, and happy is essential for everyone to have a good time.
Things to Stock in Your Car For a Road Trip
Keeping your kids busy doesn’t have to be a daunting task. When I travel in my vehicle, I like to bring coloring books, sketch pads, charged tablets, and a movie or two on our portable movie player.
Honestly, a quick trip to the dollar store can be a great place to start- they have magic markers and lots of fun little knick-knacks that you can slowly roll out during your long journey. It won’t cost an arm and a leg and it will keep them going for hours.
A clean kid makes a happy parent. Since we’re in the car for hours on end (breaks in between are essential, of course), it’s important for my sanity to carry around hand sanitizer and baby wipes.
With the candy, fast food, and snacks that inevitably come with road trips, kids and your car itself can get nasty, so stay clean by having some wipes handy and you can thank me later.
Safety is a big one for my family (and probably yours as well). Road trips are relatively safe, but there are a few things that you should do to keep it that way.
Get your sleep! Don’t get behind that wheel if you’re tired (and please, pass it off to someone else or pull over if you’re too tired to continue). Make sure all your kids have appropriate car seats for their size and weight. You know the drill- be proactive and keep those kiddos safe.
Ultimately, keeping your kids happy is the main goal to have. Break up your trip into smaller chunks. Have plenty of snacks ready to go (I like to buy some bulk snacks at the store so we have lots of inexpensive varieties to try).
Play fun music (extra credit for a road trip playlist that suits everyone’s tastes). Your road trip memories can last a lifetime if you take the time to make it great.