75 unique and helpful tips for really enjoying
family road trips with your kids!

Road trips create memories for children and adults that last a lifetime.

Here are 75 tips and tricks to help make those memories pleasant for the whole family.

We have gathered these from women of all ages with one thing in common, keeping a family happy while contained in a very small space for many hours! 

Hopefully there will be some new ideas you've never heard before and will find helpful on your next trip (even to the grocery store).

If you have any that aren't our my list, please let us know!  We love to hear from you!

Making the trip comfortable and fun for everyone!

1.   Agree as a family on times when everyone can have some peace and relaxation.

2.   Set the ground rules before leaving home. Let the kids know exactly how much they can spend.  How far they can amble away from you.  What you expect from them.

3.   Stop backseat bickering. Consult with your children in advance to find out how they would like to handle car disputes. Write down the solutions and when the first complaint arises, remind them of their responses.

4.   If your kids are not used to long car rides, plan a "trial run" -- for instance, a day trip to a state park two hours away for a picnic.

5.   Make sure everyone in the family gets a good night's sleep on the evening before you leave for vacation.

6.   Avoid traveling during rush hour so you don't get stuck in traffic.

7.  Stop for a 20-minute break for every two hours on the road - and let your child burn some steam running around especially with little ones.

8.   Plan ahead to see what kind of attractions there may be along your route. Allow time to stop at restaurants or local playgrounds so the kids can run.  Bring a ball and/or frisbee.  Maybe even let them eat their meals later, in the car.

9.    Churches and schools (in the summer) make good stopping points, as they often have playgrounds. Take your food and have a picnic outside just remember to pick up after yourselves.

10.   If the trip is very long, choose hotels with a swimming pool and playground.  Even if you have to get up and hit the road again the next day, take some time to let the children swim and play before you get back into the car.  The whole day will go much more happily.

11.   If you have trouble getting your child back in the car seat after a rest stop or night at a hotel, blow some bubbles and lead them back like the Pied Piper.

12.  Try and give your children an idea of how much time you will be in the car. For those who can't tell time yet, give them a explanation they can relate to like the length of a favorite  TV show or the length of school lunch time (one hour).

13.   Get into your car with excitement and anticipation.  Being close together for long periods of time is perfect for long talks and family time, prepare for unexpected stops (traffic or weather), and take a good book for when the children fall asleep.

14.  Driving while the kids are asleep will make road travel go more by less stressfully. Depart close to naptime, late at night or in the early morning if traveling with young children, while they are still sleeping or when they are more likely to sleep.  Put blankets and sleeping friends (like teddy bears) next to them in the car for comfort and inspiration. Let your children guide when and how often you stop.  Soft music and the motion of the car will make children sleepy.  Steady little heads with a pillow while in a car seat.

15.  Wake up sleepers before arriving. Wake any sleepers long before arriving so the can re-enter the world with minimum grogginess (and put their shoes on), this counts for sleeping adults too.

16.  Know where you’ll be staying by 5 p.m. It’s pre-dinner time, and when hotels and motels begin filling up. Having a destination and time in mind will give the children a sense of security and something to focus on.

17.  Change the kids' seating arrangements periodically when you stop to minimize conflicts and give a little variety.  Even if the scenery is the same a different window can give a child a different perspective.

18.  Depending on your family policy on TV/media consumption, you might want to look into renting VCR/TV units for your vehicles. Or bring along a DVD if your laptop plays them: a fairly inexpensive gadget lets you plug into your car's energy supply.  

19.  With infants and toddlers tie small, soft toys onto your child's car seat.  Change them at rest stops to keep the child interested.

20.  Bring serving trays with legs for eating in the car, they can be used for play dough, make puzzles on or play board games.

21. Spread a old blanket over the entire back seat to catch thrown cookies, cracker crumbs, bottles.  The blanket can be used to spread out for picnicking and to cuddle under while watching fireworks.

When will we get there?

22. Prepare your children in advance for the trip. Get a road map and a yellow highlighter and plot out the route you will be taking and circle different points of interest or particular milestones. When you pass these areas, talk about them. Even young children enjoy following the route on a map.

23. Designate a navigator each day. Another way to keep kids interested and involved in the journey, and to teach them map-reading skills at the same time.

24. At the start of the trip we give each of the kids a zip-lock bag with some coins. If any of the kids want an "update" or to know how much further, they have to spend one of their coins.   For younger children you could put candy in the bag instead of money.  Give the kids regular, hourly updates (for free) to keep them informed on where we were in the trip.

25. When taking long road trips with younger children (6 and younger) have them wear diapers or pull-ups (or for older kids, goodnites) while riding in the car.

26. Take a large bottle of hand sanitizer - it works without water and is perfect for cleaning grimy, sticky hands when you can't find a restroom.

27. Use car shades to keep the sun out of their eyes. Sun glasses work too if your child will wear them. Take sun screen, and a hat for each child.

Snacking Tips!

28. Car trips are the perfect opportunity to use those Tupperware containers that are really too small to be useful at home. Be sure to prepackage each snack for each child - that way you're not trying to pass food back and forth.  Pack child-friendly snacks in easy-to-open containers. If you don't want excessive crumbs, grapes or sticky stuff on your back seat, consider items like dried fruit, pita bread sandwiches or cheese strings.

29.  Try foods that are easy on the stomach, such as individual containers of applesauce, crackers with peanut butter, or squeezable yogurt. Try and bring along non-messy snacks.  Small boxes of cereal, juice boxes, Gold Fish, rice cakes, cheerios, cheese, cut up fruit, Teddy Grahams, pretzel sticks, sliced grapes, raisins, fruit roll-ups, and granola bars are good as well. When planning snacks, since car rides can be a bit bumpy, avoid nuts, hot dogs and other similar foods that children can choke on, as it is pretty difficult to stop the car and get them out of the car seat quickly. If you have little ones you might want to avoid juice boxes with straws who will turn them over "to see if anything comes out"!

30.  Wrap individual goldfish, gummi bears, and (a small amount) of M&M's individually in aluminum foil. Small children will delight in unwrapping them to see what's inside. (Make sure to keep a trash bag next to him, though).

31.  Spread a large towel over the entire back seat to catch thrown cookies/crackers/bottles.

Making the time fly by!

32. Go to the dollar store and buy a bunch of cheap (age-appropriate items) toys/items and if they don't whine, argue, complain, or attempt to hurt each other - they get prizes every 50 miles or every 45 minutes. Wrap them up in pretty paper and let the child tear the paper off.  Remember to keep half of what you buy hidden away for the return trip home.

33. Bring toys that your child has not seen before - something that will catch their eye. A mini photo album of various family shots.

34. If you stop at a drug store along the road, buy a roll of clear tape. Kids love to tape themselves the seat, you, etc. Also, a ball made of sticky tape.

35. Borrow tapes and CDs from your local library. Most have a great selection of books on tape and music for the whole family to enjoy. Remember that YOU will have to listen to the stories and music for the whole trip, so choose wisely!

36. Pack a basket of small toys and games for your children. Items like stickers, small books, crayons and notepads can help pass the time. Place the basket within easy reach of children with strict "warnings" about not interfering with other siblings' "space".

37. Bring a variety of toys, games and activities to keep the little travelers entertained, some that can be used or played alone and some that can be played together. If you bring along electronic devices like radios or CD players, you should have some extra batteries on hand.

38. Backpack activities. Each child can take a backpack. Items to include are a tape or CD player with music or audio activities, books, washable crayon, pen or marker and paper, and a special toy.

39. Whatever you bring along, try to keep these items as small and as light as possible and secure them when not in use because any loose object in your car becomes a  projectile if you have to hit the brakes hard.  Even small items, depending on their shape and the material of which they are made, can hurt when tossed around your car's interior.

40. Play car games like I Spy (use colors for little ones who may not know how to spell yet), counting "Bug" cars or assign a car color to each child and have them count all the cars they see in their color or have them play back-seat charades.

41. Sing! Play music galore and encourage everyone to sing along. You'll be amazed how tired children can get just from singing!

42. Bubble blowing is a big hit! There are bubble sets with whistle blowers (not too loud, either) that are great fun. They can be particularly useful when trying to quiet a irritable infant.

Making the trip interesting!

43. To help our kids remember their trip in their own words buy postcards of the places you go and on the back of each one have them write down whatever they want to remember.  You can even mail them home ahead of you so when you arrive home, the kids will have the fun of seeing them and remembering what they did.

44. Create a vacation scrapbook to keep the kids entertained, and to serve as a keepsake. Memory making is important for kids. Have them collect brochures, ticket stubs and other items to paste into it. Younger children can draw what they have seen and put them in the book as well.

45. Buy several disposable cameras (with flash) for children old enough to use them. The trip is then photographed from the child's prospective. They can then later create a memory book.  They are also valuable should you be involved in a collision.  Plus going through the developed photos later will give you an idea of your child’s perspective and can be made into an event as the family looks over each other’s photos.

46. For older kids, research facts on the internet about each state you will travel through before you go.  As you enter each new state talk about the facts you learned, major crops, famous people who came from that state, interesting historical facts, world records, how big the state is compared to the one you live in and any significant facts your kids would find interesting.  What they learn could be used for show and tell or a extra credit report when they return to school.

47. Take a little spiral notebook and ahead of the trip write down names of all the cities you will be passing through. Then on the trip, as you get to each city, point it out to them and they can check it off their list. On the way back they can work backwards.  With older children you can look up facts about each city to discuss on the way there and then quiz them about on the return trip.

Packing

48. Take along a nightlight to use at the hotel.

49. Bringing along a potty can be a great idea if your children are very young.

50. Pack children’s clothes in gallon-size plastic bags. Pack each day’s change of clothes in a different bag, including socks and underwear.  Write the child’s name and the name of the week on each bag.  Most kids—and more than a few adults—feel compelled to have their "own bag" but try to co-pack as often as possible.  Children can easily reach in the suitcase and pull out a bag, eliminating the digging and hunting and cries when they can’t find everything. Use the bag afterward to store dirty clothes. This will help keep unused items clean and tidy. Of course, be very careful to keep plastic bags away from small children.

51. Pack "getting-there bags" and "there" bags. "There" bags, packed with clothes and supplies needed when you get to your vacation spot can be pushed to the back of the trunk, or under other bags. "Getting there bags." Clothes for the trip, enough to get you from home to your destination, should be accessible and loaded last.  This way, you don't have to unload the whole trunk each time you stop along the way to your destination. Put swim suits, pj's, fresh underwear etc. right inside of the "getting there" bags.  Having whatever you need to get them settled in fast at the end of a long drive can be a big help.

52. Pack a large t-shirt for whichever adult spills the coffee down their front or gets covered in ice cream. A quick change and you're on your way without having to unpack the trunk.

53. Take along a few large heavy-duty disposable plastic containers and some tissue paper for those fragile items like shells that you want to bring back in one piece, if you don’t use them you can throw them away or ask the hotel to recycle them.

54. Pack a roll of paper towels, one major spill and they will have made up for the space they take up in the car.

55. Pack a variety of sizes of zip lock bags, some small shopping bags and large garbage bags.  Just put all of them inside of a gallon size zip-lock.  Hang a shopping bag by the handle on each door for garbage, remember to thrown out at each rest stop.  The other bags will come in handy for leftover food, wet swimsuits, dirty clothes, dirty diapers, and even car sickness emergencies.

56. Don’t forget to pack enough big umbrellas to cover everyone, it sometimes rains during vacations too.

Safety

57. Buy a loud whistle and agree in advance on a family code that can be used to gather everyone together or alert when time to leave.  Two short blasts won’t bother anyone else at the rest stop too much and will keep you from a sore throat.

58. Consider buying whistles for the whole family to wear on lanyards for security if the child ever gets away from you and wants to find you quickly.  A few rules about usage before hand can keep you from constant whistle blowing and provide security in many ways.

59. When traveling with teens, purchase a set of walkie talkies or family cell phones to keep in touch at amusement parks, flea markets and festivals.

60. Keep a recent color picture of your child's face in your purse or wallet in case he or she gets lost in a crowded airport or shopping area or amusement park and you need help in locating them.

61. Make each of your children a “riders license” before you leave.  Let them draw a picture of themselves for the photo and include their first name, then write down your cell phone number, the name, address and telephone number of the place you are staying on the back with "If I'm lost, please call my parents", and make sure your child carries it in his/her pocket/wallet.  You might include any allergies or special situations or needs they have.

62. Clean out your trunk before you pack. Take out that ice-scraper from last winter!

63. If you have a trunk light, make sure that it works.

64. Check the lock, see that it is properly lubricated.

65. Keep a supply of emergency items. Stock the car with wet wipes, band-aids, antihistamines, hydrocortisone cream, antacid, pain reliever, bottled water, and a roadside emergency kit.

66. Don't bury the emergency kit. Leave it out until after you load all of your bags and then find a corner for it where it will be easily accessible if needed.

67. Pack an extra set of keys to be kept in someone’s pocket other than the driver.

68. Throw a roll of duct tape and a can of WD-40 in the trunk- If it, wiggles tape it, if it squeaks spray it.  You’d be surprised how many suitcases, shoes and toys can be saved by a roll of duct tape.

69. When traveling at night use suitcases in the floor of the back seat and then cover with a towel or blanket, older kids can have their feet up as if in a recliner and still be buckled in.

70. When traveling with babies, prepare the bottles at home. Boil the water you'll be using to mix formula and put filled bottles in an insulated bag. By the time you need to make up a bottle, the water is about right. If it's too hot, then get cold water to cool it down; find a convenience store or a friendly restaurant, and they usually won't mind zapping some water in the microwave for a few seconds to warm it up. After you have it at about the right temperature, add your powder formula and you have a fresh bottle. No need to worry about keeping it cold or anything for 20-plus hours!  Pack a bottlebrush and some dish soap.

71. To help identify your family quickly, dress everyone in matching colors. This is especially important when you are visiting crowded places such as malls, amusement parks or holiday events.  Matching baseball caps or can also be very helpful when trying to spot your child in a crowd of dozens.   Even bandanas in the same color can be tied on the child where he/she chooses and be an eye catching focus to find your child.

72. If the family vehicle is an SUV, do not exceed the weight limit recommended by the manufacturer. Overloading the vehicles interior or placing items in a roof rack can increase the chances of flat tires or even a roll-over.

73. Coping with Motion Sickness. Experts suggest eating lemon or peppermint but beware of hard candies that could become a choking hazard during sudden stops. Peppermint gum or lemon cookies may help relieve nausea. Foods high in carbohydrates, and salt covered foods such as crackers and pretzels can also help. If your children are susceptible to motion sickness, don’t let them read or play video games while the car is in motion.

74. Humor goes a long way. Turn a complaint into a joke during travel. Acknowledge that being in a car is unpleasant by poking fun at it. Share funny stories or songs.

75. Pack your good humor and lots of energy.  Remember it’s your vacation too, Keep Smiling!!!.

Tips, information and tons of handy accessories for traveling with your kids!

Traveling With Kids, Across Town or Around the World.

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