We’re about to embark on a 4th of July long weekend road trip and I could not be more excited. Honestly, I think we all know that most road trip planning and packing inevitably falls upon mom. It can be hard to have *fun* when you’re stressed about keeping all of the little people happy on the road and at the final destination. We will employ our car trip hacks combined with *some* of the airplane packing strategies to hopefully make this as fun (and stress free) of a trip as possible. Here are some of the ways I’ve prepared for our road trip. I hope some of these strategies help you moms get out there! Good luck with your travels!
Road Trip Packing and Planning
Road Trip Packing Cubes and Laundry Bags
One thing I find helps me enjoy vacation a little more with my littles is streamlining the packing and unpacking process. The best way I streamline this is by using packing cubes. I pack one cube per person and shove a color coded laundry bag in each one for each person. The rule we have is that all dirty clothes should go in the laundry bag (not the floor!!). Having the dirty clothes in one place streamlines to packing up process and reduces the risk of things getting lost.
Road Trip Planning the Leaving Time for Success
For relatively short car rides (around 3hours), I try to leave around nap time. Usually, my kids will take a great nap in the car and we can get to our destination with minimal headaches during nap time. Nap times do get foiled when there is an inevitable adult potty break. Something to keep in mind for those of us adults with tiny bladders!
Another great option is leaving right at morning snack time. When the kids are JUST about to get hungry *NOTE NOT WHEN THEY’RE HUNGRY*, I tend to have luck getting them into the car quickly with an enticing snack. They’re usually entertained and happy for a while munching on their snack. I’m looking to add a bit of fun to our upcoming trip to Aspen and take this strategy!
We’re travelling with our dog, so a stop to stretch some doggy legs seems like a good idea. Besides the delicious looking food, I can’t resist the idea of playing at the PIRATE SHIP PLAYGROUND! A pit stop for food and play with a toddler is never a bad idea on a road trip.
Packing for the Doggo
We’re a little crazy. We’re bringing our dog on our road trip too. This Spill Proof Water Bowl is useful for roadtrips and when you have curious toddlers. The exact one we have is no longer for sale on amazon, but this one is similar. We’ll also be using this collapsible dog water bowl for hikes and stops on the road.
Car Packing
Snack Bag
The super fancy snack bag mentioned in my car trip hack post will be full to the brim. Plus our snack catcher will absolutely be stuffed with some yummy cheerios and freeze dried fruit to kick off our trip right.
Wipes
Wipes. Briefly mentioned in the Airplane post but so important. Have them handy in the Portable Changing Pad in the trunk. Have them handy next to the car seat. Can never have too many wipes available.
Cozy Comfort Packing
For a longer car ride, I like to add a couple of extra items to make the ride comfier for them. Items that help them stretch their tolerance for a car ride:
- fleece blanket: an extra cozy touch. Incentivizes the nap and general contentment 🙂
- lovey: our favorite nap companion gets to be our road trip companion too. Nothin better than having a friend to hug while road tripping
- road trip book: A new book – especially one about the experience you’re having is typically a hit. Bonus points for the books that have flaps for kiddos 2+
- water bottles: thirsty kids no more. I especially appreciate that this water bottle does not spill when thrown!
What I bought Specifically for This Trip
Lastly, here’s a couple of extra things (aside from snacks of course) to help survive this road trip:
- Welcome to Colorado A Little Engine That Could Road Trip Book: OK – HOW cute is this. Not only will it help hype up a road trip, but it features a train which is VERY popular in our household right now. High Hopes for this book!
- Cool Train Book: speaking of trains – this one is too cool and the flaps help keep a kiddo busy. Definitely tucking this into the car with us.
- Cheap Toddler Sunglasses: Second time I’ve bought this set. They’re fairly durable and not too expensive that I’ll cry when they get lost. I had previously tried this 12 pack which was great for my 3 year old but my littlest would instantly break them… great value to stash them everywhere as long as you don’t have a kid that likes to bend the frame… I’m sticking with our two pack for now.
- Cheap Mom and Dad Sunglasses: yep we need them too and we’re not much more responsible than toddlers. These are comfy and get the job done… actually the third set I’ve bought because its nice to just stash them wherever you might need them! And honestly, my husband just grabs whichever he sees and we keep losing them… at $12/ 3 pack its just worth it to buy more and know we wont have to squint outside
- Lightyear Spaceship: I thought about getting some hotwheels… but we actually just got some from our dentist. Went with this little space ship which should entertain via imagination for a while for my little space lover. Less than $8 – couldn’t resist!
Packed up and Ready to go!
Planning and packing for road trip success is a monster each mom can tackle and thus help EVERYONE have a better vacation. I hope this provides the slightest big of spark to help make your road trip a little easier and help you have fun with your littles! What other tips do you have/wish you’d known before a road trip? Let me know in the comments!