10 Tips For An Awesome Family Road Trip

Having taken over 20 road trips, I’ve learned a thing or two along the way! Here are my top road trip tips to have an awesome time on the way to your destination.

1. Plan

Planning is a big key to a successful road trip! Look at the route you need to take, plan stops along the way, plan lodging, make a packing list, prepare a budget, plan out meals and snacks.

However, there was a time where I had the opportunity to visit a friend last minute. I left the next day on a 16 hour road trip with 3 kids ages 5 and under. It’s possible, but I still did as much planning as I could in those few hours I had. I knew what cities I’d be traveling through if I happen to forget anything. I picked stops along the way and packed lots of snacks. With young kids, you can stop at a Dollar Store and spend $10 on little trinkets and they will be thrilled for a long time. I’ve also had a few road trips under my belt to know what to expect and my kids were great travelers.

2. Let Kids Plan Stops

Let the kids in on the plans and have them choose places to stop and see. Having them on board will make the road trip so much easier if they have little things to look forward to checking out. If they are younger, you can give them a few options to choose from. If they are older, let them research places themselves.

3. Be Spontaneous!

I know I talked about planning, but some of our best memories were spur of the moment decisions. You can plan for months and still not know everything on your route. If you or your kids see a billboard, a fruit stand or somewhere that looks cool take the time to stop and check it out.

4. Be an Expert Packer

You need several packing lists. There’s the obvious clothing packing list for each family member, but there’s also so much more.

Every family member needs an entertainment bag which can be a backpack or tote bag. It needs to be filled with activities that will entertain that person: books, puzzles, games, toys, hand held device, etc that they have access to in the car. Older kids can pack this themselves.

You need a car checklist as well. Blankets, pillows, movies for the DVD player, audio books, first aid & medicine kit, maps and then emergency preparedness items.

5. Keep Everyone Comfortable

This goes along with packing. You need to pack well to make sure there is enough space for everything and everyone. There’s nothing that makes people crankier than being cramped for hours and hours! Rent a bigger vehicle if needed. Make sure there’s enough leg room for everyone. Consider purchasing one of those car luggage roof rack carriers.

Provide blankets and pillows for everyone so they can get cozy and relax. We even dress in comfortable clothes like yoga pants and sometimes pajamas if it’s an overnight trip.

If needed, let everyone take turns changing seats. Most of the time our coveted seat is the bench in the back, so they can spread out better.

6. Food

This is one of the most important road trip tips!! Have lots of snacks on hand! For one, it will save you money. Those gas stations are pricy. Second, people seem to just eat more on road trips. Not sure if it’s the boredom or I just don’t notice how much they eat at home, but we go through a ton of food! Bring healthy snacks along with some treats. Pack water as well. I will admit that if we are on a tight schedule, I limit liquids so we have fewer stops.

7. Entertainment

I talked about this a little in the packing section. This is right under food in importance! One of the top road trip tips!

Along with each person’s bag, I pack a car entertainment bag as well. This holds different car travel games that everyone can play, deck of cards, and some of those word searches or sudoku books. I pack favorite movies or movies we haven’t see before from Redbox. Audio books are awesome if the whole family can agree on one. Regular books are great too because it promotes a little quiet time.

With young kids, I will also pack new little surprises. Most of this was cheap from the dollar store that I planned on throwing away when the trip was over. I would also find deals throughout the year on toys, books and games and pack these. Depending on how many items I had to work with, I would hand them out every so many hours. Or when I was desperate and felt like throwing someone out of the car!

Get creative and make printables for your road trip: State License plate games, I Spy, Road Trip Bingo, Travel Journals, and more.

8. Take Breaks

Make sure that you plan stops every few hours. When you do stop, be active! Chase the kids around a rest area. Stop at a McDonald’s or playground and let them run around.

9. Be Flexible

I know this can be easier said than done, but go with the flow. Know that people can get cranky and just be prepared. Other things can happen on road trips as well unfortunately, like flat tires, construction, lane closures or just crazy traffic. Being mentally prepared is half the battle. If all else fails, pop in some headphones and blast your music so you don’t have to hear the complaining.

10. Prep Your Car For A Road Trip

Have your car serviced before hitting the road. Make sure your tires are in good condition. Get an oil change. Get all the fluids topped off. Change out your wiper blades. Check the spare tire. Do everything a mechanic you trust recommends.

This also includes packing jumper cables, a flashlight, battery powered radio, extra blankets, batteries, water, umbrellas and an emergency road kit.

Summary

I’ve given you 10 tips that I use to make my road trips awesome. Planning is the key and having a flexible attitude! I hope you find these road trip tips helpful in the future. Where are you planning on going for your road trip?

More Road Trip Tips:

Ultimate Packing List

Road Trip Snacks

Meals On The Road