10 Road Trip Must-Haves
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Are you going on a road trip soon? Do you have children that are going, too? Are you extremely stressed and not looking forward to it? I want you to know that I am here for you. As a family, we’ve done a few long road trips over the years, and I have a few tips and tricks to help you. Some essential items, if you would.
My first tip, which is not on the essential item list – If you are a parent that limits screen time… Scratch that for the road trip. Throw that rule out the car window, because it will go by much smoother if those little ones have something to entertain them the entire time. You might think that’s bad parenting right now, but when you’re on the road for 10 - 15 hours and your kids are getting restless and you’re about to lose your cool for the 20th time you’ll be a bad parent just like me, and I wont judge you for it for a second. I will tell you that I told you so, though.
Now, on to the list:
This is something that I keep on me at all times. One in my purse, and one in my car. I get heartburn often, and my partner gets headaches regularly, plus you never know when you just might need something else.
When you’re on a long road trip, whether you’re with a partner or not, the last thing you want to do is unbuckle and start searching for something the kids’ want in the back seat. And if you’re not unbuckling to find what they want, they are going to start kicking and screaming and crying and no one wants that. Ever. You’ll want to get a backseat organizer for each kid. Keep in mind what they like, and what kind of space that they’ll need and go from there.
For everyone except the driver. If it’s a long trip, those kids are going to go to sleep, and even though their bodies are much more forgiving than us old folks, I can’t stand to look back and see them damn near snapping their necks while they’re passed out in the back. I have some terrible fear that we’ll hit a bump and *snap.* Ugh, I don’t even want to talk about it.
This is great if you’re in a hurry, but you’re also hungry. Our family will typically hit up Buc-ee’s and/or In-N-Out when we’re on our road trips, and with my partner typically driving, that means that I end up holding everything and handing him fries while I am trying to eat my own food. This is the perfect way to solve this issue. He can put his food on the tray, and I can enjoy my food without having to feed someone else.
Disclaimer about this product: I drive a small hatchback, and there is not much space in the front. This tray does take up a lot of room, and would probably be better suited for a larger car. Now, it still worked, but didn’t leave much leg room for me (and I’m a small 5ft). When we weren’t using it, it was placed in the floorboard.
Long chargers:
Give your kids all of the electronics they can handle. Phones, tablets, Ipads, Switch, whatever. Just make sure you have a charger long enough for them to play or watch while it’s also plugged in, and maybe even look into getting an adapter (I have not used the linked one, it’s just an option) that has extra ports for multiple charges.
Baby wipes:
Baby wipes for everything. Messes, cleaning, bathroom, everything. We get ours in bulk from Costco because we use them regularly.
Kids activity book:
Think of other things your littles like to do. My daughter loves drawing and coloring, so I have an activity binder that she can hold on her lap. It’s hold all of her markers, coloring pages, even blank pages. It can also fit her tablet.
I don’t know about your kids, but mine never seem to think the phones or tablets or game systems are loud enough, even though I’m sure passing cars could probably hear them as we drive by with our windows closed. But now, I make them wear headphones. They can listen as loud as they want as long as they have headphones on. Just make sure you take the charging cords for those, too if they need them. You don’t want to get halfway into your trip just for the headphones to die. Also, as a passenger you’ll want headphones, too. I don’t mind listening to The Lord of the Rings audio book on our trip, but I draw the line at listening to the Tom Bombadil parts. Though Andy Serkis does an AMAZING job of narrating and I highly recommend if you’re into that sort of thing. (I don’t like Tom Bombadil, though, and certainly don’t question why he was left out of the movies. Sorry if you don’t agree…)
Blankets:
Blankets for EVERYONE. The last thing I want to be in a car is stuffy. I want the AC on. I want to be cold. Even if I’m going to throw a blanket on. I want to be cold. Plus, it makes it easier for the kids to bundle up and sleep. My oldest will cover his head completely with his blanket and pass out. So, that’s a plus. (He DID have an eye mask, but this child is also a professional at losing absolutely everything, so that didn’t last long).
At a whopping 5 feet tall… I’m a short queen, and even in my small car, the visors rarely ever work for very long. The sun always seems to be attacking my eyes. Then I heard about these, and they have been a game changer. My partner isn’t even small, but he loved it, too, and now I’ll be buying a second one for him for Christmas. Needless to say, I think this is great for anyone, anytime. It just happens to be extra hand when you’re going to be spending an extended amount of time in your car.
I’m sure there are many more items that would come in handy for a road trip, but this is what I have for you for now. Is there something that you can add to the list? Anything that has helped you on a long trip? Leave a comment and let me know! Let everyone else know!
