Are you planning a road trip for the whole family? You’re not sure if you are ready to do it all? You’ve found the right place. Here are the best tips to make your family road trip as enjoyable as possible.
These tips will make your road trip (almost!) as fun as the final destination!
1. Choose the best route to your road trip
The first tip we have for road trips is to plan ahead. Choose the route you think will be most convenient for your trip.
We plan strategic stops for long road trips to break the drive up. It’s good for the drivers, as they can stretch out and relax. This is also good for everyone, including the kids.
For quick breaks, look for roadside sights to explore. These quick breaks are usually quirky and fun, and they don’t require much time. They are just enough to stretch your muscles and have a mental break.
You can also search for local parks along your route to take a rest. The city parks offer picnic areas, playgrounds and restrooms. Kids can burn off their energy while the driver takes a break. Enjoy a picnic in the park to improve everyone’s mood!
2. Pack smartly for a long road trip
After you have chosen the best route, it is time to do some careful planning. This includes packing.
This tip is based on common sense. If you’re thinking “I may need that”, or “let’s throw everything except the kitchen sink”, it’s easy to overpack. But, if a tire goes flat, the less stuff you take, the easier the tire will be to change. (Family travels on a budget reality tip)
The less you pack the less luggage you will have to carry into the hotel. You get the picture!
Pack smartly for road trips using these tips:
- Packing cubes are a great way to organize your clothes! To pack for vacation, we use the Compression Packing bags — they compress the clothes by about half and have labels that make packing (and unpacking!) easy. Label all your swimsuits and pack them in a bag. You get the picture!
- When kids are older (kindergarten under supervision), let them pack their own bag. One per child to avoid overload. As you near your destination, they can pack up their things and clean the car. Use a organizer for younger children to keep track of their toys, blankets, stuffed animals and more.
- Keep a First Aid Kit on hand for minor injuries like bug bites or skinned legs. This first aid kit is great because it comes with a carabiner that can be attached to the headrest of your seat.
- Remember snacks! For easy cleanup, we like to purchase chips and drinks individually packaged. On long road trips, we plan a picnic to “encourage us” to stop at a park or rest area. But we prefer parks.
3. Prepare for emergencies
Disasters can happen at any moment. It’s easier to handle emergency situations on long trips when you have all the information at one place.
This tip is for road trip safety for any length of journey! Prepare for any emergency and make a plan for how to handle it.
- Do you have roadside help? If you do, save the number to your phone.
- What is your car insurance number if you are in an accident? Travelers today have digital cards for car insurance, so be sure to keep yours in the wallet of your phone or on your app.
- What is your coverage for health care if you travel out of the state? Be sure to have your insurance cards on you.
Prepare for any emergencies that may occur on your road trip so you can handle them with less stress.
4. Visit the sights along the way
We discussed how it’s important to take frequent breaks during a road trip, so the driver doesn’t get too tired and that the kids have time to use their muscles.
There’s another option for planning a road trip. Consider making your road trip a part of your vacation instead of just driving to the destination. Spend the night and stop for the day.
You can stop in Savannah for a night if you are driving from the east coast of America to Florida. Enjoy a delicious dinner at one Savannah casual restaurants. Then, spend the morning visiting one of Savannah’s many sites that are family-friendly.
5. Create a playlist for your road trip!
Everyone contributes to our play lists for every trip! When it comes to road trip tips, let everyone contribute. They won’t feel excluded.
We took a Disney Road Trip a couple of years ago. Our playlist was full of Disney songs. It was fun to sing along and helped us prepare for our trip.
We went on a Caribbean cruise this year and we had a lot of Caribbean Beach music in our playlist. It’s impossible to sing “Under The Boardwalk” while being grumpy over gridlock.
We used to listen to “books on cassette” when our children were young. Today, apps such as Libby or audible allow us to easily listen to books, and kids still look forward to getting back in the car to hear what happens next.
6. Talk to someone!
So…. You’re trapped in the car for 6-8 (or even more) hours. It’s the perfect opportunity to engage your audience.
Children have asked us all kinds of questions, like “How did you do your research before computers?” or “Did Grandma’s blue eyes match Daddy’s?”
Conversations are great on long road trips.
We recommend Basecamp Cards if you are not sure where to start with car questions. The cards are a deck of regular cards that can be used in the hotel room. Each card has a question printed on it. The cards are used to start a conversation, but it usually picks up after a few questions.
You’re done! These tips will hopefully make your road trip even more enjoyable!