Headed on a road trip with kids?
I get it. Traveling with kids is a task that needs to earn a badge upon arrival. Road trips with kids and long car rides can be messy.
Hours spent in the car with kids will also likely be longer than without.
But before you wave the white flag and surrender, I have some simple tips to help your next road trip be as peaceful as possible. – You may even get to press play on that podcast you downloaded weeks ago. 😉
Inside has all of my tips and tricks for traveling with kids on road trips. Take what works best for you and your family and try something new the next time you pack the car.
Inside things to do on a road trip, you will find:
- Packing – what to pack and how to pack it
- Packing toys – what to pack and how to pack it
- Unique rest stop ideas
- Downtime in the Car
RELATED: Want a large variety of activities for toddlers and preschoolers? Check out our activity cards.
Things we do on long car rides have a similar pattern over the years.
To begin, a couple of times per year, we take an eight-hour road trip with three kids. – and it’s not awful!
A common tip is to drive as they sleep, it is not always that simple.
My husband and I are nonstop throughout the day, and extending into an evening drive in the dark is not always a doable task, especially when most of our drive is on small backroads.
We typically have to leave shortly after sunrise or sunset.
Certainly, with three kids ages 5.5 and under, I have learned a couple of tricks to help along the way.
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What to bring on road trips with kids
Travel with a travel potty.
You got that right. Pack a potty, probably what I need to get every expecting caregiver.
This travel potty has a permeant home in our car and has been used countless amounts of times.
It is in our car for the big guys that are potty trained, and also perfect for those ‘in training”. This potty is a lifesaver when you need a rest stop to don’t mind your child touching.
Pro tip: Skip the OXO bags and reuse plastic shopping bags as inserts instead. The bags are expensive and can easily be swapped out. – Remember to double bag it! 😉
Which snacks are best when traveling?
Now, I realize vacation may mean doughnuts and sugar.
However, keep foods familiar to your eating style at home.
I want to feed my kids foods to help them feel comfortable for such a long car ride. Doing so means I need to pack snacks that last and snacks to keep their little bodies feeling strong.
My oldest son also has a peanut allergy which means we need to pack foods that we know and trust. When I pack snacks for a road trip, I think about what my children are familiar with and which snacks go a long way.
Quick Tip: Offer the protein/veggie/fruit before the crackers and chips. It can be difficult to go in the other direction.
How to pack the snacks for a long car ride with the family:
Now you know me.
You know I am not going into this snack packing gig without some rhyme or reason.
Quick Tip: Find containers with two sides. Go healthy on one side, add a treat on the other.
These road trip snack containers are our favorite.
Remember, I am packing familiar snacks. Your snacks may look differently based on what you eat at home. I make sure each boy has the same combo. Again, I do not show or give everything out at once.
Pack snacks that are not choking hazards and think about if you would rather eat once the car comes to a complete stop to break for lunch.
PRO TIP: Keep some snacks in your cooler bag until needed.
The travel cooler is life for long car rides with kids!
We pack our snack containers into one portable cooler from REI. I found this one to be more reasonably priced than some other bigger brands, and I prefer how it stores the food.
This Refreezable Reusable Cooler Ice Pack is what keeps everything cold for long amounts of time.
What else can you do on a long car ride?
Our toys are open-ended. There is no official start or end to the game. Preschoolers manipulate the items in endless amounts of ways. This encourages curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving.
Road trip activity tip one
- Keep packed toys hidden and pull them out as needed.
- Allow time to look out the window.
- Allow time to get bored.
- When frustration kicks in, you will be ready.
Mini sketch pad
Washable marker pack
Tip two
- Allow your child to pack a small backpack before leaving the house.
- Here, I hand my two-year-old a small mini backpack and say, Go ahead and put some toys inside your backpack for our trip.
- Like most two-year-olds, he only has a small understanding of what he is packing for, but the trick here is that the toys are self-selected.
- These are your “round one” toys.
- I do the same for my older boys.
Tip three
- Your turn. Find a few small bags to pack a couple more supplies.
- Again, keep this bag for when you need it most. Do not show all your bags and items in one session.
- What you are doing here is creating a mystery bag of fun.
Ooooh, what’s this?
Can I open it?
What is inside?
How can I pull these objects out of the bag?
- Toy bags work best when the object connects in some shape or fashion. Think, a handful of Picasso Tiles, LEGOS travel kit, Mega Bloks.
Road trip activities to pack for your next long car ride
- Toddler books to lift the flap
- Toddler books to feel different textures
- Mini versions of Breakfast Invitations
- Activity books
- Songs
- Books on tape
- Podcasts for kids
Look Inside Things That Go
That’s Not My Zoo Box Set
Seek and Find
How to deal with kids’ restroom breaks on road trips?
Have you ever thought about how rest stops could be more like movement breaks?
I know Chick-Fil-A is a quick in and out to feed the family. But what if you took the time to grab the chicken tenders at the drive-thru and spend more time running around?
Our last eight-hour road trip took a break at a splash pad. It. Was. Glorious.
As the kids ran, they also cooled off and burned energy.
It took a quick change of clothes when we were ready to leave, and we were back in the car to sit for the final stretch. This made the holiday traffic a lot more bearable.
Here we are on our road trip break at the splash pad!
Take car breaks at grocery stores:
It took me a couple of road trips to think of this, but this may be my favorite and most helpful tip.
Why stop at a grocery store on a road trip?
For one, everyone gets to stretch as they walk up and down the aisles. Get that body moving! We may or may not have been known even to throw the ball around the toy aisle as we shopped.
Stopping at the grocery store also allows everyone to pick a favorite snack for the next stretch of the road. Some grocery stores, such as Publix, have great sandwiches!
Grocery stores have familiar brands and great air conditioning. – This is much better than sitting down in a crowded fast-food joint.
RELATED: Traveling with a food allergy? You’ll want to read this.
Find a unique road trip stop on your next long car ride!
- Grab your phone.
- Read the list of ideas below.
- Google search to see what’s around.
Long road trips may require movies, and that’s okay too!
We have our routine at home that promotes independent play.
When it comes time for long road trips, the portable DVD players come out for my children. Some additional screen time makes a much more enjoyable trip for all. Even better? I put this on guilt-free. Do not be your worst critic when it comes to road trips. Decide ahead of time what you are comfortable with and allow yourself some flexibility.
These DVD players are a really BIG deal.- This is not something we use every day, so making bringing them out becomes extra special. Once we arrive, the screens are disconnected until the return trip home.
Pro Tip: Rent movies from your library rather than buying them or rent from Redbox and return to the nearest drop-off after watching.
Finally, remember when I said we have an eight-hour car ride with kids?
I wasn’t kidding.
In like manner, you don’t need to bring the kitchen sink, but take some ideas from above and see what works best for your family’s style.
Which things to do on your road trip with kids?
We are all about the movement break! I look up malls along our route that have play areas or places to grab lunch then head to a nearby park. The boys usually end up eating their lunch in the car and we eat at the park and they play. Our last trip, we found a Whole Foods, grabbed lunch to go and hit up a park. On the way back we hit up the same Whole Foods and the boys played in the kid area there and got a treat before we left. It’s the only way we road trip!
All of these are great ideas!! Thanks for the reminder about the mall and Whole Foods playspace!
We do road trips all the time and our FAVORITE tip is this- get an ASTC pass. We have one for our local children’s/science museum and it works for so many museums across the US. So we find one every few hours and stop there so they can get a body and brain boost. Because it’s free, we don’t feel like we have to be there all day, or it doesn’t have to be an amazing one!
This is such an awesome idea!! Looking into this, thanks!
My preschooler gets carsick in EVERY ride, even just 15 minutes away, if she’s not looking out the window the entire time (and even then she sometimes complains of her tummy hurting). We try giving her peptobismol for kids but that doesn’t help if she is doing things other than looking out the window. Do any of your kids get carsick and what would you suggest for surviving a road trip in this situation?
Hi! My boys do not get sick, but I did reach out to my good friend who has children that do. She says: "DOn’t give them milk or any products that are hard to digest (like applesauce) before any trips. They pack trash bags, rolls of paper towels, sanitizing wipes, Lysol, and go" – You may already try these suggestions but wanted to pass along just in case. Also, my cousin growing up would always get car sick so I understand how difficult it can be. The good news is she outgrew it and now a huge boss lady and world traveler. 🙂
Mine do! I agree with keeping supplies ready and my 4 year old is pretty good about “aiming” 😉 Also, for longer trips, talk to your pediatrician. They may Children’s Dramamine and also some kids sized pressure point bracelets that may be appropriate for your child.
Ha! Nothing beats a four-year-old with good aim! LOL
Window drawing of some sort.
What a fun idea!
We also have an 8 hour drive to my inlaws in Canada. My now 7 year old has always been a great car traveler. We still pack and have had great success with water wonder books, Richard Scarry books(lots to look at and now read), markers and a sketch book, Melissa and Doug sticker stories( he has a pirate one.) We don’t watch movies, but do listen to audio books that he picks from the library. And loads of snacks, so, so many snacks!!
I love the reminder to include more audio books!
Is there any way to place her seat in the middle spot so she can look straight ahead, as if sitting in a front seat?
We found the pressure point bracelets to be very helpful and we keep hospital barf bags handy. We have also found books on cd to be a great sub for movies – the older the child the longer they can listen but my youngest even enjoyed the books at age 3. We also started a game where they call out terms for unique cars; “Bingo” for yellow, “racer” for one with stripes, “Jeep” and maybe one other. Kinda like the classic slug bug. However, if you have too many names, and more than one kid, it will get on your nerves fast.
A kids travel tray that fits on top of their lap was life changing for us! It provides a flat space for activities and helps prevent snack spills- ours is made entirely of foam so I’m not worried about it in an accident!
That is so smart. I will look into these!
We just bought this one on Amazon for our drive out to Wisconsin next week. We have made the trip every year (from Connecticut) since our daughter was born, and have always done it in one day, but now that we have two, we are going to break it up into 2 smaller legs. Hoping she gets a lot of use out of it! LUSSO GEAR Kids Travel Tray – Inspire Active Toddlers & Big Kids for Years w/Dry Erase Board & Eating Snack Tray, No-Drop Tablet iPad Holder Stand & Art Supplies Storage Pockets https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NQPZN7F/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_mo-jDb2TDBM5X
Excellent! I will be sure to check this out. Thanks!
We just came off of a 14.5 hour road trip with our 5,3, and 1 y/o’s.
Travel potty is great, but we always keep a sports drink bottle (think wide spout) in the van for our son and those “I HAVE TO GO RIGHT NOW” moments. Stop the van, nobody has to get out. He can use it in the van, hand sanitizer to clean hands, and I can put the cap on it and dump the contents into our next real stop that has facilities.
No such method for our daughter but we’ve used it countless times with our son.
Ha! Love it!
I love this post! I just did a 16-hr road trip with my 4yo and 18mo and they were fantastic. I had healthy snacks ready to go and would fill up their own snack cup when they asked. We listened to audio books a lot (Amazon audible has great kid stories!) and I kept their backpacks filled with books and toys within reach of their car seat so they could choose what to play with next. But I must say, the training POTTY in the trunk was the MVP! We used coffee filters as inserts for the #2 stops and it was a game changer. Thanks for sharing this post!
I will be sure to check out Amazon audible! Thanks for the heads-up. So true – the potty is GOLD. 😂
Thank you for giving me the idea to stop by at any grocery store we see if we were to go on a long drive with our kids. We’re thinking of taking them out for the weekend and we’re trying to see if there are any places that offer a dolphin tour that our whole family can enjoy. I’ll keep your tips in mind and hope that our kids won’t be tired enough before we get to our destination.
Excellent! Have a great trip!