We all at some time surrender to the call of the road trip. We dream of new adventures, beautiful scenery and unique experiences. And then reality hits us and we wonder if a road trip with the kids really is going to live up to our lifetime dream!
But don’t let the fact that you have little ones, tweens or teens stop you. A road trip with the family can be an amazing experience. Every year for the past 5 years we have taken to the road in the summer. We have had some amazing experiences, and learned a lot, along the way.
Learn how you can make your family road trip very special – and how you can enter to win a great Family Road Trip Supplies Giveaway!
Here are my Top 5 Tips for you Family Road Trip!
Plan Ahead
Everything begins weeks or even months before your trip when you plan where you want to go. Involve the kids as much as you can – make this a true family experience where everyone has a chance to do things that are important to them.
Do some research about the places you are visiting and include the kids. They will be much more interested in a place if they have read about it or seen it on television or a movie.
Here is an excellent website which will help you plan your future Road Trips.
Should you book hotels ahead of time or just go where the road takes you and decide? You probably need to be pretty adventurous if you are not going to book ahead when you have kids. That night in the car when you couldn’t find anywhere to stay may have seemed like fun when you were in college but it probably won’t be if you have a 3 year old with you.
Packing
The more we travel the less we pack. People marvel at how the 5 of us can travel with so little. The more you travel the more you realize that you don’t actually use half of the stuff that you take with you.
Essential items include: a small cooler, water, snacks, paper or plastic plates, baby wipes, medical kit, and yes, vomit bags.
Make sure you think carefully about which snacks you bring. Dry snacks like pretzels are great, things which melt like chocolate or cheese, or which are sticky, not so much!
Packing all of the things into the car becomes an art form. Everything has it’s place! Make sure that things you will need during the journey are accessible and the children can reach the things that they will need.
Be Safe
Bring an emergency kit with you. Sometimes things do go wrong so you need to be prepared just in case.
Make sure that your car is up to date with routine servicing and that oil and water levels are all checked.
Road trips tend to mean a whole lot of stops at gas stations. This can be a very pleasant surprise if you are driving away from California as it seems that everywhere has much cheaper gas! But don’t leave a gas stop until the last moment. There is nothing worse than wondering if you are going to make it to the next stop!
You also may want to think about getting a Purolator Cabin Breathe Easy Cabin Air Filter. We all think about air filters in our home but perhaps have not realized that they are just as important in our car. Particularly on a road trip when we are going to be spending so much time in the car! Purolator cabin filters are designed to help stop contaminants getting inside your car – so making the air much cleaner for you all inside the vehicle. This is particularly important if a member of your family has allergies.
Entertainment
It doesn’t matter how amazing the scenery will be it is likely that the kids are going to get bored in the car.
We pack a back pack for each of the children with paper, pencils, puzzles, travel games, and a disposable camera. A lap desk can be really useful too so that kids can write and draw easily in the car.
If you are taking electronic devices remember that the internet is not likely to be out there in the wilderness with you. So remember to download books and movies before you leave home. Not sure how my teen would have survived without the Kindle Fire this year!
Bring enough headphones with you so that not everyone in the car has to hear Finding Nemo for the 5th time in a day.
Don’t Do Too Much
You may be willing to drive non stop all day but not many kids are going to have the stamina and patience to do that.
Plan some stops along the way. Let them run around in the playground or play with the frisbee that you brought with you. They can burn off some energy and maybe even sleep for a little while in the car.
Enjoy your time together. A road trip really is a very special time for families and if you just do a little preparation your trip will be all the more enjoyable.
Win All The Things You Need For A Fabulous Family Road Trip!
5 Lucky Winners will receive a great prize from Purolator:
A $200 Gas Card
$25 Gift Card for Healthy Snacks
$75 Worth of Books and Toys from Scholastic
For all the details go to
This post was sponsored by Purolator. My opinions and thoughts, as always, are my own.