Traveling with kids is stressful enough, don't miss these 40+ road trip necessities before your next adventure!
EDITOR'S NOTE: This post has been republished on our new family travel blog Don't Just Fly.
We've updated the tips AND added a new free printable packing list on the updated post here.
It always feels like I'm just jamming things into the trunk. When in doubt, toss it in! I know this isn't the best tactic, and I'm always thinking I'm forgetting something.
My best friend Michelle has 4 peanuts under age 7 and drove them from Michigan to Florida for spring break. Before we headed out for our first road trip of the season, I asked her to tell me her favorite things to pack for the long haul while it was still fresh in her mind. I couldn't believe all the things I scrambled to write down as she listed them off. She is truly the Queen of the Road.
Using several of her tricks made our time in the car so much more relaxing and pleasant this month. I've rounded up all the road trip necessities into one easy checklist for you to keep handy for your next trip:
The Ultimate List of Road Trip Necessities for Families:
Health & Safety:
- Bandaids in various sizes
- First Aid kit
- A tub of flushable wipes
- Benadryl for surprise allergies in new places
- A bucket with several plastic bags tucked inside for surprise tummy bug scenarios
- Sunblock
- Headache medicines for parents!
- Heartburn meds for parents
- Goaming hand sanitizer
- Tweezers
- Large scissors and/or seat belt cutting tool
General Organization:
Change of clothes for each kid, easily accessible in case of spills or sickness- Pen & Paper
- Sunglasses by each kids' seat
- Window shades for babies
- Travel pillows
- Small blankets for when you can't agree on air conditioning levels
- Diaper/pull ups for all kids up through age 5 just in case
- Umbrella
- Phone charger for parents
- Towel: can be used as seat cover, cleaning tool, picnic blanket, and more
- Slippers: more comfy than shoes for a long drive
- Cash in varying denominations
- Coins for tolls
- Batteries for any devices you bring
- Fan for white noise
- Pop up hamper
- Gallon sized zip top bag taped near each child's seat: for garbage or emergency car sickness
Change of clothes for each kid, easily accessible in case of spills or sicknessFood & Entertainment:
- Bottled water
- Playlist of family music (Our family LOVES the Pandora "Family Road Trip" channel)
- Headphones for each kid (our family loves these)
- iPad or other tablet with movies & educational games
- External battery charger for digital devices
- One (or more!) of the best audiobooks for families
- Swimsuits for the whole family in one easy to grab tote bag
- A rubber ball for exercise breaks
- A jump rope for exercise breaks
- Non-sticky snacks & treats in individual portioned baggies
- License plate game: a whole family favorite
- Packed lunches
- Portable iced coffees for mom & dad
- Road trip games
So what did we miss? Is there a road trip car essential your family can't live without? I'd love to know! We have several more adventures planned for the summer, can't wait to get out there again!
Don't miss our updated list! We asked the kids their thoughts on what makes life comfier in the backseat and they had plenty to say:
"Hey mom! This is what we really need in the back of the car!"
P.S. The questions have been pouring in: you can find Little Pea's car seat here on Amazon.
tchris
I love this list!! Thank for posting it
Amy Dunham
I also have a small vial of baking soda in my first aid kit. You can mix it with a little bottled water to make a paste to use on bee/wasp stings. I also have a bottle of insect repellent for short hikes to stretch our legs. Extra washcloths as needed for clean-ups or to add water to in case of sunscreen in the eye.
tina
Great list! Thanks
you coukd also include: audio book fir the whole family to listen to and the small tool that is used to easily break the window in an emergency.
We also bring a large blanket fir the things that you mentioned and we use it to make a tent over the two kids. They think it is great to play games and watch a video with snacks under there!
AAA has a great Road Trip activities book too.
Thanks for posting. I will definitely share.
Ashley
This is an awesome list! The only things I would add are bug spray/repellant and baby powder. My kids get eaten alive by Mosquitos in the summer so we can't leave home without it. Baby powder is great for getting sand off which is especially important if you are headed to the beach!
faith
We did split a 20 hour drive into a 2 night road trip when we went to Florida. To avoid unpacking the entire trunk of 4 individual suitcases at each hotel stop, I packed a 5th smaller bag with overnight needs for the 4 of us that went in the trunk last, on top of everything. The trunk stayed packed, and we had less to schlep into the hotel at overnight stops and less to worry about packing up so we could get back on the road in the morning.
Hannah
Genius!
mayra
I would say the only other things I'd toss in is a potette potty with liners and a packet of clorox.
Jenn
This is a great list!! One or two questions though. What is the pop up hamper for? and where would you keep something like that in a car? Thanks so much!!!
Susan
I was wondering that too! However all is explained when you click on the link!
jen
You could use your car sick ice cream bucket too for a potty! If you have little ones, those portable toilet seats (that you may need in hotel) works great for kids (and adults) of all ages! And a nice ole plastic bag will hold your business too.
Tabitha Hidalgo
We take regular 6 hour trips to see the grandparents, but are planning a vacation which will take a 10 hour drive one way. We have a 5 year old, 3 year old and 1 year old. Each kid has their own 'toy bucket' (crocheted basket made from recycled walmart bags-easily washable) which they fill up before we leave. Usually halfway through the trip it's being used as a helmet. This year, I started filling up three ring binders for the older kids with worksheets and color pages- these stay in the car under the back seat with a container of crayons so they are always in the car. At Dollar Tree I bought 3 10 oz cups we use for snacks. these will fit in the cup holders beside the seats so they are easy to get to to hold snacks, and deep so harder for the baby to dump her snacks out unless she's really motivated. We keep paper towels in the van, and always have water-that way we don't worry about wipes drying out. And a change of clothes for everybody in a plastic bag under a seat. For our long trip, all the kids will get two blankets-one to cover with whether it's cold or playing and one for me to hang on the window if they want a sun shade, also will double for a car seat cover if we can't find shade to park in. We also have to add dramamine to the list to keep in the car along with chewable pepto in case somebody eats something that doesn't agree with them.
Claire
Great list! I have a few things to add! 🙂 We take reusable water bottles with us on long drives and a larger (3-5 gallon) Thermos water cooler filled with ice water and keep it in the back and accessible for stops, then we can just refill with that. Or when we stop for gas, we'll take them in and fill with ice water in the convenience store. I like to get a few new things for my kids for trips at the dollar store or dollar section at Target. Then at certain intervals they get a new something to entertain them. We have multiple tablets in our family, and my husband puts different movies on them so each kid can have their own to watch whatever. Less fighting than having them agree on a DVD. 🙂 I like to take small plastic bowls to use for snacks instead of packaging them individually. The longer road trips we take involve driving across long stretches of TX, so I made a 450+ song playlist on an iPod of songs my husband and I both like for those times we don't get any radio reception.
I also make all my packing lists for trips in Google Docs, then they're always available to reuse. I learned the hard way to use strikethrough to cross things off instead of deleting them. 😉 We tend to take the same trips pretty often, so that way I always have the list for what we need for that destination.
donna
We drive from melbourne to brisbane each year around 1800 kilometers the thing my kids love to take is binoculars.
Mama Bear Consulting
What a great list! I always bring bug spray with us, because my son is so allergic to mosquitos.
Crystal Martin
We take a 4 hour trip often. That might not seem like a long trip but with 4 kids and sometimes a dog, it can be grueling at times. Your list plus the ideas in the comments are perfect! Thank you to everyone for sharing!
Stacie
Great list!! Something We always take is a training potty for emergency middle of nowhere potty breaks. My kids are under age 5.
Janna
Love your list! Thanks for sharing!
Gina
I hope this isn't a silly question, what's the pop up hamper for? Storing all those things in?
Katie Howard
**We use small, dollar store shower caddies to put food in on the go! They hold everything, including the drink and fit on the kids' lap. Dump all the trash and stack them back up for storage until the next meal on the go!
**Cookie sheets make a great surface with a lip for play/drawing on the road. Take some magnets to hold papers in place, magnetic letters/numbers/shapes, small puzzles, travel bingo w/ magnet markers,...
**Pack bags by destination, rather than person....then you're only taking one or two bags in each stop vs a bag per person.
Mindy Linsdau
Hand wipes. Not only good for hands & face but good for wiping off spills on seats or clothes.
Erwin Magalang
Nice post! Having a road trip with the whole family is fun and exciting yet challenging especially when you have kids. Our goal is to have a smooth and hassle-free drive so our kids won't be grumpy. One thing I make sure before traveling is to have my car checked for possible repair and maintenance to avoid any unexpected car breakdown. Doing this will prevent roadside emergencies that would cause hassle on the road which can make the kids grumpy all day. Which is why it's a great practice to visit our trusted car shop at least a week before the planned road trip. Just this morning, I also found a blog which includes this as one of their essential tips for a smooth road trip. You might want to check it out, here's the link: https://blog.beepbeep.ph/road-trip-essentials/