10 Must-do Tips for an Amazing Road Trip with Kids

2. Upfront road trip planning + breaks

We love using the Roadtrippers app to plan fun stops along our route. This will show you if you have the world’s largest ball of twine or Carhenge along your route for interesting and unique stops. We pair this app along with the very dependable Google maps for navigation. Google maps is great to look for a unique park or sculpture garden to let the kids get in some running or to also check crowd levels at any attraction stop. We try to pack food in a cooler to eat meals in the car and only stop for kids to run around for an energy break or bathroom stops. Eating in the car saves time and provides something to do. These tray tables work great to save on messes and provide an activity space. They also fold up flat for easy storage.

3. Timing is everything

Think about drive timing and what will work best for your family and the ages of your kids. For many families, leaving early-morning is the best option as it still allows you to have energy for any sightseeing stops along the way. We find leaving early in the morning and wrapping up at 8 hours or less, just before dinner time to get settled and allow the kids to swim in a hotel pool or have their own time goes a long way to having a successful next day. 

Driving at night can sound like a good idea, but getting enough sleep to be well-rested to safely drive and manage kids is more difficult than it sounds. If you do decide to drive overnight, make sure you have a partner to switch with for driving and ensure that you’ll have enough energy to safely manage when the kids are awake. It can be a good option with very young kids, especially those under age two.

4. Car entertainment planning

Three magical words. Download in advance. For us, all bets are off during a road trip and we ease all screen time limits. If you have Netflix, Amazon Prime or Disney+ it’s important to log in and download content to each kids’ device in advance of being offline. This can take time so do this a few days before. Note: Disney+ currently has an issue where it logs out on Amazon Fire tablets when offline and doesn’t allow you to log back in until online. I repeat don’t depend on Disney+ on an Amazon Fire tablet or you’ll be out of luck. Disney+ does work on an ipad. Also, remember to download music playlists and podcasts and plan for that moment when the kids are in the car longer than expected and you need to pull out all the stops. We love Disney movie songs playlists or ‘Longer Disney Stories and Kids Stories’ on Spotify. Playing over Bluetooth works if you have kids of similar age or downloading the app and playlists to an individual device. If you have a long car trip where you know battery life will be an issue, especially while using the battery-draining google maps app, remember a car charging plan. We like dual USB chargers as well as bringing a longer charging cord so kids’ backseat devices can charge while in use.

Gadgets we love for road trips with kids

5. Engaging Road Trip Toys

When we look for road trip toys they need to be engaging and ideally have a dual purpose or be good for more than one kid in order to simplify packing. Tactile toys can be great for younger kids as well as wrapping new toys in wrapping paper. For toddlers, these busy boards can keep them engaged. on-the-go Play-doh set, coloring, reuseable stickers can all be fun. We also love the Melissa & Doug water wow books as engaging travel toys. These LCD doodle boards are also fun and mess-free. We have found that tray tables are a great way to keep kids’ activities organized and mealtime clean. Be careful to not bring any toys with small pieces as they can be a choking hazard when not in close sight of an adult or can easily be lost.

Below are a few other favorites for school-age kids.

Play floam–it is mess-free and we just bring one color for each kid. You can also find them individually in a clear case.

Kanoodle 3-D Brain Teaser Game–a fun brain teaser game good for ages 7+ and our tween loves it.

Speks Magnetic Toys –engaging toys that are great for the car. We love the Fleks Magnetic Silicone Building Set and bring a metal cookie sheet which is great for activities as well as meals.

Paint by sticker books–these take up a lot of time for school-age kids

Mad libs on the go–interactive fun for the whole family.

Shashibo Shape-Shifting Cube–this one is a little more expensive but was a huge hit on our last road trip. It’s magnetic and they can create different shapes. Also, has an app that pairs with it for more games and ideas.

A few engaging toys can go a long way when paired with music, movies, and kids’ audiobooks or podcasts. If you have a long stretch of time in the car that you know will push your kids to the max, work in some small surprises that can keep them going for a longer stretch of time. Consider giving a special snack or a small wrapped toy at a designated time; like when you hit a state border crossing or on the hour. This helps by giving them something to look forward to.  Have a special lollipop or treat saved just in case of a traffic jam or you’re in the car longer than expected as this helps when the kids (and adults) are at their limit of road trip fun. Lastly, bring less than you think you’ll need!

6. Packing Perfection

Being organized with packing can go a long way and save time when looking for things on a road trip with kids.

Here are a few of our must-haves for road trip packing

• Use a car top carrier. They can be spendy but really create so much extra space and can be used for all future trips. Our favorite one is the Yakima Skybox (we went with Carbonite 21) and if you don’t already have a roof rack this one from Rhino Rack is easy to install. There is a fit finder where you put in the make/model of your vehicle. We found this easy to install ourselves and we’re not handy. For the Yakima, we recommend buying this in person locally vs online as it’s really hard to judge size.
• For packing, clear plastic bins work better than loose bags and allow you to easily see what’s inside. If there’s something you think might be needed on the way, like jackets or a change of shoes, pack the whole family’s items in one bag or bin and pack this in last.
• Clothing works best in duffel bags like this especially for fitting in a car top carrier. We like to use packing cubes (get the large size!) to easily separate family members’ clothing. We give each member or those staying in the same room a designated color and then it’s easier to pull out the cubes and organize once arriving.
• For road trips, we always pack a cooler. If you’ll have a long trip with multiple destinations, consider the food you’ll want to bring between locations. Buy groceries and bring them between locations as this can be a time and cost saver. For longer trips, we like Blue coolers and find they pack efficiently, keep things cold for up to 5+ days, and have wheels (most good ones don’t). We also love this fold flat cooler to bring for day trips or when flying first.
• Kids’ activities can go in the back seat in a backpack and one snack bag for the front passenger seat. Staying organized on a road trip helps save time and stops.
• If you are traveling with young kids or any kids who are potty training you will want a car potty. Trust me it will save a lot of time. This portable seat is great and folds down. To save on a mess consider putting a diaper in the bottom to quickly absorb and then bring bags and wipes.