How Do You Prepare for a Road Trip with Kids?

Anybody else too broke to be able to fly to their destination? I’m raising all my limbs in agreement right now because I’m not the biggest fan of road trips. I mean, I guess it depends on what “kind” of road trip it is, but in all seriousness, I love the air and I love to fly. But planning a road trip with kids is a whole other story.

If it’s the kind of road trip where we’ve got multiple destinations, making lots of cool stops, and seeing some pretty rad scenery- I’m all for that! But when you’re traveling 14 hours one-way and virtually no stops with little ~~monsters~~, I mean kids in tow- meh, not so fun.

Look, all we’ve ever done with our kids is the drive. They’ve never had the flying experience, which I’m actually pretty sad about, but they really are great travelers! But it took some trial and error, and a whole lot of snacks to make it so.

If you’re planning a road trip with kids, then our first post about tips to survive a road trip with kids is for you! It’s packed with tips for getting out there and making your trip happen without hiccups. Now, we’re giving you tips to PLAN a road trip with kids. Before you go, you’ll want to PLAN!

1. Make kid-friendly stops.

My husband is the type of guy that wants to get there as fast as he can, with as little stops as he can. But, traveling with little ones in tow doesn’t always make that possible. They get rowdy, tired, restless, hungry- which can make for a hard time on everyone.

Be sure that you make some stops where the kids can get involved. Whether that be a few minutes at a rest stop where they can stretch their legs, a stop for a good-kid prize, or maybe even a museum or attraction stop. Be sure that you have something planned where they can work out their little minds!

2. Be prepared

I know that this isn’t that much help. I’m telling you to be prepared in a post about how to plan for your road trip with kids. But, it’s a true statement. Be prepared for ANYTHING. But how do you prepare for anything?

Mostly, it’s preparing yourself mentally. Prepare yourself to be drained, prepare yourself for accidents to happen and know that things won’t always go as planned. But prepare yourself to show a lot of grace and patience. But most of all, prepare yourself to have fun despite it all and make so many memories!

3. Pack a bag

I don’t mean your suitcase. I don’t mean your snack bag (which is probably most important). I mean your emergency bag. There’s a good possibility that you’ll be in a pinch at some time on your trip and you’ll wish you would have packed a few things that could have helped.

Here are a few starter ideas; a travel potty, road trip games, toilet paper, motion sickness meds, essential oils, a first aid kit, water, extra protein snacks, a map, battery pack, flashlight, blanket. These may seem pretty simple, but you never know if you just might get stuck in traffic for hours in the middle of nowhere when someone needs to pee.

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4. Games

Sure, you can play some memory games, or maybe even find some road trip games on Amazon. But, utilize Pinterest, folks. There are so many bloggers, just like us, who offer free printable road trip games. Be sure that you print these out BEFORE your trip. You’ll be so happy that you did!

5. Prepare your kids

Here I go again, telling you to prepare for something in a post about preparing. What’s the good in that? Well, I’ll tell you. There’s nothing worse than hearing “Where are we going?“, “How much further?“, and “Are we there yet?” a bazillion times on a long road trip. But what do you do?

Let your kids know that there will be a long trip and use real-life examples of previous times that they had to wait an extended period of time for something good or special. Maybe it was for a previous vacation or a holiday. Maybe it was for a party or gathering. Whatever it is, make them aware of it beforehand.

I know some of you don’t want to spoil the surprise for your kiddos, so you don’t necessarily have to tell them where you’re going, but you should prepare them that there is a long ride to get there. Remind them that you’ll have lots of fun on your way there and even more things to do when you get there!