Road trip hacks can significantly enhance the travel experience by making the journey more comfortable, efficient, and enjoyable. Many people hit the roads during the holiday season. Whether a short drive across the town or a cross country haul, driving to see your family is a huge part of the holidays. Road trips before kids look a lot different from road trips with kids and I am not just talking about the extra bathroom breaks! Here are some road trip hacks for families to make your journey easier.
7 Family Road Trip Hacks For A Stress-Free Travel Experience
As Tara Trompeter, managing editor at Autotrader says, “Family time in the car can be a great opportunity for making memories — or a recipe for grunts and grumbles. A little bit of planning ahead before you get on the road will go a long way toward filling the experience with more fun and laughter for everyone involved.” I agree completely. As long as you prepare beforehand, family road trips can actually be a lot of fun! So here are my best road trip hacks for families.
Make Sure Your Car Is Ready
When you have kids in the car, you don’t want to have to make any additional stops! So go ahead and make sure your car is fully ready to go a few days before your family road trip. Fill up with gas, check the wear and pressure on your tires, and be sure your fluids (oil, coolant and wiper fluid) are topped off. This one is not only a time saver later, it is also a safety priority. If you intend to use a cargo carrier, make sure your crossbars are installed.
Road trip hacks can make long hours on the road more comfortable. Bring neck pillows, pillows, and a blanket to help kids stay cozy. Clever packing strategies can make the most of limited space in your vehicle, ensuring you have everything you need without feeling cramped.
Pack Road-Friendly Snacks And Drinks
When your kids start to whine or get irritable with one another, they are often just hungry. Have some healthy snacks for on the go available in the car so you don’t have to stop. This will also save you money. In additon, make sure your have a trash bag or garbage container so you can keep unfinished food from turning into a mess. Autotrader also has some great Mom Hacks to help parents hit the road hassle-free this holiday season such as empty coffee creamer bottles into spill-proof containers for your kids’ favorite cereal or chips.
Prepare For Motion Sickness
You may be lucky enough to skip this one but many young children can get motion sickness in the car. Peppermint and ginger are great for calming nausea so you may want to carry some essential oils, peppermint gum, or ginger chews. You may also want to load the car with some handy tupperware bowls with snap on lids just in case they feel it coming on and wet wipes.
Map Out Fun Stops
Planning and organizational hacks can save time and reduce stress. This includes packing efficiently, planning rest stops, and using apps for navigation and finding amenities. Check your route for family-friendly stops along the way such as a zoo, park or other tourist destination to give kids something to look forward to while breaking the trip into manageable pieces.
Bring Favorite Toys And Art Supplies
Coloring books and crayons are great for keeping kids entertained just make sure you have a container to hold the crayons neatly such as an old diaper wipe box. Books are great but only if your child is not prone to motion sickness. Mad Lib books are also fun activity books for the road trip. My son has to have a few stuffed animals or action figures because he loves pretend play. Cards with a rubber band wrapped around them or in a plastic bag are also great for road trips. Use the AutoTrader Mom Hack to get it all organized into a tote and hang it from the back of the front seat with a carabiner!
Play Some Fun Road Trip Games
Road trips can get boring, especially for kids. Hacks for games, playlists, audiobooks, and movies can keep everyone entertained and make the time pass more quickly. Fun road trip games include Beetles and Bugs, 20 Questions, Act It Out, I Spy, Memory. You can find road trip game descriptions and rules here.
Resort To Technology
Some road trips are so long that you may have to resort to technology. Many new cars have features like built-in screens and DVD players but if your car doesn’t come equipped with these, don’t fret. Mine doesn’t either! Consider bringing along a handheld device such as a phone or tablet on which little ones can play games or watch videos. Have these fully charged before you leave and bring a charger along with you too.
Conclusion
Use Seat Back Organizers to hold tablets, books, water bottles, and other essentials to keep the car tidy. You may also want to create playlists of favorite songs or download them for offline listening. These hacks can help make your road trip more enjoyable and less stressful. Have a great journey!
I hope these road trip hacks for families help you have a smooth fun family road trip to your destination. Don’t forget to plan for extra travel time because there will likely be some unexpected stops!
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Laura B says
Love the idea of using the empty coffee creamer bottles as snack containers. We have lots of those and 5 little ones. Very fitting for us and very practical.
Steven Epstein says
Keep art supplies under control by simply adding some paper and colored pencils to an old DVD case so your child can take them anywhere. I have done this.
Bo S. says
Hook a carabiner to the handle above your kids’ seats and hang their bags on it. They’ll be able to reach without distracting you, and you’ll save some extra space on the floor.
Nicole Lancaster says
My favorite mom hack from AutoTrader.com is use plastic wrap for a makeshift lid on any cup and help prevent spills in the back seat. Stick a straw in the center for easy drinking and preventing mid-drive messes.
Cynthia C says
My favorite tip is Keep art supplies under control by simply adding some paper and colored pencils to an old DVD case so your child can take them anywhere.
Ann Fantom says
I like the hook a carabiner to the handle above your kids’ seats and hang their bags on it. They’ll be able to reach without distracting you, and you’ll save some extra space on the floor hack
Jeanne Coulombe says
I would go to the dollar store buy 20 bucks worth of toys keep them in a box by there feet then when they get cranky give them a new toy. Works like a charm also prepare little snack size baggies filled with goldfish mini cookies etc. Have a cooler filled with ice cold water.
Laurie Nykaza says
Use small muffin cups to collect and organize loose change. Great idea it will keep spills from causing a big mess to clean up. I’m going to use the silicone ones to keep mine clean.
Lisa Joy Thompson says
We’re about to take a road trip with our twins. I love the idea of using carabiners to attach their bags to the seat in front of them. We use a lot of the other hacks mentioned! 🙂
Tina Reynolds says
The tip about mapping out fun stops is very important I try and keep no more than 2-3 hours with out a stop even if its just a short stop for them to unwind
Maryann D. says
I really like the idea Keep art supplies under control by simply adding some paper and colored pencils to an old DVD case so your child can take them anywhere.
laurie murley says
I like the Turn empty coffee creamer bottles into spill-proof containers for your kids’ favorite cereal or chips the most
Megan C says
I like the tip about the coffee creamer bottles and turning it into a spill-proof containers for snacks.
Shawna says
My favorite mom hack is “Turn empty coffee creamer bottles into spill-proof containers for your kids’ favorite cereal or chips.”
Sarah L says
I enjoy your blog, but I have a major problem with the GT form here. It always comes up blank and doesn’t remember me from one visit to the next. It even clears out when I’m on the same page and post a comment. I never have this problem on any other blog so please look into why it’s doing it on yours.