A road trip with kids can be exciting and exhausting. In the couple years of our marriage before we had children, my husband and I really enjoyed traveling. We went to NYC, explored Highway 1 on the coast of California and several places in between. We love traveling and did not want to give that up once children arrived.

Now we have NOT ventured into traveling via airplane, a with the kids, though some of these things would be applicable to any type of travel.

Not wanting to venture far? Check out my list of NC day trips here.

So here is a list of what I have learned, much of it the hard way. Perhaps it will be helpful to you as well.

Traveling with kids is going to take longer. A lot longer. Especially as the kids get older and are potty trained. My daughter has learned that when she is bored and just wants to get out of the car she just has to say “I need to go potty.” I’m not going to risk an accident in a car seat, so generally we stop.

Trip toys/prizes/activities. Every time we go on a road trip, particularly a long one, I always have a little bag of new things for the kids. We’ve also had special toys that only come out at travel time. I usually include a new book and sticker/coloring books from the dollar tree. One of my favorite things to bring is Water Wow books by Melissa and Doug. Just a bit of water in the paint brush brings the pages to life – filled with color. It’s not enough water to be messy and it’s reusable. I think my son did the marine life one at least 1000x last trip we went on. I usually buy the multi-packs, I will also throw these in birthday presents.

My daughter is on track 3, so we track out in August and are soon leaving on vacation. I have both the kids a bag ready:

I have several books (see links below), a water wow for my little boy, The Incredibles action heroes I picked up when Toys R Us was going out of business and a couple spiral notebooks. Both my kids like to doodle, and I often buy them sketch pads. But the notebooks were $0.25 at Target back to school sale, so I opted for these this time. I usually get some sort of sticker activity at the dollar tree, but couldn’t find any this go around.

If you are the type of parent who allows some screen time, a tablet can save your sanity on a long trip. We bought the Amazon Fire Kids edition a couple of years ago and have been really happy with it. It comes with a 2 year replacement guarantee and free access to amazon unlimited for a year. I am not a huge fan of amazon unlimited subscription for younger kids – it contains so much content that it is just too overwhelming.  I would rather just download the content I want. Of course for those of you who like Apple products, an iPad works just as well. Pair it with kid safe headphones and you can listen to your own music while your kids are jamming out to “Let it go”.

Speaking of music, my kids LOVE StoryBots songs and they are a staple for short and long car trips alike.

Timing is EVERYTHING. Some of my friends travel overnight, while their children are sleeping. We can’t do that because both my husband and I NEED sleep. On longer trips we have left around the afternoon nap time so we can get a couple hours in with sleeping kids. Then they often fall asleep near their bedtime, giving us a few more hours. We’ve also traveled later in the day, arriving around 1-2:00 am. Our kids sleep most of the trip and my husband and I can still get in a few hours of sleep at our destination.

One Million Snacks. Or possibly more. I rarely give my kids lollipops, but they are a fun road trip snack and take some time to eat. Just be sure to bring the baby wipes!! We usually use bentgo boxes for a picnic lunch at a rest area to save time and money when the weather cooperates. Plus it’s easier to pack healthy options that it is to buy them. Other times we stop at Chik-fila or McDonalds for a playground area while we eat. See more lunch box options in my school supply post here.

A car seat tray. I actually don’t have these yet, but it is on my wish list at the recommendation of a couple of friends. We are looking to do a road trip to New England area in the next few weeks and I think these will be a worthwhile investment. Here’s a link to the one I am looking to get – I’ll update after our trip.

It has a surface your kids can draw on (I have budding artists) and the reviews boast of its durability. If I do end up with these, I won’t need to purchase any more sketch pads. So many to choose from, it can be overwhelming!! Too many options seems to be the case with many children’s products these days. We’ve managed fine without a car seat tray so far, but I want it mostly for myself. My kids are forever dropping items and I am doing yoga moves from the front seat to pick it up. This may not guarantee that nothing hits the floorboard of the car, but man if it helps then I am sold.

Traveling with infants. My daughter hated her rear facing car seat more than anything, making short and long trips miserable for everyone. We tried a mirror and car seat toys which helped SOME. My son on the other hand thought it was naptime everytime he got in his carseat. Which was great for long trips. I would have splurged on something like this if I had known about it when my kids were that young:

Patience. A pretty hefty dose too. For reasons beyond my understanding, kids have way more energy than adults. And being cooped up traveling is a challenge for them. But with a little extra time and planning, it can be done and everyone arrives with sanity intact. Well mostly anyway 😉

Looking for day trips? Check out Aloha Safari Zoo, Greensboro Children’s Museum, NC transportation museum and NC zoo.

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