Road Trip Essentials
It can be a lot of fun or it can end in a total disaster, completely wishing you would have just stayed home. For the trip to go as smooth as possible, it's important to prep properly, regardless if the trip is 4 hours or 12+ hours in the car.
Preparing for the trip:
Obviously, if you're going to be taking your car on such a long drive, then you want to make sure your car can handle it. So make sure your car has an oil change and all proper fluids are filled. Fill up your gas tank and check your tires for any holes and that each tire is filled to its proper tire pressure.
Don't forget to have your registration and car insurance in the car and that nothing is suspended or outdated!
Clean out your car, and make sure there is a trash can, a phone charger, and a phone stand readily available.
To avoid stopping unnecessarily, grab a cooler with ice and fill it with water, coffee, finger foods, sandwiches, and fruit. Granola bars and chips are other favorites for road trips.
Something we did on our most recent trip was that we gave each kid their own lunch box and filled it with a bento box full of age-appropriate snacks. That way each kiddo was responsible for their own food and could access it at any time.
To make the trip bearable, break it up into segments. Try stopping every 3 to 4 hours. This allows for potty breaks and to stretch everyone's legs. It's best to map your stops before the trip or you can always be spontaneous and figure them out as you go.
An awesome music playlist will keep you sane. You can create one or pick one randomly on Spotify. We love listening to movie soundtracks such as Hamilton or Into the Heights. It's like you're watching the movie!
Traveling with kids can be tricky, so I shared some tips and tricks here. Like I said if you're prepared everything runs a little more smoothly. Be sure to have activities like these, for your kiddos so you don't get hit with the boredom question: "are we there yet?".
Other than that, let the wind be your guide, and enjoy the road trip!
love & light,
Jalesa