What to pack on a Family Road Trip

It’s that time of year!! Summer has arrived, and if you live in the PNW with record-breaking 100+ degree weather there is no denying summertime is here! Are you ready to load up your family into your SUV and hit the road for some long weekends away? Need some inspiration on what to pack for a family road trip? I got you!!

We think you might like a list (I adore a good checklist) to help build your confidence and get your road-tripping adventures off in the right direction. Here is a list we have compiled over the years of many of our must-have items to pack on a family road trip:

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1. Snacks. Snacks. Oh yeah and more snacks!!

Kids love to eat, except at dinnertime when they decidedly despise anything served to them. The more treats, and by no means do they have to be sugary, the better the trip. We pack both a dry bag and a cooler on all our adventures.

The dry bag typically is stocked with bananas, crackers, granola bars, goldfish, popcorn, and almond bars. Word to the wise: Put the fruit, especially bananas in a ziplock bag just in case they happen to get smashed. At least that mess will be contained and you can simply throw the plastic bag away without a huge mess on your hands.

Snack ideas on Amazon

We have a cooler centrally located in the car so the older kiddos can reach or ask for something as they get hungry.  Routinely the cooler is loaded up with oranges, yogurt pouches, cheese, lunch meat, berries, peanut butter sandwiches, and grapes.

Plus I always have an emergency snack pack in the front seat with me. This pack contains special items the kids constantly ask for (like fruit snacks and cookies) but don’t usually get it because, well it’s crap.  In times when the little ones are going above and beyond sitting in their car seats for hours at a time, I have no problem breaking out the special treats. 

2. Clothes packed according to stays.

Obviously, you are going to want clothes for your road trip. Unless you just load up with the clothes on your back in which case, you do you! A couple of ways I streamline the process of unloading and loading the car with our luggage when staying at multiple places along our route:

• Pack multiple overnight bags versus one large suitcase to lug around. Some people find different methods work best for their family. So this might take a few trips to get right. But ultimately you want to only unload what you need each night or day for your accommodations. We have found packing a kids bag with the items they need and an adult bag with the items we need works best. So for instance if we are staying two nights at a hotel on the Oregon coast for a couple beach days I would have 2 main bags to bring in to that location. One for Levi and myself and one for the kids. The kids would have a pair of PJs and two outfits complete with underwear socks and shoes, same concept for the adult bag.
• I also pack a toiletries bag with everyone’s things, because we need that everywhere. And because it is a swimming location we would have a bag full of all our swimming accessories: bathing suits, lifevest… This might sound like more work than its worth if you haven’t done this before. BUT I promise you it is so worth it. Packing up is so easy, everything is basically dirty clothes and can be combined in a garbage bag and loaded up out of the way for the rest of the trip. Less work and mess packing back into the car and when you get home, easy peasy to sort laundry.

3. Media Devices, fully charged.

Nothing is ever charged in our home. I am just as guilty as the kids. My phone sits about two inches from my charger every night without getting plugged in. The night before we leave on a trip, we make sure everything sleeps on the chargers. I remind everyone multiple times (since my kids are still little) and then check to make sure chargers are actually plugged in to the wall and fully connected to the juice. Unfortunately, we have learned this the hard way.

I let the kids pick a movie or two on Netflix to download. We also have the Amazon Fire with Freetime so if they want a new app they have to download it at home or in the hotel before we leave Wifi.

4. Water Bottles + Water.

Instead of disposable water bottles, we each have our own reusablewater bottle. Super easy to refill them with gallon water jugs, packed in car as needed. This cuts down on trash and keeps us accountable for our respective bottles during the entire trip.

5. Chargers.

Now this is a hack I just started. We now pack all of our chargers in the toiletries bag. Why? Because we already bring in this bag at each overnight stop on our trip. We used to have the kids keep their charger in their personal bag, mine in my purse, and Levi put his in his pocket most mornings. This practice just got to be too much to keep track of, and inevidably someone’s was lost. By loading all the chargers together every morning into the toiletry bag, they are all accounted for and ready for phones and tablets to charge overnight.

6. Garbage Bags.

For obvious reasons: collecting trash daily + keeping the car from turning into a complete pile. Plus trash bags come in handy for wet clothes, dirty clothes, swimming suits… Trust me. You will be glad to have them, they will prove useful.

7. Personal Bag.

Everyone gets one bag for the car full of all their personal fun stuff they want access to while driving.  Books, tablets, and toys. The kids get to pack this bag with things they want. Now of course I limit what is packed based on the length of the road trip. My general rule of thumb is roughly one item per hour in the car. And I have my hard Nos. Like absolutely no crayons, markers, play-dough, slime, glitter, you get the picture. If it can melt, stick, or is permanent its a no go!!

8. Travel Games.

Are we there yet? It is going to be a question asked over, and over again! So be prepared. When everyone seems to need a little entertainment but there are miles yet to drive, break out some games. Here are a few games to play as a family that can help pass the time for everyone:

• Go Find IT. I actually keep this game in my purse at all times. There are several different ways to play this game based on age and interaction level. Basically it’s an I spy game with a little more guidelines and inspires creativity that can be played while driving.
• Conversation Cards. This summer will be our first time with the actual cards to play the game. In the past we have just looked up ideas or played would you rather. I am looking forward to hearing what the kiddos respond to these questions
• Rubberneckers. If you havent played this game yet, you are in for a treat. Another card game, so super easy to pack or just always leave in your glovebox. Engage your entire carfull by spotting people doing silly things like picking their nose. Play as teams to spot the most items listed on the cards.

9. Disposable Items.

Baby wipes are a staple. I use Water Wipes for my daughter, so I just always have them on hand. Perfect for wiping messy faces or sticky door handles. In our dry bag of food we include a gallon zip lock bag of disposable items: napkins, plastic utensils, baby wipes, and folded paper towels. And you never know, so throw in the roll of toilet paper. Hint: Just keep your gallon bag of paper items packed. We keep it in our pantry to restock right before a trip, but its basically just loaded and ready to throw in the dry bag. And the toilet paper stays in the glove box with our travel games.

An emergency mini first aid kit comes in handy too kept in the glove box. Just remember to restock it as you use the items. We have bandaids, antiseptic wipes, SPF, bug spray, itch relief, and aloe.

10. Hand Sanitizer.

You never know when restrooms will be out of hand soap. Or when the kids decide to have an explosive poop in their diaper 40 miles from a rest stop. Or you stop at a park to play and then load back in the car for a picnic lunch on the go. Hand sanitizer is going to come to your rescue a time or two.

So what do you think, you ready to pack up your SUV and hit the open road with your crew? Do you feel like you now know what to pack on your family road trip? Which item did you bring this time that made all the difference?

Here is a quick easy link to many of the items we pack on our family road trip. Stock up on your supplies on our Amazon store easy peasy.

Now that you know what to pack for a family road trip be sure to check out our post on our Top Five Takewaways on Roadtripping with Little Ones. Learn a few more tricks to ensure you are setting yourself up for an amazing journey.

Hoping you have a wonderful road trip and make wonderful memories. Looking forward to hearing from you on where your adventures took you and how this list worked for your family.