Ultimate Parent Hacks for Long Road Trips With Kids

If you road tripped while single or early in your marriage, expect things with kids to be very different. Lots of people means lots of emotions and more bathrooms stops. If you think you can drive 10 hours in a day, scale it back to four or five until you find the right balance for your family and their current ages.

I rarely pull off at designated rest stops. Rather, I aim to find a point of interest (national monuments are great), snack stop (hello, Sonic happy hour), or playground. Something that has a bathroom, but is more exciting so we can check off the necessities and move a little.

As front seat passengers, we can wiggle and adjust quite a bit more than little ones who are strapped into car seats. Plan to get out of the car every two hours for 15 to 30 minutes.

But, with that said, if kids are asleep — keep going!

To sleep in the car, my youngest desperately needs a blanket and stuffed animal. It seems extra to pack these things along, but he snoozes great when he has them so we pack everything he needs to be cozy. My big kids like to bring a small travel pillow to make car naps more comfortable.

We’ve established some road trip-only snacks and that makes my kids excited to hop in the car and be on their best behavior. For us, it’s Pringles and chocolate cat cookies from Trader Joe’s, but you can pick whatever special treat that will excite your troops. Then, pack lots and lots of extra snacks. There’s nothin’ like a little nibblin’ to enjoy the miles. Don’t forget something special for you, too!

You’ve all heard of red-eye flights, well, a red-eye drive is an option, especially, when you have two drivers. Put the kids in pajamas and load up in the car an hour or two hour before bedtime. Let them watch a movie or listen to an audiobook and at the two-hour mark, stop for the final bathroom break of the day. Then, it’s “lights out.” Clock the miles in the wee hours and the littles wake up at or much closer to your destination. Of course, be sure drivers get ample rest time on the road or a solid nap once you arrive.

Lots of families aim to be low or no screens these days, but a long road trip is the perfect time to say yes to technology. We have an old Nintendo DS that only comes on road trips and my boys look forward to it like no other. Consider borrowing or buying a portable DVD player, queuing up an iPad with pre-downloaded movies, or getting a Yoto Player for little ones who would enjoy music or a story on the road.

If you’re all going to be in the car for a while, why not invest in a story together? Some of our favorite books are now linked to specific trips. The kids will now say, “Remember when we listened to XYZ on our way to XYX?” I love that the kids have that correlation. We also enjoy a road trip specific playlist — songs I want to introduce them to (everyone needs to learn how to belt out Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’), and, of course, lots and lots of Disney.

I highly recommend ordering those blue disposable vomit bags from Amazon — just in case. Keep an old towel or two in the trunk as well. Dramamine and Benadryl are good to have on hand, too.

This isn’t road trip specific, but something about hitting the road always makes me want to review our “getting lost” procedures. One step I’ve taught my kids is to find a safe grown up and say, “I’m lost. Can I use your phone to call my mom. Her number is: ____________.” For kids who can’t quite remember the number, washable tattoos, a Sharpie, or a bracelet with the numbers beaded on are options.

Years ago, my mom used to put little snacks and activities in brown paper bags with my and my sister’s names on them. There was a day and an hour listed on each and the whole drive felt like Christmas as we opened our surprises.

If your trip is multiple days, let each kid take a day being VIP. On their day they get to press any elevator buttons, choose the next movie, decide on shared family dessert, and any other potential scenario that could cause undue bickering among siblings.

When you’re back home, have a mobile car detailing appointment scheduled. Build it into your trip budget — I promise you’ll love getting the car freshened up after so many hours on the road. Preemptively, you can also avoid some messes by lining your cup holders with silicone cupcake liners.