Hey girl, my kids just had spring break and we decided to take them to visit some family who lived far away, and we got brave and drove it. To make this 13 hour drive possible with 4 kids (12 and under), we needed to have the best long road trip essentials with us.
Traveling with 4 kids, or any number of kids, can be no picnic but you can have the best trip with your kids when you are prepared with these long road trip essentials as well.
As you read on you are going to learn all about the best long road trip essentials from road trip activities, road trip snacks, road trip games, and so much more.
Let me know in the comments below how your road trip ended up and where you want to take your kids on the next one. My husband and I are trying to create a road trip bucket list and make it happen sooner than later.
Let's jump into the best long road trip essentials that will make your trip so much better!
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Best Long Road Trip Essentials
Road Trip Tips
Check the weather.
Before you start packing, find out what the extended forecast is going to be for where ever you are going. And then prepare for a little cooler.
You can always take layers off but you can’t add what you don’t have!
I had been burned by this very thing years ago when I wasn’t smart enough to plan that far ahead so I always make sure to check now.
But even when you check, you can find yourself without the proper gear. Ugh!
This is exactly what happened on this trip. It ended up being 15° to 20 ° colder than what the forecast had said.
Luckily we had layers, lots of layers, and we all ended up looking like marshmallows in a few of our pictures.
Pack early.
There is nothing wrong with starting your packing about 5 days early.
Packing early will help you avoid the last minute, having to stay up late, oh no did I forget something packing.
My kids were more than happy to pack early. They did end up adding a few items as the week went on but nothing major.
Completely pack the car the night before.
Well, pack as much as you can anyway. Only leave a small bag that you need to grab on your way out the door.
My kids all brought their pillows so we had to grab them as we were getting them in the car.
They each brought a small blanket along too.
Shower the night before.
Make sure everyone takes a shower/bath the day before you leave. Everyone will be fresh and sleep just a little better.
I am a shower-in-the-morning kind of girl, what with my curly hair and all, but even I make sure to shower the night before we go on trips.
My hair may or may not look like a wild lion's mane in the morning. Can you just imagine?!
Try to get to bed early.
Everyone going to bed just a little bit earlier is so helpful. Cranky kids and tired parents make for the worst kind of long road trip!
This is the one that always gets me no matter how hard I try. I think I overthink everything when it comes to going on vacation.
Leave early.
Oh, I know it is so hard to drag your butt out of bed when you are not used to it but do it. Get up early and get on the road. You won’t be sorry about this!
We got up at 3:15 a.m. (boy I do not want to do that on the daily) and left by 4:00 a.m.
And if you are worried about how your kids are going to do with this, let me tell you – THEY WILL BE FINE! They are so excited about this trip that they will spring out of bed.
Leave early on the way back as well. If you have a fun-filled trip, your kids are going to crawl into the car and fall back asleep in no time at all.
Don't worry if you forget something.
It won’t be the end of the world if you forget something essential, so don’t sweat it.
I am pretty sure you are not going to the absolute middle of anywhere on your trip, well maybe you are. But what I am sure of is that you are going to pass a store or 2 along the way.
Bring a bucket.
Sometimes kids get sick (throw up) for no reason at all.
I have been so happy to have an old ice cream bucket in our car on more than 1 occasion.
Thankfully we sailed through this last trip without having to use it.
Pack food.
If you are going to be on the road for a long time, pack your lunch from home to eat in the car.
It keeps you moving and your wallet will take 1 less hit.
Road Trip Snacks
Since we are talking about food, snacks in the car are essential! ESSENTIAL people!
Snacks can keep your kids entertained when they get bored.
I took a stroll down the snack aisle and stocked up on a bunch of snacks. My kids were even surprised with a few goodies that we don’t normally get. But hey, we are on vacation, right?
Word to the wise though - skip having a bunch of drinks in the car.
1 day without properly hydrating is not going to hurt any of you. It will help you avoid too many bathroom breaks though.
I used this soft sided cooler for our trip. It fits lunch and snacks for a family of 6 with room to spare.
I love that it is a soft-sided cooler. It makes it easier to store when we aren’t using it.
One other thing to bring along is a few garbage or grocery bags. Since we have a full-size SUV, we had bags in each of the 3 rows.
I was surprised by how little I had to clean out the car when we got home. My kids did a great job of cleaning up their space.
Road Trip Games and Activities
Now, I am not against screen time at all but I did not want my kids staring at one for most of the car ride. We tried to save screen time for when they ran out of activities to try and books to read.
To avoid too much screen time, bring along a variety of road trip games and activities to help keep your kids occupied.
First thing first, do you have a public library card? If not, I highly recommend you get one. Then take your kids to the library and let them pick out some books.
Let them all pick out however many books you think they need. I told my kids they could each pick out up to 10.
Thankfully, my kids are close enough in age (6, 8, 10, and 12) that they all ended up swapping books.
Make sure you count them at the beginning of your trip and then count them again right before you leave. You don’t want to leave any behind.
We also packed activity books along with click pencils for something to do when they didn’t want to read anymore.
These are the activity books that my kids loved the most.
Finally, bring a car game or 2 along.
I bought this Guess in 10 game just for this trip and my kids went nuts over it.
Family Road Trip Packing List Tips
Write a thorough list a few weeks ahead of your trip to make sure you don’t forget any essentials. Make a list for you, a list for each of your kids, and a list of last-minute, have-to-pack items.
As you are packing, check things off.
This is paramount! I would be the one to forget something but remember I forgot it too far into the trip to turn around and get it.
Now when I forget something it is usually because of a miscommunication between my husband and me. It happens, guys.
Have the best time building memories with your kids. These adventures will be something they will never forget.
This post was all about the must-have long road trip essentials.
Do you have any trips planned with your kids this year? Let me know in the comments below.
I look forward to hearing from you and thanks for stopping by.