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This week many of us will be traveling to family, friends or away on a vacation. Although many of us spend a lot of time in the car commuting, a long travel trip is a different animal. With the kids questioning "are we there yet" and difficult traffic congestion, the start to the holiday may be more stressful than delightful.
Overtime, our family has created some must have items for our family travels. These items work for us, but you may have other thoughts. Let's start the discussion about what are your must have road trip items.
Our must have road trip travel tips.
1. Headphones: If you don't want to hear Justin Bieber or Psy for 5 or more hours, I suggest giving each passenger a set of headphones. If your kids have electronic devices, headphones are a great way to reduce the amount of noise in the car. Also, everyone can listen to his favorite music, play his favorite game, and hopefully not annoy the other people in the car.
2. Paper towels: Even if the kids don't normally spill in the car or get car sick, a road trip is a different animal. Be prepared for the unexpected stop and clean-up event. Who knows when the next exit might appear. It is better to be prepared and get some of the mess fixed quickly and do a major clean-up at the next pit stop.
3. Power chargers: Take a look at your car. How many outlets are there? Whether you have a battery charger or a USB port, make sure that you have enough chargers to keep all those devices powered for a long time. Some companies make spilter chargers for multiple devices. No one wants a phone battery to die in the middle of no where.
4. Blankets: While you might want a blanket to sleep, a blanket is a good idea in case of emergency. If you have to stop on the side of a road with the car off, you want to keep everyone warm until you can start again.
5. Change of clothes: Accidents happen. From split juice to the dreaded bathroom accident, it is better to have a change of clothes easily accessible. No one wants to dig through that carefully packed trunk to find clean clothes.
6. Fun car game: Many companies offer easy to follow travel games. Options like travel bingo can be fun for the whole family. If you don't want to buy a game, think of some other options like license plate bingo.
7. Make a fun side trip: Kids like going on adventures. While you may be in a hurry to get to your destination, a quick trip to an unique stop can add some fun to a long time in the car. For example, if you're traveling in Virginia, try a stop at Dinosaur Land. Or maybe have lunch at a Diners, Drive-ins and Dives location. The fun break can make the trip a memorable one.
8. When in doubt, laugh: A long trip can be stressful. Don't take everything so seriously. Enjoy the time together. It could be a great family memory.
What are your family's must have travel items or travel tips? Share your thoughts with us.
Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a promotion with Kia Motors. All opinions are my own.
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