Things You Need to Pack for Your Road Trip With Kids

If you're planning a road trip with kids, I have one thing to say…God speed! But seriously, there are things you need to pack when heading out on an adventure with the family.

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Of course much of what you pack will depend on where you're headed. But we're going to cover some basics that are good to have no matter where your travels take you.

Things I wouldn't be without when on the road with kids

#1- Snacks

This is, in my opinion, the single most important thing to have when traveling with children.

Why?

Have you ever traveled with (lived with, or shared the same space as) a hungry child?

Trust me, if they're hungry, that's all you will hear about….for hours! And if you're on the road possibly between cities where there's not a restaurant or convenience store in sight, you're going to be super thankful that you have your vehicle stashed full of kid-loving snack goodness. Something like this would work great!

#2- Movies and Games

You're looking forward to spending time with your kids and interacting as much as possible on your road trip, I get it. But if you're journey is a long one, there are bound to be times of silence and boredom (well not sure about silence, but boredom for sure!) when you'll want the kiddos to have something to occupy themselves. Otherwise, queue the whining and complaining!

If you have a DVD or Blu-ray player in your vehicle, that's awesome. And if you don't, there are plenty of portable DVD players that do the job just fine.  Heck, with smartphones and movies online these days, if you have an iPad or phone, you're all set. If you have several, you're good to go….each kid can watch their own show. And speaking of iPads (or any kind of tablet for that matter), they can play age appropriate games on there or on a Nintendo 3DS (my girls love theirs!), usually for hours!

#3- Spare Clothing

This might be something you already do, or maybe something you hadn't thought of. But having spare clothing within reach (that's not otherwise packed in a suitcase and riding on top of the car or packed in the trunk) can be a lifesaver. I can't count the number of times we've had mishaps in our vehicle. From spilled drinks to diaper mishaps, having clean clothing in a travel bag within arm's reach has saved us on more than one occasion.

What kinds of things do you pack for your road trip with kids? We'd love to hear, leave a comment below.