We have been going on road trips since my oldest a tiny little baby so our kids are really good travelers. Or maybe I have just gotten good at packing things to entertain them while we are traveling. I think it’s a great combination of both, nine years of experience here folks.
My Road Trip Tips for Traveling with Kids
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Last year we traveled from SK to NS through Canada and the things I used during that time are what I am going to share with you now. Because those ones are fresh in my mind as I start packing again for our vacation this Spring. We rarely use tablets or DVD players because our kids tablets just aren’t very good, and we don’t have vehicle DVD player anymore, haven’t for quite awhile.
I found these plastic storage containers after a lot of searching because I wanted something that would fit on their laps reasonably well while buckled into booster seats or car seats. Then I bought activities to fill those boxes.
Some things I packed into their boxes included:
- individual boxes of markers but this year it will be crayons because markers with lids that have fallen to the floor dry out – learn from my mistake here
- coloring books – my oldest had Monster High, middle had Barbie, and youngest had Avengers.
- stickers – rule was they were only for paper
- a couple books – different level for each child but they could still share
- small toys
I didn’t want to pack too much into the boxes and every time we opened one things fell out, but still enough to help with the boredom.
I could not find travel games in store last year, which is how I did all my shopping because it was not a planned trip. This year, I have ordered some travel games from Amazon, like Go Fishing, Bingo. I like the magnetic ones the best, but there is also Connect Four travel size if you aren’t as worried about little pieces.
Educational
I like to make our travel plans educational, you know, sneak in just a little learning here and there. This year, we’ll be traveling through the US so I’ll have books about the US, it’s more interesting to learn about a new place if you are currently there.
Snacks
Don’t forget to pack some snacks! I love to hit Costco for these, my kids love the fruit snacks and it makes me feel a little better than giving them chocolate bars or other crappy snacks that are easily accessible while traveling.
Similar posts that you may be interested in:
Planning a Road Trip with Your Kids
