Tips for car travel with kids!
Traveling really hasn’t been a thing for the past year but we finally made it back to our favorite place on the California coast last month. It had been a year since we were there, which was when the lockdown started.
With kids it can feel like you are packing a million things when traveling. Over the years we’ve learned what we really do and don’t need to bring with us. It’s also helpful as your kids get older, so there is hope if you have little little ones. This trip was the first time we didn’t have to bring a pack n play or a bunch of diapers. So nice to have the extra space for our pillows. We have rented a box for the roof of the car, which we didn’t have to do this year, but if you need the extra storage it’s great way to do it.
Let’s start with entertainment for the kids during the drive. We make sure we have lots of snacks, coloring supplies or a craft they can do on a tray, and we definitely embrace using the TV in the car or iPad. No shame in the electronics for our sanity, which I never thought I would do. Here’s the car seat tray we have and love, but there are lot of other options out there too.
For their suitcase we try to keep it as minimal as possible, especially if you have the ability to do laundry, and we pack both of them in the same suitcase. We will pack 3-4 outfits, 2 sets of jammies, tennies, boots, sandals or crocs, swimsuit, bathroom essentials, and warm weather gear depending on the weather for a one week stay.
The last bit of stuff we bring are toys and crafts. This is something I try to be really intentional about so it’s things they won’t get bored with. The goal is always to keep their interest for longer periods of time. We will generally bring something totally new, legos or magnetic tiles for building, puzzles, coloring activities, and then maybe something in particular they pick themselves. This last trip we brought their KiwiCo boxes which worked great.
When the girls were little we would bring a pack n play, monitor, highchair, carrier, and any other baby gear items that would give us peace of mind or make our stay a bit more enjoyable.
Traveling with kids can be hard and honestly, not really a vacation. For me I’ve had to look at it as a change of scenery. You still have to do most of the daily things you do at home, just somewhere else. That was probably the best thing I could have told myself since I would get frustrated that I didn’t get to relax much.
Remember to have fun and create an experience you can look back on and smile!
