Road trips became an inevitable part of my reality when we moved away from our family in North Carolina to start a new life in Connecticut about ten years ago.
We’ve done it with newborns, toddlers, potty-training preschoolers, and now kids who need their own charging cords and playlists.
Since our move, we have braved the 13-ish-hour car trip at least twice a year, from the time our kids were newborns until now. Traveling with children can make even a three-hour drive feel like a cross-country expedition, but I have garnered a few pro tips over the years.
As a mom of three, I’ve learned that road trips with kids aren’t really about achieving a perfectly peaceful drive. They’re about lowering expectations, packing snacks, and embracing a little chaos along the way. Here are a few things that have helped our family survive—and occasionally even enjoy—summer road trips.
1. Leave Earlier Than You Think You Need To
If you think it will take you ten minutes to load up and head out, it will take 30. At least. No matter how organized I think I am, someone always needs a last-minute bathroom trip, can’t find their shoes, or suddenly remembers a beloved stuffed animal that cannot possibly be left behind. Giving yourself an extra 20–30 minutes of buffer time can save a surprising amount of stress before you even pull out of the driveway.
2. Snacks Are Not Optional
I’m convinced that 80% of travel-related meltdowns can be traced back to hunger. For our North Carolina road trips, I pack each of my kids a plastic shower caddy filled with a water bottle, sports drink, and plenty of snacks. I like to include a few tried-and-true favorites along with a couple of “treat” snacks that I don’t normally buy.
Our rule is simple: You get what you get, and you don’t ask for more. If you choose to eat all of your snacks in the first 90 minutes of a 13-hour drive, that’s probably not your best decision—but it is your decision. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.
Our road trip favorites include:
- Pretzels
- Goldfish
- Protein bars
- Pocky Sticks
- Dry Cereal
- Muffins
- Trail mix
3. Create a “Road Trip Bag”
One of the best things I’ve done is give each child their own travel bag. It doesn’t need to be fancy. A small backpack works perfectly.
Inside, I usually include:
- Coloring books
- Activity books
- Small toys
- Card games
- Stickers
- Headphones
- A tablet for longer stretches
Having a few surprises they haven’t seen in a while can buy you far more entertainment than you might expect. I love to raid the dollar store and Target Bullseye section. If you’re going to be driving during the dark hours, glow sticks and light-up toys are a fun addition as well.
4. Embrace Strategic Screen Time
I know screen time can be a hot topic, but road trips are one of the places where I fully embrace it. That said, we’ve found that planning screen time in advance helps. The kids know that after they’ve read, colored, or entertained themselves for a while, they’ll get a designated block of screen time later in the trip.
Audiobooks, movies, educational games, podcasts, and downloaded shows have saved many drives in our family. No guilt. Just gratitude.
5. Build in Movement Breaks
Kids aren’t designed to sit still for hours. When our kids were babies and toddlers, we would sometimes grab a drive-thru lunch and find a nearby park or playground where they could eat, run, and reset before getting back in the car. Even ten minutes of movement can completely reset the mood in the car. Honestly, sometimes the adults need it just as much as the kids.
6. Expect Someone to Be Grumpy
This may be the most important tip on the list. Someone will get tired. Someone will complain. Someone will touch someone else’s side of the seat. Someone will ask, “How much longer?” approximately 37 times.
That’s normal. The goal isn’t a perfect trip. The goal is to make memories, reach your destination safely, and maybe even laugh about the chaos later.
7. Remember What They’ll Actually Remember
Our kids probably won’t remember the perfectly packed suitcase or the carefully planned itinerary. They’ll remember the little moments. The funny conversations. The family DJ dance parties. Our favorite road trip playlists. The feeling of finally pulling up to the grandparents’ house. Those long-awaited cousin hugs.
And maybe, just maybe, they’ll remember that Mom somehow managed to keep everyone fed for 13 straight hours.
