Travel Essentials for Road Trips with Kids

Like so many others, my family has been on lock down for the past 3 1/2 months. Our kids were doing well at the beginning but now they are at their wits end; they miss their friends and their daily activities. Additionally, they are now starting to feel the effects of all our summer travel plans being canceled.

My two sons play basketball and tennis and are accustomed to practicing a few nights a week in addition to games and tournaments on the weekend. Because of Covid-19, all of that has come to a halt. While we've done our best to keep them busy during the virtual school year, now that school is done, they are craving the things most children crave during the summer months - fun, sun, swimming, BBQs, summer camp, friends, etc. Those activities have been tough to re-create in a "socially distanced" way.... especially with kids.

So when we would have otherwise been at Disney World we decided last minute, to take a trip the the Hamptons with the kids. Now the Hamptons are beautiful, don't get me wrong, but for two boys - ages 6 and 8, it is NO substitute for Disney! You could imagine the looks on their faces when we told them what we'd be doing instead.

Despite the confused stares on their little faces, my hubby and I set out to make it one of the most fun road trips we've had. Our goals were:

1. Limit screen time

2. Make fun memories as a family

3. Spend lots of time at the pool and the beach

Now that we've returned, I must say, we succeeded - we got an 8/10 score from our oldest son Cayden! He's a tough grader, so we'll take it!

One of the keys to our success with this trip was to have some fun games and activities we could play along the way as well as during down time in our hotel. I grabbed a few games and a couple of supplies to ensure that the trip was a success. Here are a few of my travel essentials when road-tripping with kids:

Backseat organizer: I don't know about your kids but mine are messy! LOL, they destroy the car and then can never find anything in the backseat!! This organizer has helped to save my life! And now that we have to keep track of all our masks, this is the perfect solution

Play Anywhere Board Games: So THIS has literally saved my life... I know I said that before but I really mean it! LOL. When trying to get the boys off of their screens, having these games with us has been clutch! We've take them on planes and especially in the car. Best part, is, the pieces are magnetic so they can't really lose them!

Travel Bingo and Scavenger Hunt games: these are great for road trips! Forces the kids to be on the look out during the ride and of course, if you make it competitive and award prizes, they really get into it!

Roll A Story: Not only is this game fun and funny, it's also developmental for the kids. This allows them to use their imagination and creativity to tell stories, develop their public speaking and presentation skills.... and they don't even realize it because they're having so much fun!

1. 
   

Seatbelt pillow: Have you ever been that parent, looking helplessly in the back seat while your sleeping child's head is dangling like a bobble head? Uh huh, yep... been there done that.... I've even taken off my seat belt and climbed to the back seat to readjust and position their heads... I know... don't tell the state troopers! Either way, these have been SUPER helpful for road trip naps.

And then of course, you must have snacks, drinks, books and other activities that the kids can get into. Trust me, they may whine and complain at first but they'll get into it. This is one of the reasons, I scored an 8/10 on our recent road trip/ family vacation!

Let me know if you have any other tips or tricks up your sleeve!