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5 Amazing Family Road Trip Hacks

Are you looking for a budget-friendly, special, and fun vacation? Road trips check all the boxes and are a big hit with kids. You can go anywhere in the country with the right vehicle and lots of gas. However, road trips require just as much planning as overseas vacations. This is especially true if you’re traveling as a family with young children. Disorganization and tiredness can turn your car into a prison. Follow these five road trip hacks to ensure you have the best vacation.

To ensure you have the best vacation ever, follow these five amazing family road trip hacks and enjoy the journey more than the destination.

5 Amazing Family Road Trip Hacks

Prepare for Emergencies

It’s always best to be prepared for emergencies rather than caught off guard when they happen.

Make sure you pack a fully stocked first aid kit.

It should contain Band-Aids, infection cream, bandages, and medical scissors.

You may also want to include medication for headaches, nausea, and allergies.

Keep a list of emergency phone numbers accessible, too. 

You’d be surprised how many road trippers say, “I’m locked out of my car,” during their drive.

Keep the contact information for a locksmith on standby.

It's's always best to be prepared for emergencies rather than caught off guard when they happen.

Prepare for Boredom

Kids don’t seem to enjoy staring at the rolling landscape as much as adults do.

After an hour, they’ll want to do something else.

If you come prepared for their short attention spans, you can continue enjoying scenery-gazing hours uninterrupted.

Besides electronics, consider packing coloring books, playdough, card games, and music.

When those don’t work, try verbal road trip games you can play as a family (Parents). 

Plan Your Breaks

Everyone will need a break from driving after eight hours or so.

If you have kids, plan for breaks every couple of hours, at least.

Where should you go on these breaks?

What should you do?

Look for fast food joints with indoor playgrounds.

Parks with green space to run around in are also fun.

Even strip malls with stores to browse give everyone a much-needed break.

If you have kids, plan for breaks every couple of hours, at least.

Pack Lots of Snacks

If you want to save money on your road trip, avoid stopping every time hunger strikes.

Packing lots of non-perishable snacks is key.

Think granola bars, dried fruit, trail mix, and fruit snacks.

If you have a cooler, purchase some ice and fill it with beverages, fruit, veggies, and cold cuts.

You could even store supplies to make sandwiches in it.

Are you looking for a budget-friendly, special, and fun vacation? Road trips check all the boxes and are a big hit with kids. 

Switch up Your Seating Plan

It is normal for children to bicker and argue with each other.

This is especially true when they can’t get away from each other for hours on end.

Consider changing the seating plan every now and then.

Perhaps the driver wants a break, so they move to the back with the kids.

Put an older kid in the passenger seat and pick a new driver.

Small seating changes can re-calibrate everyone’s moods.

Want More Road Trip Hacks?

Road trips are amazing vacations for families.

However, because you spend more time together in the car than you would on other vacations, road trips come with unique challenges.

Have the best family vacation ever by following these road trip hacks.

Then, learn more tips for traveling by scrolling the rest of our blog!

About Julee: Julee Morrison is an experienced author with 35 years of expertise in parenting and recipes. She is the author of four cookbooks: The Instant Pot College Cookbook, The How-To Cookbook for Teens, The Complete Cookbook for Teens, and The Complete College Cookbook. Julee is passionate about baking, crystals, reading, and family. Her writing has appeared in The LA Times (Bon Jovi Obsession Goes Global), Disney's Family Fun Magazine (August 2010, July 2009, September 2008), and My Family Gave Up Television (page 92, Disney Family Fun August 2010). Her great ideas have been featured in Disney's Family Fun (Page 80, September 2008) and the Write for Charity book From the Heart (May 2010). Julee's work has also been published in Weight Watchers Magazine, All You Magazine (Jan. 2011, February 2011, June 2013), Scholastic Parent and Child Magazine (Oct. 2011), Red River Family Magazine (Jan. 2011), BonAppetit.com, and more. Notably, her article "My Toddler Stood on Elvis' Grave and Scaled Over Boulders to Get to a Dinosaur" made AP News, and "The Sly Way I Cured My Child's Lying Habit" was featured on PopSugar. When she's not writing, Julee enjoys spending time with her family and exploring new baking recipes.
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