Family road-trip planning checklist: choose a realistic route, mark rest stops, check your vehicle, pack essentials where you can reach them and prepare a few quiet activities. This guide focuses on preparation rather than promising an uninterrupted journey.
The Ultimate Family Road Trip Guide
Nothing strikes fear into a parent quicker or more fiercely than the words “are we there yet?”, fifteen minutes into a four-hour road trip. That phrase starts a whole litany of complaints from “he looked at me funny” to “I need to pee” (five minutes after you passed a gas station where they were SUPPOSED to have a pee).
There are two ways to approach the idea of a family road trip with children, one with hysterical laughter and the promise to never, ever attempt such a feat or with some pre-planning which could actually turn the travel portion of the trip into a fun extension of the holiday (yes, really!).
Our ultimate family road trip guide breaks down everything you need to remember to take or do when going on a road trip, some handy hints and tips for keeping the kids occupied and helps you plan in advance for things like car problems.
Plan Your Route
The very first thing you need to do when planning a road trip is to plan the route. While it might be tempting to go straight from your home/base to your destination it might be worth making a few detours along the way. Look at where the gas stations or rest stops are between here and there and plan your trip accordingly. You may be able to go for four hours without a pee, a nappy change or running around on the grass however your children probably won’t.
Plan the journey around a rested driver, rather than relying on the children sleeping through an overnight drive. NHTSA advises getting a good night’s sleep before a long family trip and avoiding peak sleepiness periods where possible. Build time for breaks and stop in a safe place if the driver becomes sleepy. See NHTSA’s drowsy-driving guidance.
Car Maintenance
Before a long journey, check tires, fluids, fuel and the vehicle manufacturer’s maintenance guidance. These checks can reduce avoidable problems, but they cannot guarantee that a breakdown will not occur.
The Breakdown Box
Despite our best efforts (see above) sometimes, and usually at the most inconvenient times, our car breaks down. If you have children in the back this could turn into the road trip from hell if you aren’t prepared. Don’t take chances, make sure you pack the following in a breakdown box for emergencies (as well as the usual car gear such as a warning triangle, spare tire etc, and all the other car-related things you should have in place).
Water – The more the better, who knows how long you may be waiting in the heat for a tow truck or mechanic?
Snacks – Extra snacks are ideal as again, you don’t know how long you may need to wait for help.
Something Cool to Occupy the Kids – Children sitting on a bench awaiting pick-up or stuck in a car that isn’t moving are going to get crabby FAST. Make sure you pack something new and interesting to keep them occupied and stave off boredom whether it is daytime or the middle of the night.
All-weather gear – Pack clothing and footwear suitable for conditions along your route. If you break down, follow local road-safety and emergency-service instructions for your location; whether to remain in or leave the vehicle depends on the circumstances.
Medicines – Keep any required medicines accessible in their original packaging. Ask a pharmacist about storage during travel and follow the label; do not leave medicines in a hot car or change doses based on a packing checklist.
A Flashlight/Torch – If you get stranded at night this could be useful.
High Visibility Wear – These waistcoats and similar are perfect to throw over clothes to ensure you are visible at night and relatively inexpensive.
Backup contact plan – Keep roadside-assistance details and essential phone numbers written down, download your route before departure and carry a charged phone and suitable charging cable. Do not rely on finding a payphone.
These are the very basic items that should be in a breakdown box; add anything else you might feel will help promote safety or help keep everyone happy during the wait.
Be Climate / Weather Aware
Check the forecast along your route, pack suitable clothing and plan comfortable rest stops. Consider temperatures in the vehicle and keep drinking water accessible.
Car/Motion Sickness
If a child regularly experiences motion sickness, ask their pediatrician or pharmacist for advice before the journey. Do not experiment with medicines or combine treatments based on a travel checklist. Pack cleanup supplies and allow time for breaks; adapt activities if reading or screens make the child uncomfortable.
Choose departure times around the driver’s alertness and your family’s needs. Have sick bags, a change of clothes and cleanup supplies accessible, and follow professional advice for any medicine.
Keeping Children Occupied
The best way to start your holiday is with a car full of children who get louder by the minute and who alternate between that fun whining “I’m bored” stance and constant shrill bickering, right? If you want to get to the end of the journey with your nerves and temper intact you need to find a way to keep the kiddies happy (we don’t want them to be upset and dislike the travel time either).
Prepare simple passenger spotting games: count cars of a chosen color, look for familiar road signs or take turns with word games. Keep activities easy to pause and let the driver concentrate on the road.
iPads / portable DVD players are quite easily the best invention ever made when it comes to traveling with kids. Invest in some headphones for your child/children and let them concentrate on their favorite movie or game. If you have one iPad / portable DVD player and two or more children opt for shorter videos and make sure they take turns to choose what to play next.
Paper games are great for breaking up the monotony and there are so many to choose from. Popular versions include tic-tac-toe and Hangman however with a little research we’re sure you could come up with a lot more.
Digital fun and reading also pass the time however consider battery-life time, how long you want them playing on games and also whether this type of activity or reading will contribute to travel sickness (it does for some).
Music / Audio Books
Singalongs are great fun (especially when they get to choose the music) and of course making up silly alternative words to favorite songs is a must. Audio books are better suited to quiet time as your little ones will have to be quiet, sit still and listen if you they want to hear the story. Even little toddlers enjoy audio books and they can be great as a wind-down activity for when you want your little ones to take a nap.
As long as you have enough activities and toys and are able to rotate them throughout the journey you should hopefully have the “keep the kids happy” box checked.
**Top Tip: Those over-seat activity holders you see that allows children to get their own toys and games out and have everything on hand are brilliant, particularly if there is no-one else (not driving) to help get things out, open them, pass them around etc.
Food and Drink
Snacks and drinks not only keep people well fed and hydrated, they break up the monotony of a road trip. Choose snacks and meals that are healthy, fun, something special. Do remember to ensure that they aren’t too messy or will get icky in the heat of the car.
Plan food and drink breaks around your family’s usual needs and dietary requirements. Pack familiar snacks, account for allergies and food storage, and allow time to stop rather than making the journey a race.
**Top Tip: Don’t let the kids be in charge of the snack box! Do so and it’ll be empty in ten minutes and everyone will look like they're ready to throw up (whether they normally suffer with car sickness or not).
In Summary
When it comes to taking a road trip, particularly long ones with children, you can either have a hideously fraught journey or a surprisingly pleasant one. Which one you’ll enjoy or endure comes down to the amount of planning you do in advance. Go back through this guide with your particular family needs in mind and make sure that you have everything you need (and that they could possibly want) organized in advance.
After that all you need to do is concentrate on having a wonderful trip!
