When my daughter was a baby, I barely drove to the grocery store without a thorough assessment of my diaper bag and a perfect plan for our departure and return. My family lived two hours away, and we rarely visited them. They always came to us. It was just too much to pack up and make the trek.
Now, in all due respect to my former self, I was a first-time mom, and many of my travel concerns were founded in someone’s worst-case scenario. But now I’m kind of chuckling at little Miss “Can I make it two hours in the car with one kid?” Because in two weeks, I’m rolling out with five kids on a 27-hour drive to visit family a few states away.
That’s right: It’s one mom (me!), one minivan, my super-helpful tween daughter, and four boys ages 1 to 9.
The first question I usually get is, “Why not fly?” The biggest reason is logistics. As a group of six, I either need my car or would need to rent a car for over a month. Not to mention that flights for six are super expensive, and we have hotel points to help us make the few-day drive pretty affordable.
So now that you know the why, here’s the how. I hope this breakdown of how I make road trips successful is helpful for you — you can hit the road, mama — adventure awaits!
The non-negotiable: AAA
Screen time galore
When we’re on the road, I don’t limit screen time at all. I have lots of activities packed and the kids don’t usually choose to watch things back-to-back, but I promise, nothing makes time pass faster than popping in one more DVD.
Audiobook goals
We’ve been saving some much-anticipated audiobooks just for the trip and we all can’t wait to listen. First up is the final book in The Menagerie trilogy, then we’ve got The Penderwicks, and How To Bee on the docket.
Playground stops
Rather than break at rest areas, when we get off the highway for gas or bathroom breaks, I look up a playground for us to explore. Even if it takes us a bit off our path, a fun play to get the wiggles out is very much worth it — and there’s most likely a bathroom there too.
One backpack
The majority of our things will be packed in two big suitcases and stored in the car top carrier. That’s what we’ll use when we actually reach our destination. For the in and out of hotels on our drive though, everyone has one backpack with everything they need. So, when we pile out of the van, everyone will pop on their backpack and we don’t even need a bellhop cart to reach our room.
Popsicle stick activities
For the inevitable “I’m bored!” and “How much longer?!”, one cup holder holds a plastic cup with a handful of popsicles sticks in it. On each stick I write an activity, treat, or special announcement and it’s a mystery what will be next on the agenda when we need a little spark in the day. Stick examples: get a piece of candy, turn on the road trip playlist, next person to spot a ______ license plate gets to pick a movie, play the ABC game, Mad Libs, Paint-by-Sticker books, Seek-and-Find books, and even a stick that says “nap time”.
FaceTime to the rescue
When I need a break from the chatter, I hand back my phone for the kids to FaceTime a grandma or aunt. Call it a virtual babysitter!
