How To Plan And Organize A Family Road Trip Vacation

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Let’s face it, with the cost of air travel the way it is, driving is going to be the way to go, quite literally. And honestly? I think it’s easier and less stressful (not to mention more budget friendly) to drive with kids instead of fly! I won’t go into all of the reasons, since you’re likely here because you’ve already decided to take that road trip! It doesn’t have to be as intimidating as you think! Here are a few simple tips (and resources!) to make planning a breeze and the trip enjoyable!

Organize! In addition to organizing everything while you prep for your trip, staying organized on the actual trip is key! It’s so easy to lose items (especially with kids, amirite??). These back seat organizers for kids are essential to any trip longer than a couple of hours! There’s space for everything, from water bottles (I love these no-leak ones!) to tablets to books to tissues and SNACKS! How great will it be for your kid to be able to reach for their own snacks and not have to ask you in the front seat?! These have such a sleek design and look great in any car, adding the functionality of space without taking up much space at all!

My second favorite road trip accessory should come as no surprise after the back seat organizers. These lap tray activity centers for kids are just pure genius! They come with an adjustable strap to safely wrap around your kiddo in their seat so they’re not sliding all over the place while your kids try to color, write, have a snack or watch a show on their tablet. They have convenient organizers on each side to hold markers, small toys, play dough, fidgets and more! Plus a zippered pocket on the bottom for extra paper. They also come with easily removable holders for markers, a water bottle and even a tablet stand! Your kiddos will love getting involved with the packing and can even organize them with their favorite busy activities before the trip! My kids LOVED doing this! The main board is a dry erase board so it can be used for fun travel games like tic-tac-toe, hangman or just drawing pictures to pass the time. The tray is a life-saver for meals on the go as well. The best part is they pack up fairly compact so if you wanted to reuse it for air travel it would be super easy!

Plan Plan Plan! I can’t emphasize this enough! Map out all of your stops, make lists of everything you want to bring, write down your budget, start packing early and gathering supplies as you’re able. Sound like a lot? It doesn’t have to be!! Below I’m going to share with you some of my favorite road trip planners and organizers, which are amazing for not only planning the trip but useful once you are on the trip as well! They come in a convenient 6×9 inch size so they fit easily in your purse, diaper bag or backpack. And my favorite part? They come with suggestions of road trip games for the kids to play (no supplies needed!) as well as prompted journal pages to record all of the amazing memories you will make with your family!

Packing Lists – The beginning of the books contain 1-2 pages dedicated to each of the following areas you will need to pack for: Kids clothes, Kids supplies (toys, diapers, etc), your suitcase, his suitcase, emergency and medical items, toiletries, gadgets, chargers and electronics, and snacks and drinks. Also included is a page to make note of everything you need to do before leaving home (pause mail, have neighbors water the plants, take the car in for an oil change, make pet arrangements, etc).

The next few pages include blank shopping lists to write down everything you will need to buy before leaving on your trip, a two week daily meal plan (breakfast, lunch, dinner slots) to plan out when/where you will be eating meal, an undated blank monthly calendar, and undated two week daily calendar pages to help you plan out your trip.

Following the planning pages are some useful resources that you will find helpful once on your trip, including expense trackers, road trip games to play in the car, and pages for up to seven different destinations with space for you to write information about where to stay, where to eat and what to do.

The journal portion has an easy to fill out page for each day (up to two weeks) including prompts about the day as well as a blank lined journal page for each day if you choose to write more about your trip. And finally there are trip recap pages that will be fun to fill out together as a family! These pages include an “Our Trip In Numbers” page and 9 additional pages with prompts including “Best memory” and “If we had to do the trip over again we would…”

Another fun idea is to go on a mini road trip in your home state (and you can turn it into a camping trip too)! Even if you’re not big on camping, there are plenty of places that have various cabins or glamping like facilities to allow you to have the outdoor experience without all of the ickiness of sleeping on the ground! Every state has beautiful hiking and state parks to explore.

Also, what’s a family adventure without matching family shirts?! Check out some of these fun ideas and click on each title to view on Amazon! More colors and sizes available from Youth ages 2-12 to Women’s (S to 3XL) to Men’s (S to 3XL).

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