Preparing for a Road Trip!

 Travel Time

I am about to embark on a road trip with three kids 7,5,2, my Mom, her dog and my husband, am I crazy? Probably....or at least I might be after this trip lol! We are super excited to be travelling through 4 provinces, but that does not come with out a lot of preparation! So I thought I might share some of my travel tips with you all for your next road trip. Plan ahead, plan absolutely everything you can! List's are my best friend when planning a trip like this, and I will show you how I make them all work for me.

-Travel entertainment: Before we embark on a long road trip I always stop at a Dollar Store and get the kiddo's a few new things to keep them busy during the trip. I also picked up a few books and replenished our Itunes account for the adults in the van. As for the kids it is important that they don't see the items or even know they exist, because if they know they will not stop bugging you for them and may have expectations, this way it is all just a happy surprise. This doesn't have to cost you a lot, you can spend as little or as much as you want. I wanted to make sure they all got a new pair of sunglasses, I don't know about you, but our kids are always losing their sunglasses and then while we are travelling they groan about the sun in their eyes, now that is one less thing for them to complain about ;) Below is a picture of all the little things I picked up to help keep them entertained. One of the items you see are 3 cookie sheets, they are so handy for eating on coloring on and playing with magnets on, when they aren't in use they are sleek and can slide under any chair. Do not give them everything at once, they will rip through it all in no time, save some for different times throughout the trip and don't forget the way back too. If you are feeling super ambitious you can gift wrap each item, but really don't we have enough to do?

Road Trip Entertainment

Movie's for the Van DVD Player

We have two tv's in the van, they are a life saver, I purchase them a few new movies to help keep them entertained and of course head phones so we can get some peace and quiet sometimes. I purchased this movie for 5$ it has 8 full length movies on it, that is so perfect, I was really happy to find that deal! We try to limit screen time at home, but when we travel we kind of go with the flow. We also try to stop at park's along the way to give the kids a break and let them run around a bit, you can even enjoy your lunch there if you like.

Our Lunch Containers

Pre Packaged Snacks

-Food: We make an effort to put good food into our bodies and so most restaurants don't work for us, so we are packing our lunches, we got these awesome containers, one for each family member and they will fit our lunches. Some of the food's I will be packing are sandwiches, wraps, English muffins, fresh fruit and veggies, granola bars, home made muffin's, cheese home made granola bars etc. 

We also pre-purchased snacks so we won't be tempted to buy over priced gas station snacks. Each person in the car has a red solo cup with their name on it and their snacks go in the cup, they pass the cup up to the front when they are done or if they want a refill. Since we are travelling over many days we will need to stop in at local grocery stores to pick up more supplies as we go, so I am packing easy squeeze condiments so we can buy a loaf of bread and some chicken breast and make our own sandwiches as opposed to buying 6 individual deli sandwiches, which will also save on cash. Win, win! When we are stopping in at grocery stores all throughout our trip I will have a list of items I am looking for, here is my list;

Grocery store list:

Quality Bread

Quality sandwich meat

Quality Cheese

Mini cucumbers

Mini Carrots

Hummus

Grape tomatoes

Raisins/Craisins

Nuts

Crackers

Granola Bars

The list is kept in my wallet and then anytime I am running in a store I know exactly what to look for, no running around not knowing what I am looking for, get in and get out. I am basically looking for anything that is easy, not to messy and decently good for our bodies, the last thing you need is a bunch of people in a van needing a bathroom every 30 minutes because of too much fast food!

-Packing: I usually make a list of clothing things we need, and then non clothing things we need. For clothing we usually pack; Warm clothes, Cool clothes, Undies, Socks, PJ's, a dressy outfit, bathing suits and in this case we will be packing running shoes and having them wear their rubber boots on the trip they are easy to slip on and off themselves and then we don't have to pack big boots, win, win! Travelling in Canada at this time of year you really have no idea what to expect. So I try to be prepared as best I can for all of it, but at the same time I don't want to over pack. But in case I do we did purchase a travel bag for our roof top, hopefully it is a success! We will also be bringing a play pen for our 2 year old and our collapsible wagon. The kids each bring one stuffy along with them in the car, this way I don't need to pack it in a bag and they have it to cuddle while we travel.

The Roof Top Travel Bag

As for non clothing packing, well the list is long lol, I do like to be prepared, but I limit myself to the amount of bags I can bring and if I can't fit it all then something stays behind. Hair stuff, Make up and jewelry, my Purse, Cooler for our food and waters and juice boxes for the kiddo's. My Camera (including extra batteries and chargers) the Ipad and charger, the kid's have leap pads etc so we pack those and their chargers, our cell phones and chargers, itinerary, motel confirmation #, Children's medical information and travel documents if necessary, a little bit of cash for parking etc, medications. In their seats we will place; Sweaters to be worn on the trip, much less bulky then having to wear a coat, and also one less sweater I have to pack, travelling pillows so they can rest, their stuffy, sunglasses and their water bottles.

Before we leave there is always so many things to do, I like to make myself a list so that I won't forget anything and also so that I can put it out of my mind knowing it is written down. Here is my list so far for this trip:

To Do list, things to do before our Vacation

Make Morning Glory muffins

Make Granola bars

Make English Muffins

Make wraps

Make Sandwiches (Thankfully my Mom is making us home made buns for our sandwiches!)

Go shopping for groceries

Make lunches

Pre chop veggies & fruit

Clean out purse, my purse is always a mess with receipts etc and while we are travelling it only gets worse, so I like to make sure it's clean before I leave so I can make room for more junk lol!

Pack everything

Load Van

The night before we leave we like to have everything ready to go, everyone showers/baths the night before, outfits all laid out for each family member, we always travel in comfy clothes, sweats, t-shirts with a sweater, this way you can take off your sweater if you are too hot and easily slip it on if you get chilly. This way we can wake up early, brush our teeth and leave, breakfast is already in the cooler ready to go :) Usually everyone is so tired on the way home it is not as much work to keep everyone entertained, they are usually more than happy to zone out with a movie and process the trip. Vacations are fun, but they are also exhausting, so the way home is usually much more mellow, for us anyway, everyone is sleepy and quiet.

Of course I know what you are thinking, 'you really don't need all that' and you're right, but it makes the trip fun and it makes me happier, and the kiddo's too. We are so excited to take off, only a few more days left now! So that is how we plan our trips to keep everyone sane! We plan mostly all our trips like this, sometimes we are on the road for 4 hours sometimes it's 4 days, but we just adjust the basic plan to make it work for our family, I hope this helps you with your next road trip! 

Bon Voyage!