Road Trip Tips & Safety
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There’s nothing I love more than a long road trip. I love the driving, I love the riding, and most importantly, I love the family togetherness!
When it comes to long road trips, I’d like to think I’m a pro. I know what works, what doesn’t and how to keep my sanity. I thought I would share with you, what I have learned over the years (and I have learned a lot!). I hope you enjoy (and find useful) the following tips. I am sharing my favorite road trip tips to not only survive a road trip but to have fun and make memories while doing so.
Every passenger has a backpack filled with his/her essentials. Of course, adult backpacks are much different from the kiddo backpacks. My backpack is filled with everything I need to keep me occupied, which also allows my husband keep his sanity.
- Chargers (phone, e-reader, tablet)
- Earbuds
- Extra pair of sunglasses
- Granola bars
- At least 1 hardcopy book
- Magazines
- Crossword and sudoku puzzles
- Pens/pencils
- Knitting needles/yarn
- Gum and/or mints
- Reusable Water Bottle
I keep it simple. Just enough to keep me entertained but not too much that I’m regretting overpacking. For the kiddos, it is different. Their backpacks are usually stuffed to the gills, but I’ve learned that I’d rather have too much than not enough!
Paige’s backpack will include:
- Kid size neck pillow and blanket
- iPod and chargers
- Several hard copy books
- Activity books
- Self contained games – I usually try to include something brand new or something that only comes out when we travel so it’s not a typical toy. My favorite are the FindIt’s or you can find Busy Pouches on Etsy. If you are creative, make your own busy pouches!
- Water bottle
- Very limited snacks (I will keep control of the snacks, thank you very much!)
For my teenage son, I usually leave the backpack up to him but I’ll toss one of my Kindle’s preloaded with books he’d enjoy, and an extra pair of earbuds.
From experience, I recommend leaving crayons and markers at home during road trips. They are messy and seem to cause unnecessary stress.
Be Prepared
When traveling with kids, it’s a good idea to be prepared. That’s why I always keep a bag (I’m not plugging, but just stating that those ThirtyOne totes are amazing for this!) with pockets filled with items that might be needed. These can include:
- Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer
- Clorox Wipes
- Baby Wipes
- A roll of paper towels
- Kleenex
- Bandaids
- Shout Wipes
- Chapstick
- Tylenol, antinausea, Pepto
- Quart and Gallon size Baggies
Do you see where I’m going with this?
Like a Boy Scout, the key is to be prepared. Don’t be caught off guard!
Once on the road, plan to stop…and make the best of it!
We usually bring along a football or soccer ball to kick around on a grassy location. It gets the circulation flowing, releases some pent up energy and it is family time well spent!
I like to bring our own snacks, as opposed to convenience store snacks. Doing so saves us money and I can customize as to the traveler’s needs. Fluids are also a must but remember – the more they intake fluids, the more you are going to have to stop!
Plan ahead
I much prefer traveling on the interstate but when traveling on the highway, we can take advantage of the Historical Markers (or as my husband calls them Hysterical Markers, when he doesn’t stop!) and take breaks in small towns with kitschy quirks. It’s fun and educational!
Vehicle Safety
Obviously when you are planning for a road trip, you’ll want your vehicle in tip-top shape. Check your tires, have them rotated and balanced if need be – this can make such a difference! Change the oil, refill the washer fluids and make sure the lights and brakes are in working order. Monroe® Shocks and Struts recommends using the Safety Triangle inspection to evaluate your vehicle’s steering and suspension components.
By following the Monroe Shocks and Struts Safety Triangle guidelines you can check your steering precision, stopping performance and or vehicle stability. Make sure you have your shocks or struts inspected at 50,000 miles. Monroe recommends this, as shocks and struts do wear out over the course of normal operation. Much like you wouldn’t want to wear an old pair of shoes with worn cushioning and run the risk of hurting the rest of your body, you don’t want to let your suspension and steering components get so worn out that they damage other parts of your vehicle. Ensure you have a safe and comfortable ride on your road trip (and during everyday driving too), by having these components checked at the suggested intervals.
Have Fun
Most importantly, have fun. Road trips are all about creating memories. Take lots of pictures, take in the scenery, love the ones you’re with and make it special in your own way.
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63 Responses
Thanks for the packing lists.
We like to bring our own snacks, too, while traveling. It’s convenient and cuts down on costs.
Love the tips!!
great tips! Thank you for sharing. Love the backpack idea.
awesome tips,thanks
Some very good tips!
Very cool ideas. I agree with your lists. For me I have to have paper towels, kleenex, hand sanitizer, and garbage bags. I have a box in my trunk that as these things and a first aid kit. I can overcome most issues with just these items.
Very good tips, all of them! Especially about bringing chargers – it’s amazing how quickly batteries drain when you’re not near a power source. I also like the Monroe Shocks and Struts safety Triangle – everything else you pack is useless if you’re car is not reliable.
These are all great tips for the road! I used to bring Mad Libs on a roadtrip. It included everyone and we had some great laughs!!
These are great tips. I take a lot of road trips and this helps. Thank you.
This is a very good post on what to take on road trips and to make sure to pack enough for every one in the family. This really helps me make sure that I am bringing every thing for our road trip in a few weeks.
That’s a good list. I would add some snacks, books and games to keep the kids amused if the ride is a long one.
You think of everything, now that is what I call being organized.
Thanks!
Thanks, what a helpful post!
I’m glad I read this, it’s time for my shocks to be checked! You listed some really great tips!
Great post to help you think of road-trip necessities before you forget them! Before a trip, I always feel like I’m buzzing around with no idea on what to bring.
Great tips to plan for a road trip. Wow, Mom’s are truly geniuses!
Awesome tips! I definitely agree it’s best to leave those crayons at home! Especially because that melted crayon smell will never leave your car if you left crayons in there on a 100+ degree day. Eww.
Our children are grown, but we still have one bag, we call the travel bag, filled with the essentials that may make the trip easier. Generally, it is never unpacked, except to replace items that were used, or have expiration dates. And… don’t forget the batteries.
I have bought their shocks before and their a great product
Great tips for a fun trip. Monroe has great shocks.
Thanks for the tips! I have special car pillows that I purchased for when we travel and we always pack snacks, drinks & things to do in the car!
Great tips and packing lists! I love checking out Historical Markers along the way on trips as well.
SOme fantastic tips here. Going to print this out!
Great suggestions for road trips. We don’t have young kids but a lot of these lists are perfect for anyone going on a road trip.
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These are some great tips for road trips! Activities are the key to relieving boredom. I like that you bring a ball to play with at stops too. Thanks for the ideas. 🙂
Great packing list tips.
It’s such a good idea to think ahead when taking a road trip. It makes everything go smoothly.
Thank you for the great tips. Thank you also for the entry.
Sounds like you guys traveled a lot like we did when my son was growing up to make road trips bearable. These are great tips. But you have me beat, I could never read in a car…always made me dizzy. 🙂
Always good to have reminders like these to make a road trip easier
I like to have everything I need in my car, especially for road trips.
MY KIDS LOVE ROAD TRIPS EVEN WHEN LITTLES I NEVER HAD NOT ONE PROBLEM TRAVELING WITH MY CHILLINS’ BLESSED BE HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE ITS THE BEST TIME OF THE YEAR AS WE ALL PLAY IN THE SNOW
These are some great tips–I wish we were going on a trip soon!
Appreciate the tips!
This is a super helpful post, I pinned it for later 🙂
Great tips- I’ll need them when traveling for the holiday season!
Those are some great lists. I always forget things…so I’m saving this page for the next road trip….good reference and reminder. thanks.
I don’t travel like I used to so the list is awesome and very helpful.
I love road trips and especially when they’re well planned out. These are some great tips and lists! For me, stopping often is a must just to let everyone stretch and get some energy out. 🙂
They make great products.I love taking road trips and these are some awesome tips!
Most of the time when we go on road trips we try and avoid the highways, it’s fun seeing different towns and the countryside.
This was a good reminder for me to get a couple things checked out on my car before winter. Getting stranded on the side of the road in snow & ice is far worse than in the summer !
I always like to read reminders like this before going on a trip
I’ve traveled cross-country several times and know how important it is to pack well for the car. I think I’m done now, had enough.
I dont even know what shocks and struts ARE. WEll, I do know that looking at a positive pregnancy test SIX times is shocks! LOL.
Thank goodness there are those who specialize in this. I do know how to change the oil and put in fluids, check the tire pressure, but the rest needs to get in to be looked at for winter.
Thanks for the great common sense tips. I am going to follow your great advice of road trips.
I do believe that you are the very first person that I have heard say that they love long road trips! Good for you! Of course all of your tips make a huge difference in how smooth it goes I’m sure. They are all great.
Boy, I wish I had read this when I was a young mom….my kids were fighting in the backseat. This is going to help while I drive my grandchildren back East next year. We love to play road games too such as Slug a BUG (How many Volkswagon Beatles can they spot) or the Picnic Game.
I make sure the car is well stocked before any road trip.
Great lists. Thanks for sharing
Good list, I always pack on the assumption that we might be stuck by the roadside at some point and might need supplies.
Great tips. I always try to bring extra sunglasses when we go on trips
Great tips.
I learned a lot. Especially not a lot of snacks. I always load up
I don’t travel often, but these tips are great! Thanks for teaching us something.
I’ve always had great results when I’ve used Monroe products.I always tell my friends to use Monroe.
Many great tips here and a much needed article, at least for me. I travel often and often forget things like this that I need to know.
We have taken quite a few road trips. I wish I had this guide back then before, would have saved some trouble.
These tips were great. It is always good to be prepared on road trips.
Great info! It’s definitely important to be prepared for a road trip, thank you for tips I didn’t think of. I also never thought of having my shocks and struts checked at mileage points. Better to be safe than sorry!