10 Travel Tips for Family Road Trips

The Thanksgiving holidays are here and we’re off on another road trip adventure headed towards New Jersey and the Big Apple. We often travel over the Thanksgiving holiday as it’s always a guaranteed four day stretch of vacation; opposed to the randomness of the Christmas holiday. Besides, there is much less schlepping over Thanksgiving! This year our Thanksgiving travels are a little bit grander than usual but we’re excited to visit family in New Jersey and after our epic road trip to North Carolina we feel like this 12 hour drive should be a piece of cake.

Recently, I’ve been met with looks of horror when I tell people that we’re DRIVING to New Jersey for the holidays. “You’re driving, really?” “Have you done that with all three kids, before?” Why, yes actually we have! Sure, we may be a little bit like the Griswold’s out on a wacky adventure but right now, driving provides us with a little bit more flexibility and the opportunity to travel more frequently. Both huge wins in my book! We’re lucky that our kids are very decently behaved and comfortable in the car but the trips are not without their moments! I’m just hoping that the two youngest (as demonstrated in the photo above) can get along this trip.

I never got around to writing a round up about our summer road trip but I wanted to share my TAKE on what worked well for us in hopes that it’ll help your next road trip pass a little smoother.

Top 10 Tips for Traveling with Kids (Road Trips)

1. When driving split travel into multiple days (I find that we max out at 8.5 hours)

2. Attempt to stay in a hotel with a pool; always a draw for the kids and a nice treat at the end of a travel day

3. On your first day of travel make sure to pack sandwiches (or something substantial) for the road. This helps to ensure that kids especially are able to get something decent in their tummies. Helps for grown ups too!

4. Eating on the road can be tricky but if your schedule allows it make time for at least one sit down meal each day. So helpful for the little ones to have some time outside of their car seats.

5. Snacks. Bring loads of snacks. My best advice here is to load the front pouch of your child’s backpack with 4-5 snacks; i.e. applesauce, cashews, granola bar, pretzels etc… This way your child can grab snacks from their pack when they want them. Your arm and shoulder will thank you for this!

6. I wrote an entire post about how to entertain kids while on a road trip (here) but the best tip is to have a gift or surprise for every state that you drive through. Our kids love this and it helps keep them off their tablets. Playing a road trip “theme song” as you pass into each new state can also be really uplifting for the passengers and the driver.

7. So, it’s true some states are really long and for those states that you spend countless hours driving through I’d suggest packing a handful of other activities to pass the time. A map of the United States from (Mr. Printables) to color in as you spot the state liscense plates, Imagination Magnets and travel bingo are some of our favorites.

8. Packing and preparation takes a lot of time but is worth it. There’s an entire post about packing that I wrote (here) but let me just reiterate that packing cubes are where it’s at. They’re such a time saver when you get to your final destination.

9. If you plan stopping overnight while en route my best advice is to pack a separate “hotel bag” full of your tolietires, pajamas and a fresh change of clothes for the next day. This saves us so much time and it’s so nice to just grab the bag and go when we’re rolling into a hotel past bed time.

10. The most important thing is to have fun! The best part of driving is that you get to plan your own adventure and experience different parts of the country along the way. Don’t take yourselves too seriously and don’t have too high of expectations for the kids and I promise it will be fun. After all, the best part of life is the journey!

P.S. The kids each have a travel backpack that they are responsible for on the road. It helps to contain their possessions and house snacks. Hopefully, it teaches them a little bit about responsibility and organization too! Backpacks (L to R) Lucy: Herschel Supply Co. Heritage Youth Backpack; George: Herschel Supply Co. Heritage Youth Backpack and Maggie: BlaBla Panda Backpack (I don’t believe BlaBla makes these anymore but I’ve been saving this one for years and did a quick search on Amazon and found one ladybug available.)

Kate's Take Travels - Entertaining Kids On The Road

I was in Whole Foods earlier this week buying magazines and snacks for our upcoming road trip. I haven't read a magazine in ages so I'm thrilled about the prospect! While checking out one of my kids told the cashier about our travels and she asked me how I planned to keep the kids entertained. I'll admit this is our first multi-day, 15 hour+ adventure so I don't know exactly how they will handle the trip but I do have some ideas on how we will keep them entertained. Read on for my TAKE on how to keep kids entertained on the road.

Aside from the occassional movie and iPad apps the kids spend their time in a variety of different ways and fingers crossed sleep a little! Some our favorite ways to pass the time are listening to audiobooks like I talked about in this post, play magnetic games and during this trip we'll be tracking our progress in our favorite book about The 50 States along with these printable maps that I found on Mr. Printables.

For all trips the kids get their travel backpacks filled with fun snacks that I don't often allow in the house like fruit snacks and a couple of items to entertain them. I'm trying something new this trip and we're surprising the kids with a gift as we pass into each new state. I remember my mom doing this when we were little and I've been saving this idea for our first multi-day road trip. I was a bit overzealous and decided to free hand the states that we would be driving through on these labels from Paper Source. My husband could not contain himself over the inaccuracy of my drawings but I'm hoping the kids can decipher them. 

We're hoping the added incentive of a surprise in each state will encourage them to be well behaved. I tried to select items that would engage them like this Melissa and Doug activity pad, MindWare Imagination Magnets and Plus-Plus Basic. I'm most excited to try this Travel Scavenger Hunt game and of course, to have them open up their surprises along the way. Wish us luck!

Kate's Take Travels - Family Packing Tips

I don't know about y'all but packing and unpacking my kids is probably my least favorite thing about taking a vacation. The piles of laundry when we get home are a close second. We're about to embark on a road trip from the Midwest to the Southeast so I wanted to share some of my favorite tips on making packing and unpacking a more seamless and organized process. It's easy to make far more than you need while traveling (especially when traveling by car) so read on for my TAKE.

For all family trips we use one of these Rolling Adventure L.L. Bean duffels. It simplifies things to have everyone's clothes in one XL duffel vs five separate suitcases. We call these L.L. Bean duffels our "family suitcase" and they truly are. The duffels are lightweight, fit a ton and are malleable if you need to fit them into an odd space for example; our rooftop car carrier. While it is awesome to have all of our clothes in one bag it can be a pain to find all articles of clothing. I mean without fail, someone's sock goes missing and it takes me 5 minutes to locate in the suitcase. This year I wised up and bought these adorable Oh Joy! for CALPAK packing cubes. I plan to use one cube for each child, one for their shoes and then another for baby essentials like diapers and wipes. I can't wait to hand them their cube upon arrival in our destination! The packing cubes also hold me accountable; no overpacking allowed!

Aside from our XL L.L. Bean duffel which will be packed up in our Thule Carrier I do pack a separate family bag in the car.  Our upcoming trip will require an overnight on the road so I will pack our astutely named, "hotel bag" with pajamas, a change of clothes, swimsuits and toiletries. For times when I am not packing minimal items I prefer to use either an L.L. Bean Hunter's Tote or a Lands' End Canvas Tote Bag. Both options are great but I have to admit the pockets inside the Lands' End tote are really useful. Toiletries are one of the last things I pack and I'm excited as I finally ordered a couple more inexpensive white waffle bags for the kids. I had these personalized at a local shop and I'm certain this will help me better organize their hair accessories, toothbrushes, toothpaste and most importantly Motrin.

While we don't pack individual suitcases for each child the older two are allowed to bring a backpack. For travel we use these Herschel Supply Co. Kid's Heritage backpacks and the kids have coined them their "travel backpacks." The packs are on the smaller size so they are perfect when we are limited on space like in the car or on a plane etc. They do fit a fair amount of items i.e. a lovie, books, headphones, snacks etc...it's just that I may not recommend this specific size for school. Our youngest isn't quite walking yet so while she doesn't have her own backpack she does have a travel accessory of her own. It's the 3 Sprouts Play Mat Bag. I literally throw a few toys in here fold it up and carry it along. It's very light, well made and comes in adorable designs. I'm looking forward to using it this trip especially during our hotel overnights.

When traveling by car I pack two bags to sit up shotgun with me. One bag is for our laptops, ipads and reading materials while the other bag is a backpack that is full of the kids snacks, sunglasses, my wallet and an Oh Joy! Band Aid Brand FIrst Aid Kit. I love to keep diaper changing essentials in this kit as well as some first aid items like Band Aids and Neosporin. The backpack is key when you need to quick run into a rest area for a bio break.

While my packing has improved over the years, one thing I have yet to master is a packing list template. Our destinations and travel durations always change so I have never taken the time to make one on my own. If you're looking for free printable packing lists for your next adventure I would recommend the site Travel Mama's as there are varying packing lists available based on the age of your child. Hopefully, I'll find the time to make my own for our next adventure! 

I hope some of these tips will be useful for your next family adventure. Happy Travels!

Audiobooks for Kids

Since infancy our kids have spent a lot of time in the car traveling to see friends in relatives in the Midwest. Most days we walk around our Chicago neighborhood but they are in the car for a 4-5 hour round trip almost once a month with longer 12-14 hour drives a few times a year. For longer road trips the kids pack their own backpack of activities including their iPads. We allow for some screen time but my favorite way to pass the time (I promise it's not just me) is by listening to audiobooks. Audiobooks are perfect in many situations...not just that long road trip so enjoy my TAKE on our families' favorite lineup of audiobooks.

We primarily listen to audiobooks through Audible. Audible is Amazon's answer to audiobooks and they have the largest catalog of audiobooks in the world.  It is a stand-alone membership based service but Amazon Prime members do have access to stream some books within the catalog. We have been using the service via their app for the last 18 months and our monthly Audible membership includes 1 book credit and exclusive member savings on additional audiobooks. You don't have to use your credit each month (you can bank up to 5) and I recommend using your credit for adult books which tend to cost more. Children's audiobooks are generally well priced and there are often sales. We have just started to listen to some chapter books and I'm so excited for longer attention spans so we can listen to books like Harry Potter and A Wrinkle In Time. 

Audible does a great job of letting people try their service and books before committing. If interested there is a 30-day trial membership and before purchasing an audiobook Audible allows you to listen to a sample of the recording as the narrator's voice is an important piece of the audiobook selection process. A bad narration can completely ruin a treasured book so make sure to listen to the sample and/or check out the customer reviews. Better yet, let some of my recommendations remove the guess work - Happy Listening!

Family Favorites

• The Gruffalo (narrated by Imelda Staunton)
• The Gruffalo's Child (narrated by Imelda Staunton)
• Tikki Tikki Tembo (narrated by Peter Thomas)
• The Three Little Pigs (narrated by Fritz Weaver)
• Strega Nona (narrated by Peter Hawkins)
• Penny and Her Marble (narrated by Cynthia Nixon)
• Matilda (narrated by Kate Winslet)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (narrated by Douglas Hodge)
• Ramona the Pest (narrated by Stockard Channing)
• Ramona Quimby, Age 8 (narrated by Stockard Channing)

Adult Favorites

I know I titled this post Audiobooks for Kids but the truth is my husband and I use Audible quite a bit. It's perfect for our commuter lifestyle so I'm sharing some of our favorites too!

• The Handmaid's Tale (narrated by Claire Danes)
• Big Little Lies (narrated by Caroline Lee)
• Little Fires Everywhere (narrated by Jennifer Lim)
• Kitchen Confidential (narrated by Anthony Bourdain)
• Moneyball (narrated by Scott Brick)