Prepping the Kids for a Texas Road Trip
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Summer is here, which means it’s time for a Texas road trip! This week on the Texas Mom Blog, we discuss tried-and-tested ways of preparing the kids for a fun family road trip!
It’s no secret that going on a road trip is our family’s favorite way to vacation, especially in Texas. Regardless of your route, the Lone Star State always has something worth seeing. With 280,000 square miles of wide-open space, Texas is the second largest state in the US, and it has more than enough educational, fun, and nature-filled adventures for the whole family to enjoy.
Whether you’re heading out on a short weekend excursion or a much longer trip, traveling with children can – let’s face it – get super exhausting. So while spending long hours in a confined space with kids may be a challenge, we’re here to make sure that pulling it off is as easy as possible.
Is it your first time planning a family road trip? Read on for some helpful road-trip mom-hacks!
Family Road-Trip Essentials
Family road trips are super fun, but at times, they can get a bit tedious! As a veteran road-trip enthusiast, I’m here to say that getting a road trip right takes a fair bit of planning. And when it comes to preparation, starting as early as you can is the best way to go!
Make a Packing List
My ultimate life-saving road-trip hack is making a detailed packing list! You need to have a complete list of essentials to survive your first road trip. A well-planned list saves both time and space, and brings peace of mind for the journey ahead.
Prepare the Car
Make sure that the family vehicle is up to the task. Book a quick trip to the mechanic for a once-over. It’s always better to be safe than sorry!
Plan Your Entertainment
Small children have barely any concept of time or mileage. So it’s important to keep them engaged enough during the journey. In fact, when traveling for long periods with the kids, you’ll definitely need some sort of entertainment lined up to beat the travel boredom. So whether it’s a new toy or a game you can play in the car, it’s always handy to have plenty of road-trip entertainment ideas on hand.
Manage Your Expectations
Leave room for changes when planning a road trip with your little humans. For example, an eight-hour drive may stretch out a little longer due to unplanned stops such as toilet breaks.
Map Out Your Itinerary
Decide where you want to go, how many days you have, and how many hours a day you’re happy to spend driving. Then you can outline the route and check if you can pass the most scenic places.
Undecided on where to go? This article might help!
Get Organized
Have a Cleaning Kit Ready
A cleaning kit is one of the most important yet overlooked must-haves for a road trip. Spending long hours in the car with kids also means a lot of spills and other sticky mishaps. Get your hands the most versatile cleaning essentials and make sure they’re stored within reach.
Pillows and Blankets
The idea is to make the car ride as comfortable as you can. If you’re lucky, the kids will be asleep for part of the journey and you’ll have a peaceful drive. Make sure to prepare travel-sized pillows and blankets to keep them well-rested!
Pack a Medicine Kit
There’s no guarantee that your kiddos will not get sick on the road. So prepare a medicine kit packed with essentials for colds, allergies, insect bites, as well as slips and trips!
Prepare Snack Boxes
Kids, especially toddlers, are monster snackers. Save time and money by loading the car with their favorite snacks (What wine goes well with snacks?)! Pack non-perishable items in easy-to-open snack boxes. The last thing you want is to be stuck in the car with hungry little humans.
Check out our healthy snack suggestions that are specifically for road trips!
In a Nutshell
Planning a road trip is both exciting and a tad stressful. Keep in mind that there’s no such thing as a perfect plan when you have kids in tow. Just pack smartly, and the rest will fall into place. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed, remember that there’s always light at the end of the tunnel – bonding over a new place and trying new activities as a family will always be the most rewarding part.
Want more road-trip hacks? Check out our TexasRealFood article on road trip tips!
