From over ten years experience road tripping with our kids, here we share our family road trip essentials to help keep parents sane.
The journey towards a successful family road trip starts with the planning. Your vehicle will become an extension of your home and it should ideally contain everything your family might need. Deciding what to pack on a family road trip can seem daunting but don’t worry; by following these essential tips, you’ll be on the right track.
We’ve been road tripping with our boys ever since they were born. From a first road trip around Scotland when Arthur was 3 months old, to a 4 month overlanding expedition around Sub-Saharan Africa when the boys were aged 1 and 3, to our many family road trips to Europe in our Bongo campervan (our regular readers will know we especially love spending our summers at various family campsites in France).
We have travelled countless miles with our kids in the car and have tried and tested many family road trip tips. So here we share our top road trip essentials with kids, which will hopefully bring some sense of calm to parents embarking on those long journeys.
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1. Wee bottle and portable potty
Nature never calls at a convenient time and you can guarantee there’ll be at least one occasion on any road trip when someone needs to go. If you’re driving on a motorway or other busy road, there might not be a safe place to pull over so it pays to have a Plan Number Two.
Kids wee bottles are a brilliant invention, allowing kids to wee directly into a bottle with minimal risk of spillage. They can be used on the move if it’s an emergency, otherwise they’re a cleaner way of handling any unplanned wee stops. Even though our kids are now older, we still have a wee bottle handy (in fact it’s a Lenor fabric conditioner bottle!).
If it’s the ‘other’ kind of toilet stop, a portable travel potty is a great idea, allowing kids to sit down and do their business, safe in the knowledge there’s a disposable bag waiting which can be easily tied up and disposed of later. The travel potties are surprisingly comfortable to use and most kids don’t seem to register the difference.
- Portable Travel Use: This portable potty bottle measures 7.28 x 3.54 x 3.54 in, giving children a compact pee…
- Leakproof Cover: the spout design with a leakproof cover helps reduce spills during use, making this portable…
- Easy Cleaning: the simple structure is easy to operate, store and clean after use, so this travel potty can…
- Lightweight Hold: Made with , this boys wee bottle is light in weight and comfortable to hold, helping…
- Practical Package: Each pack includes 1 x kids potty, offering a portable car toilet solution for camping…
- 【Portable Foldable Potty, To Help Toddler Get Rid Of Diapers】The portable kids toilet seat is ideal for…
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2. Screens
Screen-time can be a controversial subject amongst parents but, if there’s one time to embrace it, it’s on a family road trip. That’s not to say you should give in and let the kids have unlimited screen-time but, being realistic, there’s only so many games of I-spy you can play.
Make sure you stock up and download several films and TV shows to avoid burning through mobile data and have educational apps, books and podcasts available for when you want to move into educational mode.
It also helps if the screens have some novelty value, so try to limit how much screen-time they’ve had in the days leading up to the road-trip.
We’ve always used the Amazon Kindle Fire tablets for our boys, they’re reasonably priced, sync easily with our Amazon account, come with a no-questions asked 2-year replacement policy, and offer a good balance between entertainment and education.
- Everything in one box: An Amazon Kids Tablet, a 1-year Kids+ subscription and a slim protective case.
- A tablet, not a toy: A fast Android tablet with a sharp, high-resolution display. Built to last for years of…
- A 1-year Kids+ subscription included: Books, videos, games and apps carefully curated to be age-appropriate…
- Access to Google Play Store: parents can supplement Kids+ with additional apps from the Google Play Store as…
- Kids get creative: With Kids+ exclusive app Art Studio, kids generate unique images and draw right on top of…
3. Headphones
As interesting as the dialogue from Peppa Pig might be, you don’t (necessarily) want it to become the soundtrack to your family road trip. And if you have multiple children competing for the loudest volume, there’ll be no winners (including the parents).
Headphones are a lifesaver on a road trip, allowing everyone in the vehicle their own space to listen whilst reducing arguments into the bargain.
Some kids’ specific headphones come with built-in volume limiters to ensure they don’t damage their ears. The more expensive versions include useful features like noise-cancellation and wireless connections, both recommended to make your job easier.
We’ve used these wireless Bluetooth headphones for years now and they work brilliantly.
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- 【Ultra-lightweight Design】: Weighted only 155g, these kids wired headphones are lightweight enough for comfy…
- 【All-inclusive Connectivity】: Equipped with a standard 3.5mm jack, these kids wired headphones are compatible…
4. Snacks
ALWAYS have the snacks handy. This is the law of parenting. Whether it’s a day of city sightseeing, hiking up mountains, or a family road trip, don’t forget the snacks!
Young kids especially are grazers and like to eat little and often. Plus, on a family road trip, you can’t always guarantee that the place you’re aiming to get to for lunch is open, or there’s a suitable stop along the motorway.
Try and keep the snacks healthy, you don’t want to give the kids a sugar rush when they’re strapped into the back seat unable to burn it off. Similarly, you don’t want to pack anything that gets crumbles everywhere or makes a mess. Satsumas and bananas are always a winner for us, as well as popcorn and cereal bars.
5. Electric cool box
And on the subject of food, plan for picnics on the road. This just makes life easier with the kids as you can eat when you want to eat, and don’t need to hunt down a café or restaurant, or stock up on junk food at the service station. Plus, it’s kinder on your travel wallet.
Having an electric cool box in the car is a game changer. You can store your sandwiches, cheese, cold drinks etc., and if you’re road tripping in warmer weather, this will be very much appreciated.
Obviously this is a family road trip essential that’s easier to pack if you are starting your trip straight from your front door. However, if we’ve rented a car in another country to road trip and know we’re going to be moving about a fair bit for two weeks or more, we’ve actually purchased a cool box from a local store, as the money spent is easily balanced by the money saved from not having to eat out!
- DUAL POWER OPTIONS: Electric cool box operates on 12V DC car cigarette lighter or 230V AC mains power, ideal…
- COOLING AND WARMING FUNCTIONS: Cools beverages to approximately 6°C at 24°C ambient temperature or warms food…
- SECURE HANDLE DESIGN: Functional handle locks lid tightly when closed for efficient cooling performance…
- ENERGY-EFFICIENT MODES: Max mode delivers powerful cooling performance, whilst ECO mode operates at just 8W…
- GENEROUS CAPACITY: Measures 30D x 39.8W x 43.5H cm with 24L total capacity (22L net capacity), providing…
6. Car window shades
If your family road trip is taking you somewhere sunny, you might have to deal with the annoyance of the sun shining into the back seat and disturbing your children. Not only a nuisance, in warmer countries it can increase the temperature in the back and be dangerous to younger children.
Some parents also prefer the extra privacy a window shade provides, giving their children their own shaded cocoon in the vehicle.
Some models blackout the whole window and remain fixed in place, others are more transparent and are easily removable. Decide which version you prefer and don’t forget some kids enjoy looking out of the window; watching the world pass by is an essential part of any family road trip.
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7. Backseat organisers
Us parents have often remarked that it’s the parent in the passenger seat who has a harder job than the driver on a family road trip. Why? Well it’s answering all the requests from the kids in the back seat!
Set up a car seat organiser which attaches to the front seat. This means the kids can have everything handy to reach. It’s a good idea to get them to pack this organiser themselves to give them a sense of responsibility and ownership.
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8. Blankets or sleeping bags
When the kids are young, it’s a good idea to time your driving around nap times. This is a rule we religiously adhered to when the boys were under the age of 3. They loved sleeping in the car, and it gave us parents time to catch up and actually enjoy the scenery. Yes, it sometimes meant a later bed time for the boys as they had such long naps, but that just gave us more flexibility with what we could do with our day.
As they got older and dropped their naps, we actually started doing more trips at bed time, as they would sleep in the car. Obviously this isn’t always the safest option if you are road tripping the African continent for example, but something you might want to consider doing for ease if it is safe to do so.
So always have blankets or sleeping bags handy in the car for when anyone (parents included) want to snuggle down for a nap. We still use them now for days when we arrive back to the UK late at night off the ferry from France, and still have a good four hours of driving to get home.
9. Charger cables and USB car charger adaptor
Our electronic lives follow us onto the road trip, so make sure you’ve got all the chargers you’ll need, plus a few spares. Keep an eye out for devices which use the older-style USB connectors.
It’s a good idea to pack an adapter which connects to your car’s cigarette lighter so you can charge on the move. It’s worthwhile having at least one extra-long cable which could reach to the back seat in a charging emergency, such as when the film is just about to end and the battery is red.
Cables have a habit of either getting lost or horrendously tangled up, so try to keep them neatly packed away into one box, that way they’ll be on hand and ready to use whenever you need them. Organisation is the key to maintaining sanity on a family road trip!
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10. Battery pack
Just in case the car charger is fully occupied, or perhaps your phone’s battery juice is running low after following Google Maps and you want to take photos at your next stop, have a battery pack handy.
It’s something I always pack in the car ‘just in case’, and it ends up being used on every family road trip, often more than once.
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11. Bin bags
There’s always rubbish from snack bars and picnics on a family road trip. Have a bin bag handy to collect it all, otherwise it’s just going to end up strewn over the car for you to clean up at the end of the day’s drive.
12. Biodegradable wetwipes
For cleaning mucky paws, wiping bums and snot, wiping down tables at a restaurant or café. Parents, you know the drill. Biodegradable wetwipes are the best invention since sliced bread. Just don’t forget this absolute road trip essential item when packing up the car.
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13. Reusable water bottles
Another family road trip essential that is often forgotten. Make sure that everyone has a reusable water bottle to fill up en-route to avoid buying plastic bottles or the temptation of sugary drinks.
14. Hand sanitiser
Hand sanitiser is needed more than you realise on a family road trip. You’ll be using a lot of public toilets, and more often than not, there’s no soap.
Plus, no one wants to get sick on a family holiday. Keep those hands sanitised!
15. Magazines and books
A new magazine and/or book always has a novelty value. Even better if the kids have selected them themselves.
We tend to use Kindles for reading to save on packing space (books for all four of us can take up a lot of space for a 6 week family road trip).
- Encourage reading: Kids read on Kindle for an hour a day, on average, not because anybody made them.
- 1-year Kids+ subscription included: Thousands of books for ages 3 to 12, with monthly renewal after 1 year…
- Distraction-free: Just read with no apps, videos, games or notifications to pull kids away from their books.
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- 6 weeks of battery life: A single charge lasts for weeks, so the charger stays in the drawer.
We often say to our boys that if they read for 30 minutes, they can have 30 minutes of gaming on their tablets (which is then often extended to 1 hour as us parents are appreciating the peace and quiet 😉).
Just avoid the magazine and books on windy mountain roads.
16. Audiobooks
Long car journeys are an ideal time to enjoy a good book but, with the potential for motion-sickness, it’s not always a success. A great compromise is listening to an audio book, a booming market with a seemingly endless supply of books on offer.
The most popular app is Audible (often with a free trial), with family favourites available such as Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, David Walliams and many, many more.
Depending on the book, you’re in for several hours of entertainment, often narrated by a famous actor. The file sizes can be surprisingly large, so remember to plan ahead and download before the journey starts.
17. Road trip games
With space at a premium, you might not bring the full-size version of classic games like Monopoly on your family road trip, but that doesn’t mean games are off the table. Most of the favourites are available in travel format, saving space in your vehicle without losing too much of the gameplay. Make sure the travel games are magnetic!
These games aren’t necessarily suggested to be played on the journey (although many can be), more as a way to pass the time at a service station or rest stop.
Our personal favourite has to be Uno, many an hour has been spent playing as a family, and it’s been the steady travel game staple for over seven years now. Although the days of the parents always winning are sadly over. And if you haven’t tried the upgraded version of UNO FLIP yet, then you must!
18. First aid kit
Whilst it’s unlikely accidents will happen in the back of the car when strapped into their car seats, they are very possible at rest stops. Perhaps you’ve pulled over at a viewpoint, the kids are off climbing and jumping around after two hours in the car, and then…. “Muuuuuuuuummy!”
Have a first aid kit handy. Although I personally find that a shot of Calpol and a small bag of Haribos fixes the majority of kids’ injuries, so ensure these medical essentials are also packed away in your first aid kit.
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19. Quick-drying towel
Perhaps there’s a river or stream to play in, or more likely, you’ve been caught in a downpour. Having a quick-drying towel handy in the boot of the car will be appreciated.
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20. Coats, hats, and a daypack easily accessible
A family road trip is not about reaching your destination as quickly as possible. It’s about meandering along, taking your time to stop at interesting points along the way. Although, yes, there are days when you just want to get your foot down to your destination.
But on those days when you want to make a few stops along the way, make sure the coats and/or sun hats are easily accessible. It’s handy to have these all in the one bag in the boot of the car for easy access.
It’s also a good idea to have a small backpack already packed up with snacks (always snacks), sunscreen, hats, and a water bottle, so you can grab it and go.
21. Football or frisbee
More often than not, your picnic or rest stop will have nothing there (a picnic bench and public loo if you’re lucky). Maybe just a patch of grass to run about on.
In these instances, it’s a good idea to have a ball or frisbee in the back of the car for kids to play with and burn off some energy.
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22. Comfortable car seats
You’ll already know that kids up to a certain age and height need to use appropriate car seats. Whilst safety is the number one priority, when planning a family road trip, do also factor in how comfortable the seats are because they’ll be spending a lot of time in them. Features you should look out for include: movable headrests, width, ventilation, fabric type, seat padding and cup holders.
For many years we used a foldable car seat. These were super handy for our campervan road trips as we could fold up and store away the car seats neatly to create liveable space.
But when hiring a car overseas (such as when driving in Morocco or Iceland), the Bubblebum Inflatable Booster Car Seat is a brilliant space saver.
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23. Mini hoover
However tidy you try and keep your car on a family road trip, crumbs, dirt and sand will find their way onto your carpets and deep in the nooks and crannies of the upholstery. Have a handheld vacuum cleaner handy to clean up the car. This is actually a good job to get the kids to do!
When we’re on a long-term road trip, we try and put one day aside each week to reset the car. This includes cleaning up inside, making sure everything is where it should be, and stocking up on snacks (there you go, I’ve mentioned snacks again).
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24. All the important documents for the parents
And parents, after packing all the essential items to keep the kids happy on the road trip, make sure you don’t forget about the actual essentials to make sure you get to your destination safely.
Make sure the car has enough fuel for the journey (and you know what your fuel is called in the country you’re heading to). If you’re heading overseas, your insurance will need to cover you for driving in those countries and also check your license is valid. Some countries also require the original registration certificate.
It pays to put your vehicle in for a service before the journey, or at least check the essentials (oil, water, coolant, tyres, etc) yourself. On that note, make sure your breakdown cover includes national (and ideally European) recovery so you can all get home in case of problems.
Some countries require you to carry snow chains if driving through certain areas during winter, regardless of the current conditions. Practice fitting them before you leave, it’s not a good idea to try for the first time in a blizzard next to a foreign motorway.
We also pack a tyre inflator which plugs into the cigarette lighter; super handy if you find your tyres have lost some pressure during your trip.