Family Road Trip Packing List

Family road trips are such a fun family tradition. Do you remember as a kid the excitement of hitting the road early in the morning and looking forward to arriving at your destination? Sure, road trips come with hiccups of their own, but over all they can create some of the best childhood memories.

We recently took a 3 hour road trip to another town in Italy, so that we can catch our ferry boat to Sardinia. From Sardinia we drove a lot more all through the northern part of the island, so we have been on the road a lot this month.

A packing list can help your trip go by more smoothly, so that you can focus more on enjoying the day. Below I made a packing list based on the things I'm glad I brought on our trip and I also included the things that I wish I had on hand. This packing is for essentials to have on hand while on the road, specifically. Check it out below.

The items that are underlined have an Amazon link that you can click on to see the product.

*This post may contain affiliate links which means that if you make a purchase I may receive a small commission (to run this site), at no extra cost to you.*

Equipment

• Small cooler
• Trash bags. You can use a cereal container as a small trash can and replace the bag when full.
• Car organizer. If you take trips often this may be a good option to be able to easily find what you need during car rides.
• A polaroid camera. You can take breaks and make stops at beautiful views and snap some pictures. Your kids can also use it to snap pictures throughout the actual ride.
• Refillable water bottles. So that you can have gallons and easily pour more water into the cups whenever someone needs it. These water bottles also help with preventing water spills.

Healthy Snacks

It may be an easy choice to pop out the chips and sugar, but it's a good idea to offer healthy snacks to keep your kids tummies happy and to prevent sickness.

• Pita chips and hummus in snack size containers
• Carrot sticks/celery sticks
• Easy to eat fruits like apples, mandarins, & grapes
• Trail mix. (You can make your own by mixing peanuts, almonds, cashews, raisins, chocolate chips)
• Cheese sticks or slices, salami, crackers.
• Sandwiches (pack them in the cooler)
• Water gallons or bottles. Use it to refill the refillable bottles.
• Granola bars. This is one of our favorite options.

Fun Games

• Play "I spy". I recently came across these I Spy game cards that can be a good option.
• Play conversational games like Family Talk. You can connect with your kids and engage in funny and interesting conversations together.
• Activity kits. You can also wrap it up or a any other small new present to give them something to look forward too during the trip or just pop out and surprise them with a new "present".
• Magnetic Puzzles
• Books. You can even bring along a kids chapter book to keep them hooked with a story. My girls love The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe and Charlotte's Web.

Other Essentials

• Chewing gum. Choose a bubble gum or a healthier xylitol option. Gum is a very entertaining treat and it helps pass the time.
• Blanket and small pillows for cozy comfort and naps.
• Extra clothes. Be sure to have a set of extra clothes on hand for any spills or sicknesses. My 4 year old threw up during our recent trip and I needed to unload most of the entire trunk to get to her suitcase and find her a new outfit.
• Towels. You can cover your kids car seat if it becomes wet or any other part of the car.
• Baby wipes. They come in handy for bathroom breaks, crumbly hands, and smalls spills to name a few things.
• Hand sanitizer.

*Extra Tip: We all know how helpful and easy it is to hand over the tablet or phone to our kids.. However sometimes it's a good idea to try to hold off and allow them to use their energy and creativity with the fun family games above first. I did not want to give my daughters my phone too early on in the ride and they ended up entertaining themselves with baby wipes (yes baby wipes!) and created little figures. This is something that wouldn't have occurred had I gave them screen time early on.

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Have you and your family been on a road trip recently? What is something that you had on hand that made a big difference? Is there anything major I missed? You can leave any questions or comments in the section below. I love reading your comments.

Thank you for reading!

With love,

Melissa.