Whether taking a road trip or catching a flight, travel with kids is always going to be interesting – in both a fun and exciting way, and also in an ‘OMG what have we done’ kind of way. From projectile vomiting all over the car and you, to constant whinging and whining, there will be a little something for everyone. But you know in-between all of that stuff is the excitement levels that go through the roof, and the wonderment in their faces when you do something awesome fun. It is so rewarding when you get to see your kids experience something extraordinary. After a day of full-scale complaining, to then hear them debriefing each other saying ‘best day ever’ makes my heart sing. Sometimes to be honest, it also makes me drink an extra gin…but overall the experience is truly lovely.

Recently we went on a big road trip and it got me thinking about how we travel. When you are catching flights and ferries you are limited in what you can take. Road trips are easy because you can load your car up with as much kid friendly stuff as you can manage. And it really depends on where you are going as well, but there are some things that I make sure are packed every trip we take.

Packing List for a Road Trip

I never leave home without the following:

Travel sick tablets – they will do two things, first stop children throwing up all over you. Secondly, in some instances, they will put children to sleep. I’m not endorsing the use of medicines to make your children quiet…I’m just saying.

Wet wipes. I will never ever leave home without them again.

Sick bags. You just never know. Over here we get gorgeous thick brown paper bags in the grocery store and I have a bundle of them. Good for so much more than just carrying my veggies in.

Water. Always take extra water, sounds obvious, but I’m talking about the big five litre bottles when it’s a road trip. It is good for cleaning vomit off clothes and skin and so much more, besides drinking which is obviously the best thing about it.

Snacks – pretty obvious. What is not so obvious to some (errmmm, that would be me) is that if you take packets of chips/crisps and go up into a higher altitude they will explode all over your car, or bag if in an aeroplane – so perhaps keep them in another bag just for snack food.

Boiled lollies to suck on. My mum used to pack Barley Sugars and Minties to help ward off motion sickness. We don’t get either over here, but you can get various boiled lollies so I pack multiple packs of those. Ginger lollies are good for motion sickness, but for our FB the strong flavours affect her gag reflect – she’s a bit precious in that department so we stay away from those.

Mini tissue packs and hand sanitiser because you never know what the public toilet situation is going to be like. Also, did you know that the food tray on an aeroplane is one of the dirtiest parts of the plane, also the toilet flusher…you’re welcome, I like to be helpful.

For air travel, a Kiddie Treat Bag – they get it at the airport and it has a few snack treats, small chip packet, chocolate bar, lollies or sandwich. A small toy, or pot of playdoh, then an activity book, colouring book, or sketch book with pencils or crayons.

If just a day trip in the car I pack picnic food because I will always prefer a picnic in nature to going to a dodgy restaurant. On a picnic the kids can explore the area while you relax with your ham and cheese roll and then leftover food can be eaten on the way home if stuck in traffic.  Another tip, have a ready to go picnic set. Saves time when getting organised.

Travel Entertainment for the Kids

I give the kids their travel backpacks and tell them to pack the toys they want to take on holidays or a day trip. Aside from this, I make sure we have the following, changing it up if it is just a day trip out of town:

Card and board games

UNO is our current favourite, but we also pack a standard deck of cards. Easy to play in the car if you are on a straight easy road. Also really small and easy to pack if going on flights and ferries. Board games are for early mornings and evenings before bed. We get great joy as a family playing games together. Travel versions of board games are easy to pack and use on flights and ferries too.

Playdoh

I buy the little party favour size pots, you get a pack of them, and I throw a few in their backpacks, and keep some in my handbag. Easy to use in the car, on a plane and ferry, especially good if kids are with you when you go to cafes and restaurants. Easy to clean up and fun.

Headphones

Best idea ever, which I had at 2am the morning we were leaving on our road trip this time. ‘Might just pack these in case’. The kid’s headphones are special kiddie ones, and I have a splitter so they can both listen at the same time. I plug them into my phone, turn on Spotify or a podcast and suddenly – silence. That leaves us to not have to deal with ‘Baby Shark’ played on repeat a thousand times.

Craft Supplies

I never go on a trip without these. Now, not everyone is into it and believe me I do understand why. But it can be as simple as buying a fresh sketch pad and packing crayons. I consider where we are going and plan various craft activities that we could do if we have time. Our last road trip, in addition to the standard sketchbook and crayons, I took supplies to do weaving, and air-dry clay to do some nature imprints. We did not end up having the time, which is totally okay, but they were there in case (I was hoping I would get a gorgeous handmade birthday gift but we just did not get the chance to create). I always pack craft glue, oh, and taking the hot glue gun is a given, I have an entire family obsessed with it, and your options are unlimited when you are packing heat. All craft stuff goes in a ziplock bag to keep it together.

 

Treasure Collecting Book

This is something I do occasionally, depending on where we go, and I totally stole this idea from somewhere – most likely Pinterest, sorry I can’t remember. I buy paper sandwich bags, put a small pile together and cover with a folded A4 piece of paper for its cover, then staple the sides together to make a book. The idea is that while on holiday, the kids collect treasure from nature, draw and/or write about it on a bag and put the item in the bag for safe keeping. Then they can take it to school for show and tell and talk about their adventure.

Screen Time

We do let our kids have iPad time, however it is very limited, and use in the car is only for emergencies (also for airports, delays at ferry terminals, and to distract them from hunger), because for FB, staring at a device in a moving vehicle is a prime trigger for puking. Also, we find when they have their heads buried they totally tune out of what is going on around them and they cannot be engaged. We talk to the kids as we go and encourage them to play games together. We like looking out of the windows at exciting things and playing games like ‘spot the monkey’ and ‘spot the caribou’. I get great satisfaction when weeks later the kids start talking about the corn we saw drying roadside and the little birds eating it. So, yes I have my iPad for downtime, but we encourage looking out and discovering the real world. Having teachable moments.

Ultimately when it comes to travel with kids, each family has to do what works for them. I have gained a lot from talking with people and researching different ideas. From this, I have come up with a way that makes our travel time more enjoyable – for all of us. What tips do you have for travel with kids?