40 Things To Pack For A Road Trip With Kids

As our family road trip approached, I was obsessed with making sure I packed everything — everything — we could possibly need for our six-day adventure on the road. I was determined not to miss anything. And I am happy to report that I did a fantastic job. (Yes, a pat on my back.) I was ready for every scenario, and the best part is that we used almost everything I brought too. So I packed for every occasion without crazy overpacking.

Of course we packed all of the necessities like clothes, toiletries, etc., but this post is about the extras we needed to make this trip awesome. Packing for my girls (ages 7 and 3) priorities included snacks and entertainment. Here’s how I made our trip work.

Road Trip Entertainment

The name of the game is to keep my kids entertained. I wasn’t too worried about my seven-year-old bookworm. I knew she would be happy with a stack of books and her Kindle. But baby sister would be a challenge. To make activities accessible, I loaded up a tote to place between their car seats filled with easy car activities. I also packed a small bag near me with surprises to be doled out as needed. Other than wanting to change activities every five minutes Sissy did great, and my well-planned bag of goodies was just the right entertainment for the road.

• Movies
• Books
• Crayola Wonder
• Journal
• Printable License Plate game
• Printable Road Signs game
• Small dolls
• Workbooks
• Flash cards
• Stickers
• Stuffed animal
• Mad Libs on the Road
• Music
• Handheld electronics
• Plastic bags for collecting treasures
• Wiki Stix
• Crayons/colored pencils
• Coloring books
• Window markers

Road Trip Snacks

In addition to keeping them entertained, it is important to keep everyone feed. I packed a lot of snacks. While we didn’t finish everything, we did sample everything. Individual portions are important on the road. So I brought plastic zip-top bags. Each night, I filled the plastic bags from large bags of snacks. The large bags stayed in the back of the car, while the small packs sat up front where I could pass them out as needed.

• Individual portions of snacks in plastic bags
• Best insulated bottles for kids <- my favorite brand
• Best insulated bottles for parents <- my favorite brand
• Bottled water (for refilling insulated bottles)
• Baby wipes (for sticky fingers)
• Wet Wipes (for germy fingers)
• Go Picnic (for lunch on the go)
• Plastic cups (not for drinking, for passing snacks)
• Plastic grocery bags for trash
• Picnic blanket

A note about drinks. I felt like a terrible mom limiting water intake while traveling, but mom’s gotta do it or we will stop every 30 minutes. But keeping insulated bottles (that won’t spill) on hand is a lifesaver. With insulated bottles kids (and adults) have cold water all day. Just fill with hotel ice at night and refill with bottled water as needed.

Road Trip Comfort

Keep everyone comfortable and happy with these must-have supplies.

• Small blankets
• First Aid Kit – bandages, pain relievers, tummy meds, etc.
• Towels
• Sharpie
• Sunglasses for everyone
• Change of clothes in a go bag for emergencies
• Plastic grocery bags for wet/dirty clothes
• Roll of paper towels
• Hand soap sheets
• Lip balm
• Sunscreen
• Foldable Potty Seat
• Flip flops (easy to slip on and off at pit stops)
• Kleenex
• Extra plastic bags (snack and gallon)
• Scissors (you never know!)
• Paper Maps (for when GPS doesn’t work, trust me)

Packing for a road trip is all about planning ahead and organization. Plastic zip-top bags help me stay organized on the road and helped me keep everyone happy with their favorite General Mills snacks. Many of our favorite snacks at home and on the road are General Mills products, which help us support my daughter’s school with Box Tops for Education. 

Box Tops for Education is one of America’s largest school earnings loyalty programs, and those $.10 labels add up. Yesterday I shared how my family collects Box Tops for Education and more about the program that earned my daughter’s school more than $1,500 last year to spend anyway it needed.

Bonus Box Tops at Walmart

For the back-to-school season, you can find Bonus Box Tops at Walmart. Specially-marked packages of General Mills products at Walmart include a certificate for four bonus Box Tops, making those packages worth $.50 for your school. I picked up one of those bonus packages at Walmart — a giant box of Honey Nut Cheerios with 5 Box Tops.

If you are headed out on a road trip this summer, be sure to stock up on General Mills snacks to keep your family feed and happy on the road while supporting your school.

Happy road trippin’!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of General Mills.

More family travel tips

5 Road Trip Survival Rules For Traveling With Kids + Free Printable License Plate Game

10 Trips for Traveling with a Preschooler