4 Packing Tips for Your Family Road Trip
Packing up the whole family for a road trip isn’t easy. Everyone has so much stuff! And packing it all isn’t the only concern — you have to figure out what items you’ll need to be accessible on the road, and plan accordingly. And, of course, there are the surprises, snacks, and other essentials to help keep everyone content and entertained when you inevitably hit a traffic jam, road construction delays, or lose your way. Use the following packing tips for family-road trip success.
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Rethink luggage
Although traditional luggage offers ample space for your clothes and gear, it can be bulky, sacrificing valuable cargo space. Packed bags are also hard to access when you need to grab an item quickly, say a warm sweatshirt when the weather drops or a new shirt when your kid drops their lunch on their top.
If you’re on a long road trip, swap out traditional luggage for a set of plastic drawers, advises HGTV.com writer Erica Reitman.
“This is much more convenient when you’re going into different hotel rooms each night and don’t want to lug in everything you brought for the entire trip. This type of setup allows you to just easily grab pajamas and a few toiletries, then leave the rest of the gear in your car,” she adds.
Organize toys and games
An over-the-door shoe organizer provides the perfect solution to corral your kids’ games and toys in the back seat, suggests Reitman. Hanging it on the back of the front seats gives your kids easy access. Choose a shoe organizer with clear sections so your kids can see exactly what’s in each compartment.
Create a snack selection
Inevitably, the snacks you choose will not be the ones your kids want. So, to help you win at the snack game, pack as many different kinds as possible. A plastic container with multiple compartments can create a snack “tackle box,” according to Reitman. Chances are, there’ll be a few options that will please your discerning family members.
Portable lighting
You know the situation — one of your kids is sleeping soundly in the car, and your other child CANNOT find the toy they DESPERATELY need. You don’t want to turn on the cabin light as not to wake your slumbering baby, but you NEED to find that toy. TheFamilyBackPack.com suggests packing a flashlight or headlamp in the car. This will help illuminate your search without disturbing your sleeping passenger.
DeAnn Owens is a Dayton transplant by way of the Windy City, yet considers herself to be a California girl at heart even though she’s only visited there once. To get through the dreaded allergy season unique to the Miami Valley, she reads, writes, complains about the weather, and enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons, and their newest addition, a Boston terrier puppy that is now in charge of all their lives. In the future, she hopes to write a novel and travel through time. See more articles by DeAnn.