5 Tips to Make Your Family Road Trip Easy and Fun

This post was sponsored by RITZ as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own. FAMILY ROAD TRIP TIPS

Who’s heading on a road trip this summer?  As a family of 5 that loves to travel, road trips are our go-to travel option when we want to take a quick adventure.  We like road trips best because we can see as many places as we’d like along the way, there’s no stressing about getting everything into one suitcase, and most importantly it makes our travel budget go a lot further.  However, road tripping with kids can take some planning to make your next road trip enjoyable for everyone.

Tips for Your Next Family Road Trip

Plan your route as a family

If your children are older, let them have a say in some of the stops you’re going to make along the way.  This lets everyone have something they are really excited about.

Think of smart packing

Planning a family road trip should be fun but it can easily become overwhelming. Smart packing is essential for success. When planning a large family venture, a big hard-shell suitcase can provide ultimate convenience and peace of mind. For example, Eminent large hard-shell luggage often comes with internal compartments, which are designed to store large quantities of items securely and neatly, making sure everything stays organized during the trip. They come in various sizes and many models feature innovative designs to fit every shape and destination in your traveling agenda. With large hard-shell luggage, you can leave all the worries behind before departing on a memorable road trip with your family.

Pack Plenty of Snacks

When you’re on the road with your family, it won’t take long before you hear “I’m hungry”, make sure you pack plenty of snacks that everyone will enjoy.  A great road trip snack is RITZ Crisp & Thins, they are perfect on the go because you can grab them quickly and satisfy your crunchy craving without any mess.  Plus, they released 2 new flavors that are incredibly delicious, Barbecue and Cheddar.

My little cheese lovers, like the Cheddar flavor best, however, I’m all about the Barbecue flavored RITZ Crisp & Thins.  I have been picking up several bags of these every time I go grocery shopping at Walmart for weeks now because not only do I bring them on our road trips but I have also been tossing them in my bag when we go to the playground, the beach, and to treat myself when I’m sitting on the sidelines at sports practices.

Bring Busy Bags

Let each child pack a small bag with their favorite things.  My daughter packs a few Barbies and a coloring book, while the boys pack their cameras and card games.  These bags keep them occupied for a couple of hours each day, plus I add a few surprises each day that I have tucked away, like small magnet games, books, and whiteboards.  The kids love finding something unexpected in their bags and it adds to their playtime.  Also, Make sure you also download our free License Plate Printable Game below for another great way to keep everyone entertained.

Take breaks along the way

It’s easy to start to feel the rush of wanting to get to your next location once you’ve hit a stride on the highway, but if you try to keep everyone crammed in the car for hours on end everyone will become grumpy, uncomfortable, and not look forward to road tripping again.  Take your time, and swing off the road every few hours even if it’s just to stretch your legs or let the kids run around a park for 15 minutes.

Be Prepared for The Unexpected

One of the quickest and most unpredictable ways that a road trip can be ruined is by an unexpected emergency.  Whether someone gets sick or your car breaks down, these things will leave everyone tired, stressed, and definitely not having fun.  However, if you are prepared for the unexpected, you can take the hiccups in stride without having to search for a pharmacy in an unknown area or wait on a tow truck to fix a flat.  We make two emergency bags, I take care of the “sickness bag” packing bandaids, antibacterial ointment, fever medication, motion sickness medication, etc.  While my husband takes care of the “car bag” which is actually a big compartment that’s in the bag of our van, he makes sure he has a spare tire and a bottle of fix a flat, jumper cables, and the tools he may need if we were to get stuck on the side of the highway.

What is your favorite road-tripping tip?

Walmart Gift Card Giveaway

Walmart is the perfect place to stalk up on all your road trip essentials, so make sure you enter for a chance to win this Walmart Gift Card Sweepstakes.

Prizes: Six (6) $50 Walmart Gift Cards & one (1) grand prize $200 Walmart Gift Card

Giveaway Dates: May 23 – June 13, 2019

 
RITZ Crisp & Thins Summertime Sweepstakes

I-C will randomly select winners from all program entries and will facilitate fulfillment of the seven (7) winning prizes.

Can You Find The License Plate? Free Printable Game

Are you still looking for fun ways to keep the little family members entertained?  This great game is the perfect way to keep the whole family competing and having fun together as they look for every state’s License Plate.  Download the free printable of the License Plate Game here: License Plate Search!