May 2024 Travel

This summer, we have quite a few trips planned, and we kicked off May with a trip to South Dakota. South Dakota is where my family (Taylor) is from, and most of them have stayed to raise their families. So, we made the 9-hour car drive in Nick’s Subaru Forester with our two kids. Let me tell you, it was tight, but we made it work.

Road-tripping with both kids is not new to us. We sometimes prefer it because we can control when we leave and when we stop, and if the kids want to throw an absolute fit, we don’t have to worry about strangers staring at us as if we don’t already know our kid is having a moment. I know some families shy away from road-tripping with kids because being in a confined space for a long period seems daunting, tiring, and mentally draining. But once you and your children get used to it, it becomes a whole lot easier. Here are some things we packed to make the car ride easier:

Pre-trip Preparations:
The day before we leave, I take the kids to the dollar store and let them pick out five toys each. Kids get excited about new toys regardless of the cost, and if they break or lose them, it’s only $1.25. I also bought a pool noodle, which I cut in half, and some pool balls and sticky hands. The pool noodle was a hit—they loved whacking each other and pretending to be elephants. The pool balls are soft, so if they throw them at each other’s faces, no one gets hurt. These items also helped when Nick and I were driving, as our kids are known for “accidentally” throwing things our way. The sticky hands provided solid entertainment and belly laughs for a good 45 minutes.

Entertainment on the Go:
I used to be the kind of mom who said, “I would never have to travel with a tablet—what lazy parenting!” But I was so wrong. Tablets allow kids to move from one activity to the next without us having to bring and clean up 45 different things. On this 9-hour car ride, they only used the tablets for a maximum of 3 hours. The rest of the time was spent coloring and playing “What do you see out your window?”

Potty Breaks:
Both our kids are potty trained, which is great, but their little bladders can’t hold as much as ours. Always have a backup pair of clothes accessible in the car, along with a mini shovel and toilet paper for emergencies if they can’t make it to the next exit. We had a lot of close calls with our youngest, Everly, on this trip.

Staying Organized:
I am big on being as organized as possible in the car for long trips. We purchased a trash can and dollar store mini baskets to keep the toys in. We also found Amazon Fire tablet holders that wrap around the headrest, which worked like a charm. The most important part is having an open bin that has the kids’ snacks that they can reach at any time.

Educational Fun:
Whenever we travel, I love to make coloring books of the states we visit. I research fun facts about the state and include them in the books for the kids to learn and color. I recently put these coloring books on Amazon if you’d like to purchase them (Click the coloring book) . Road-tripping can be challenging, but with the right preparation and mindset, it can also be incredibly rewarding and fun for the whole family.