Another #DavidovClan roadtrip is in the books. This winter break marked our families 5th roadtrip to Florida. We’ve taken a number of family road trips over the years; New York City, Mont Tremblant, St. Louis, London, and more.

I’ll be honest and tell you roadtripping isn’t easy with kids. I remember the first time we travelled with my oldest. He was 2 years old. It was hard because he was so young. Being strapped into a car seat for hours at a time, wasn’t easy for him.

 

But it didn’t stop us, and we kept taking trips when we had our second child too. And as the kids got older, it became easier and easier.

Don’t get me wrong…we have our frustrating moments, but have noticed quite the difference over the years. You just need the right stuff to bring with!

And with these years of travelling with kids, I’ve made note of some essentials that everyone needs for long distance trips. Here are my top 5:

Snacks

No matter the length of your road trip, whether it be 2 hours or 26, when you are travelling with kids you need snacks! They are great for between meals to keep the kids quiet   satisfied. As well, there are some areas where there is a long stretch of highway where there are no good places to stop. If your kids gets hungry and your in those spots, snacks will save the day.

On our roadtrip we were stuck behind an accident for 2 hours right at dinner time. If I didn’t have a bag of snacks between the kids in the back seat, it would have been horrible. Hangry kids are no fun!!

Netflix

I swear if it weren’t for Netflix downloads, I may have gone crazy in the car. Driving for that many hours without the internet is no longer an issue. Before you leave, find a ton of movies and shows on Netflix that you can download onto your ipad(s). When the kids got bored, all they needed to do was turn on Netflix and watch their shows. And trust me when I say it takes up hours at a time. You don’t care about screen time when you’re driving long distances, so trust me. Netflix is worth it! 

Car Headrest Mount Holder for iPad

GAMECHANGER! My kids would complain if they had to hold their iPads for long periods of time. They also would complain that their neck hurt from looking down on their laps while holding it. So we found a headrest holder specifically for the iPad. You know those cars that come with the movie screens on the back of the driver and passenger seats? It’s like that but a mount. The one we found is THIS ONE from Amazon.ca but they have so many options. For $20 you can’t go wrong!

Activity Books

My kids love to draw and write so I bought a bunch of activity books and blank notebooks for the trip. My oldest spent time doing word searches, sudoku puzzles and logic puzzles. And my youngest is in grade 1 and learning to read and write. So its become fun for him to doodle and write sentences and spell words. I got him a bunch of grade 1 books on math and spelling at Dollarama. He had a great time being his own teacher!

Plus, these books are great not only for the time spent in the car, but also a great alternative to technology when you are pulled over at a restaurant 😉

Nintendo Switch

It was my youngest son’s 6th birthday a couple of months before our most recent trip and there was only one thing on his list. And I’m glad it was because the Nintendo Switch was the perfect addition to the roadtrip. You don’t need wifi to play, the battery lasts forever, and playing took up hours of the time. Yes, more technology, but it kept them busy. Which is what you want when you are in the car for over 12 hours a day. Get ready for your next road trip and buy your console here.

There you have it, my top 5. What would you add to the list?

Happy travelling!

xo

D

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As always, all opinions are my own.