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Derrick and I are roller coaster enthusiasts and content creators.
We travel to a lot of amusement parks every year with our two kids and MOST of the time we’re traveling via ROAD TRIP!
Road tripping as a family has not only taught us a lot about how to efficiently make the time pass (as Mom and Dad, we love to listen to podcasts and audiobooks, and the kids love to play on their tablets, play with small figures, and draw), but given us great bonding time as a group. We talk, sing, laugh, tell stories, and have a lot of fun while we’re on the road going from one park to another!
We’ve also found a few things that we always make sure we have with us when we travel – these little things just make our road trips easier!
5 Things We Bring on Every Road Trip
- SNACKS – Our children turn into hungry little monsters whenever we go on a road trip, so we are sure to bring lots of snacks!
Having a fully packed “snack bag” not only saves us money (gas station stacks are EXPENSIVE!) but gives us the perfect, logical “argument” in explaining why we aren’t buying snacks at every stop (“Because we already have snacks in the car!”)
Pro Tip: Just be sure to bring GOOD snacks. No one wants “healthy stuff” and it will get passed over every single time – bring stuff that will make passing up all the gas station snacks easy for both Mom and Dad and the kids!
Also! If you utilize Amazon Subscribe & Save, it’s super easy to find good snacks at a discount to always have on hand! - A TRASH CAN – Having a CENTRAL place to put trash will not only help you keep your sanity, but help keep your car as clean as possible on long road trips!
(Remember those snacks the hungry little monsters in the back seat need every 30 minutes?)
A central trash can you can easily pass around simply means the car stays cleaner (which always makes Mom and Dad happier!)
Pro Tip: Empty your trash can at every gas station you stop at – this way, nothing gets moldy or rotten – which is an entirely new, stinky problem no one wants to deal with! - BARF BAGS – TRUST ME: there is NOTHING worse than someone suddenly feeling sick to their stomach while you’re on a long road trip.
And as you PANIC, looking around for any container to hand back to the person turning green – you’ll be SO glad you have these bags!
They are all folded up for compact storage, but when you need them, the bags drop down when you hold the solid plastic ring up to your face.
TAKE MY WORD FOR IT: get these bags (they’re cheap!) and just stash them away in your car. Hopefully you NEVER need them, but on that one day you do, you’ll be SO thankful you have them!! - SAUCE TRAYS – These things are such a brilliant invention! The passengers in the car will not need them as they have full use of both of their hands, but the poor driver is left with just a single hand to eat while driving. If they are trying to eat nuggets or fries that they want to dip in ketchup or sauce, that means they have to either balance the dip in their lap or on the dash. It’s a gamble to keep that sauce from spilling, so these trays save the day!
- INFLATABLE PILLOW – Falling asleep in the car is a wonderful perk of being the passenger, but you risk waking up with a sore neck. These inflatable pillows are SO handy to have on hand! A few puffs and they’re fully inflated & can be held multiple different ways for supreme options in comfort!
When it’s deflated, it folds into a small bag. I stash our’s under the passenger seat for easy access anytime we’re on a road trip. It’s come in handy so many times!
Want to know what we bring with us to every amusement park? Find that list HERE!
