Traveling With Kids
How I drove 5300 Miles with a 3yo and a 1yo and SURVIVED
Yes. You read that right. I decided to take my two toddlers on a three week road trip across the country to visit some family. We live in Georgia and they live in Oregon, so you can do the math. Would you believe me if I said the kids were mostly better behaved the whole time we traveled than when we are at home?! It’s true. I couldn’t believe it. In case you’re wondering how we survived, or if you are thinking of taking a long road trip with young kids, I’ve narrowed it down to six basic things we did to make this road trip a success.
Notice I said “we” did. I don’t mind traveling by myself with the kids, but for this distance I definitely wanted a travel buddy. I am confident that every single person I told I was going to do this trip questioned my sanity except for one…my mom. Which was good because I wanted her to go with me and she wanted to come! It also helps that my mom and I have traveled a lot together and travel well together. If you’ve traveled much at all, then you know that you can’t travel with just anyone. So pick wisely if you’re doing a longer trip!
1. Find someone as crazy as you are to go with you. Check!
Once you know who is going along for the ride, sit down and really think about what the kids’ and your limits are. How far can you travel before you have to stop for a break? Do you/your kids travel well? What sorts of things keep your child entertained while in the car and how far are you willing to go against your normal rules (like screen time, etc.) to keep them entertained? I would recommend you try out some shorter trips first so you can better answer these questions. When I was working, I commuted to and from work every day, depending on traffic, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, so my kids were accustomed to the car. We also traveled quite often to places 1.5 hours to 6 hours in the car so I had a fairly decent idea of how the kids would do. At least my 3yo. My youngest didn’t commute very long before I started staying at home but he never really cared about being in the car seat for any length of time.
You also need to know your mental limitations. Can you be in an enclosed space that long with your kids for days on end? It’s definitely not for the faint of heart! I mentally prepared myself for this trip for a long time. I decided that I would say “yes” more, take frequent breaks and not get in a hurry. Then throughout the trip I continually reminded myself of these commitments to keep them fresh in my mind and help me not get frustrated.
2. Know your limits. Check!
Once you know that you and the kids can handle traveling, start planning! Not everyone likes traveling with a plan and some may prefer more spontaneity and that’s okay. That being said, in my experience with young kids, having a plan, especially if you already have a pretty specific daily routine with them, is a good idea. And plan I did. I can’t begin to tell you how much planning I did. I did so over an extended period of time so it didn’t consume me but I took my time with it. I mapped out what route we should take going and coming back, where we could stay overnight, where to eat, where to take breaks, fun things to do, places to see, were we would get gas, what to pack, what kind of vehicle to rent, etc. all while trying to stay as low cost as possible. While I planned there were a few key things I considered, number one being weather. We were traveling across the country at the end of March/first of April and that meant we would most likely see several different seasons of weather along the way. So I planned for that. We brought rain gear, snow gear and spring/summer gear and we used every bit of it! When I planned for things to do, I made sure to have outdoor and indoor activities in case of bad weather. For the distance we were traveling, and the extended time we were traveling, I wanted to be prepared for whatever would come our way.
3. Plan and pack for everything; have options. Check!
While planning I made a list of what all we should bring. The number one item I was so glad we completely overpacked were the toys. It was excessive and we totally went overboard, but I’m really glad we did! A lot of them made noise so that got tiring to hear but they really kept the kids entertained. A huge shoutout to my mom for sitting in the backseat of our rental van sandwiched between two huge totes of toys the entire trip and entertaining the kids…and yes, she wanted to do this over driving. So I let her!! If you have toddlers, you know their attention spans aren’t super long so there was a constant shuffle of toys back and forth to keep it interesting.
4. Bring toys/entertainment, and lots of them. Check!
The number two item we went crazy with was snacks. Bring snacks. Be sure to bring healthy snacks that are more filling as well as some fun snack options, for the kids and for you! We brought a cooler and packed food for lunches and some breakfast items. For most of our breakfasts, we took advantage of the breakfast the hotels offered. We found packing lunch items made it easier to stop when we needed and not have to worry where we were going to find food. Some of the places we were passing through or visiting were literally in the middle of nowhere and didn’t have any options. If we were close to our next stop but also getting hungry, snacks were a great way to hold us over while also allowing us to stay on schedule. Plus the kids loved it because, well, snacks are life.
5. Bring all the snacks and food. Check!
Even with all the planning and packing and preparing, the biggest takeaway I could give you would be to have zero expectations. I think it’s important to be prepared for as much as you can, but that also means being prepared to have nothing go as you planned. My kids usually do great in the car but who knows what they would do after so many days in a car! Luckily, mine did incredible but this was something I was a little anxious about before the trip. It really starts with us as the adult. I feel we have the ability to set the tone each day with our kids and I tried to set the tone every day positively, going with the flow, zero expectations and that way when something didn’t go as planned we were able to be flexible and take it in stride. And because we knew our limits, we would often pause to take a pulse check and see how everyone was feeling. Did we really need to stop and see that monument or go by that playground? Or was the better option just getting to the hotel to relax and watch TV because everyone was exhausted?
6. Have zero expectations and be flexible. Check!
I have always loved traveling and was so excited to get to share this kind of experience with my kids! I was absolutely blown away at how well they did and honestly, how I did, too. It wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns 24/7 but, overall, we all did amazing. And let me just add that my mom is a saint! I never doubted her being able to do it; she has way more patience than I do. For someone like me who lacks a bit of patience, preparing mentally and “checking in” with myself regularly and resetting my attitude when necessary helped the most. If you are someone who loves to travel but doubts whether you can still do so with kids and keep your sanity, I’m living proof that traveling with kids can be done. So get out there and see the world!