Summertime is right around the corner, and that means it’s almost time for family vacation season to get into full swing. In our family we take a lot of road trips, and over the years I have perfected the art of packing for our family vacations. In addition to the usual clothing and toiletry items, I have compiled a list of the Top Ten Family Vacation Essentials that are always in our car when we head off on an adventure.
1. SNACKS! – Hungry kids and parents = cranky kids and parents, so to stave off the crankies, I make sure to bring lots of snacks with us. Snack sized plastic baggies hold the perfect portion size, and packing your own snacks means that you can opt for healthier versions of your kids’ favorites. Fresh fruit and veggies like carrots, grapes, oranges, and apple slices travel well, and dried fruit is also a great option. Popcorn, dry cereal, crackers, and string cheese are also family favorites.
2. Gallon Sized Ziploc Bags & Trash Bags – A messy car or hotel room is a stressful way to travel, so make sure to pack trash bags since hotel trash cans are often much smaller than what you are used to. Trash bags can also be used to store dirty laundry. Gallon sized bags are great for packing up wet clothing and swimsuits (just remember to take them out of the bag as soon as you get home!), leaky toiletry bottles and for any motion sickness issues that might arise. Trust me, pack the bags, and you’ll be surprised by how many ways you will find to use them! 
3. Medicine, Band Aids, Etc. – We inevitably end up needing lots of band aids and medicine on our trips, so I make sure to pack a small amount of anything that we might possibly need. Headache medicine, cold pills, tummy relief, anti-nausea medicine…and so on. Lots of large bottles of medication take up a lot of room in a suitcase, so I divide our medicine into a labeled pill case that is stored in an adult’s suitcase during the trip. Like the Boy Scouts say, be prepared! You never know what situation might arise, and medication can often be costly and hard to locate when you’re traveling.
4. Your OWN Pillow – True, traveling with your own pillows takes up a lot of room, especially if you have a large family, but I’ve found that it makes a world of difference. My family sleeps SO much better when they have their own pillows, and well rested kiddos are happier and less likely to have a mid-day meltdown because they didn’t sleep well the night before. Bonus: car naps!
5. Travel Shower Caddy – we picked up a few travel shower caddies from the dollar store a few years ago, and I can’t believe how many uses we have found for them on road trips! They work great for meals on the go (as shown in the photo above from Lookie What I Did), and they are also the perfect size for holding a few books, coloring books and crayons or markers. Of course, they’re also great for transporting your toiletries back and forth from the shower, and they are great for toting sunblock, sunglasses and a couple of magazines down to the pool!
6. Nightlight – unfamiliar sleeping arrangements can be scary to little kids, so bringing a nightlight is always important for my family. It also helps light the way for nighttime bathroom trips and helps us avoid any unseen obstacles in the dark.
7. Backseat Organizer – there are lots of different ways that you can organize the backseat, but giving everything a designated space is a must. Seat organizers can hold anything from water bottles to books and toys, and helps to ensure that everything stays off the floor so that there is less mess. You can purchase a pre-made organizer (shoe organizers also work great!) or make your own DIY version like this one pictured from 8th Day Creations.
8. Headphones – if you plan on allowing your children to watch movies or play with electronic devices during your trip, consider bringing headphones for them to use. With three kids in our family, we often have three different things going on in the car all at once, and headphones help to eliminate the excess noise from competing devices. Trust me, this is one of those things that I simply can’t leave for my vacation without!
9. Batteries and Chargers – this one is pretty self explanatory! The last thing that I want happening in the middle of a road trip is to have my three-year-old’s favorite lovey (which plays music and requires batteries) to go dead!
10. Pop-up Hamper – these hampers fold completely flat for easy traveling, but once you’re at your destination they provide a convenient place for everyone to toss their dirty laundry. Now you can simplify things and avoid all of those “Mommmm, did I already wear this? Is it clean or dirty?” questions. You can carry all the dirty laundry home right in the hamper or fold it flat and toss the laundry in one of those trash bags that you brought along.
I can’t wait for our first vacation of summer, but until then I’m going to be watching my favorite family vacation movies to tide me over. One movie that I’m really excited to see is the new film Blended starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore (love those two together!) that’s coming out on Friday, May 23.
If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, you have to check it out…
Doesn’t that look totally funny?! For more info on the upcoming film, be sure to follow Blended on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and their YouTube Channel.
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