Family Road Trip Packing List for Sanity and Safety

This family road trip packing list will help keep your crew content and safe on the go. Road trips promise freedom, scenic landscapes, and quirky roadside attractions. Hitting the road with children, however, can also mean seemingly constant potty breaks, sibling disputes, car sickness, and backseat whining. For a smooth car journey, be sure to pack these road trip essentials for kids.

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1. Travel Toys and Games

Old-school games like 20 Questions and the Alphabet Game can be entertaining, but eventually, kids will want something else to pass the time.

Before every road trip, I purchase at least one travel craft for each of my children. A plastic travel soap box holds crayons nicely and can be used on every trip. Buy a special new toy or two for each vacation, too.

Store a separate stash of hidden travel toys to keep old favorites fresh on each trip. Need some suggestions? Check out our picks for the best travel toys for kids and the best travel games for toddlers to teens.

2. Pit Stop Playthings

Keeping kids content inside the car is important but don’t forget to bring some outdoor toys for pit stops as well. Mini bottles of bubbles, a beach ball, Frisbee, or jump rope can help kids get active when you stop along your route at rest stops and parks.

3. Plastic Trash Bags

Road trips with kids can be messy. A plastic grocery bag keeps trash off the floor and seats. I hang a bag in the backseat from the front armrests. This enables my kids to deposit their juice boxes and snack wrappers into the trash themselves. Bring a few along so you can easily toss refuse at pit stops.

3. Bucket for Motion Sickness

If traveling with young children, then a bucket is a road trip must-have. Why? You’ll need this case of car sickness or sudden bout of food poisoning or stomach flu. Older kids can probably manage just fine with a plastic bag, but young children aren’t great at aiming and shouldn’t handle plastic bags due to suffocation hazards.

A simple plastic beach pail should do the trick. Keep the bucket within arm’s reach. It won’t do you any good buried under a pile of suitcases in the trunk. Learn tips for avoiding motion sickness before you hit the road.

4. Road Trip Playlist

Sure, you can listen to the radio. But a road trip playlist makes the miles more fun. Create a playlist for your smartphone and plug it in for the whole family to enjoy through the car’s speakers (if your car offers this technology). Choose songs that appeal to all family members, so everyone is excited to listen along.

5. Audiobooks

Audiobooks are a must for any family road trip packing list. Stories keep imaginations active and families entertained on the road. Save money by borrowing some fun books from your local library before your next car trip. You’ll also love these audio books for road trips recommended by family travel experts.

6. Travel Snacks

Pack some healthy snacks and drinks for the journey. Suggested items include fresh and dried fruits, trail mix, and whole grain crackers, and cereals. Keep a cooler stocked with items that need cooling like hardboiled eggs, cheese sticks, sandwiches, and juices. Slowly give these goodies to your children throughout your ride to get the most bang for your snack bucks. You may want to bring along (or stop to buy) a “forbidden” treat or two to use as an incentive for good behavior, too. Looking for more ideas? Take a look at the best travel snacks for kids.

7. Scissors for Safety

It’s important to stow a pair of scissors in your car’s glove box for safety’s sake. Children sometimes do silly things when mom and dad aren’t looking…like get themselves tangled up in a seat belt. This can lead to strangulation. Read one mom’s account of a near-strangulation seatbelt incident. Then, pack a pair of scissors in your glove box!

8. Roadside Emergency Kit

You should always keep a roadside emergency kit in your car filled with bandages, a flashlight, and other useful items. Add a pre-filled roadside emergency kit to your family road trip packing list.

9. Medications Within Reach

Keep a stash of medications within reach. Any prescription items, like an asthma inhaler, should be kept close for handy retrieval.

Also pack in your purse or day bag some motion sickness medication like Dramamine for Kids, an antihistamine like Children’s Benadryl Chewables in case of an allergic reaction, and pain/fever reducer like ibuprofen. Even if you have these medications stowed within your luggage, you’ll want easy access to these medicines should a need arise during your family road trip.

Learn More Tips for Traveling with Kids

Want to keep your kids off tech when traveling? Take a look at these unplugged road trip activities.

For additional packing ideas, check out our full list of packing lists including our kids’ pack-myself list.

Your family’s travels will be easier and smell sweeter with these handy vacation laundry tips.

Want to save money on your family vacation? Of course you do! Read these tips for saving money when traveling with kids.

Save this Family Road Trip Packing List

For future reference, save this list of packing essentials for family road trips. Simply pin the image above to Pinterest. We hope you’ll follow Travel Mamas on Pinterest while you’re at it!

Is there anything else you think we should add to this family road trip packing list? Let us know in the comments below!

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