5 Road Trip Tips for Stress-Free Travel with Young Kids

Road trips with young children can be nerve-wracking. It can seem like your packing list never ends. Did you grab enough diapers? What about the lovey? And that’s before you even hit the road!

But with a little bit of planning, the actual road trip can be smoother – and even enjoyable! These road trip tips for families come from experience, as we regularly drive 10-12 hour road trips multiple times each year. Below you’ll find my top 5 tips for a stress-free road trip with young kids. Plus, at the end, I’ll be sharing how you can grab my road trip packing list to make your next journey even easier!

Tip 1: Plan Your Stops Ahead of Time

So I know it’s not a suprise, but I’m big on planning. But in this case, I think it’s important that you’re not just planning your itinerary at the final destination, but your road trip stops, too! On full-day road trips, you’ll want to stop every 2-3 hours. Stopping more often really does help lower stress and make the trip more enjoyable for everyone, even if it slows us down a bit.

On our trips, we love to stop at local parks that are close to the interstate. They’re great spot for a snack or even a picnic lunch, and a perfect way for the kids to get their energy out before we hop back in the car.

The easiest way to find a park or playground is to check Google Maps. Find towns that are about 2-3 hours of driving time apart, and search “parks” while the map is zoomed in on that area. You’ll want to read Google reviews, make sure it has a playground and picnic tables, and, if you can find it, visit the park’s website. Sometimes the park will even have a public restroom (but bring your hand sanitizer!).

Tip 2: Use Audiobooks & Storytelling Games to Pass Time

On longer road trips, listening to music (particularly if it’s the Cars soundtrack on repeat!) just isn’t going to cut it. And while some advise car headphones, I’m a big fan of listening to audiobooks together! Listening together means you can pause to chat about it, or even talk about it later at snacks or meals. It also can keep them engaged for longer if YOU’RE engaged, too!

We are huge Yoto* fans at our house, and I love that when we travel, the Yoto app (with all of your cards!) connects directly with Apple Car Play! If you don’t have a Yoto (or are looking for a specific title), many local libraries have access to the FREE Libby app, where you can checkout audiobooks.

In between chapters or as a completely separate activity, try telling progressive stories with your family. Our kids LOVE made-up stories about their favorite characters! Even your littlest passengers can contribute. (“What do you think Winnie the Pooh saw in the woods?” or “What did Mater have for lunch?”)

Tip 3: Create a Calm Environment for Naps

On a long road trip, even our 4-year-old still naps in the car. Make sure to keep some of the trip low-key to allow for natural naps. After all of our road trips, I’ve found that being flexible is key to naps – I’ll take any amount of nap they’ll give me! To help naps during normal naptime, you might want to play soft music (I love Spotify’s Relaxing Classical Guitar playlist!) or turn on your favorite travel sound machine.* If your car doesn’t have built in shades, these window covers* might help!

We also like to have blankets and one or two of their favorite stuffed animals within reach. Both kids have one of these luxuriously soft blankets from Lou Lou & Company (size small), and they’ve been perfect for car naps (and stroller rides).

Tip 4: Be Prepared for Emergencies

Traveling with toddlers and young children can also include last minute potty requests or even an emergency stop for car sickness. While you can’t always prevent these stops, you can be better prepared for them!

Having just potty-trained our two-year-old, I highly recommend having everything ready to go in a gallon bag or wet bag. (And these wet bags are the absolute BEST.) From an extra full outfit to our favorite foldable travel seat* (affectionally nicknamed “potty frog”), I keep our bag in the passenger seat at my feet, ready to be grabbed quickly. For long drives, we also put a pull-up over the top of underwear in order to keep the mess contained.

As far as cleaning up car sickness, I consider myself somewhat of an expert. Our daughter started getting car sick at 19 months old (and turning her forward facing around 4 did NOT stop it). We’ve even had to pull over on the highway in downtown Atlanta.

My top 2 recommendations to prep for car sickness? These bags* to (hopefully!) catch it and paper towels and a gallon of water to help wash everything off. You don’t want wipes with chemicals on your car seat! The only thing we’ve truly found to help prevent car sickness is to encourage her to look forward (and not down at books, stickers, activities, etc.). Which is why we rely a lot on stories, music, and audiobooks.

Want my road trip packing list for toddlers and young children, all in one place? Head to the end of this post to sign up for my freebie!

Tip 5: Manage Expectations

Honestly, this tip is probably the hardest, since it’s more about changing your mindset rather than just throwing an extra item in the car. Remember that traveling with toddlers and young children is different than your pre-kids road trips. It will probably take longer than you expect, there will be extra unplanned stops, and your car will have extra bags of “essentials.”

We typically end up adding an extra hour or two to our road trips with stops for snacks and lunch. But everyone is much happier when we have breaks to get the wiggles out! You can still have goals, just don’t expect your only stops to be a single gas station and a drive through for lunch.

Ready for a Stress-Free Road Trip?

Road trips with kids can be hard, but with a little planning and some flexibility, you’ll be ready to hit the road! These road trip tips, while simple, can make a huge difference for your next long drive.

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