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If you’re heading on a road trip soon, then you need these tips for a road trip!

Road trips can be a fun way to bond with family and friends and it can also be a less expensive way to travel.

While a plane ride may get you from North Carolina to Florida in a matter of hours, driving will take you close to 10 or 12 hours with stops.

Flights for even a single passenger can run well over $200 depending on your destination, making driving a really frugal alternative for families.

Whenever possible, you should choose to drive instead of fly if you’re looking to save money.

If you are not prepared for the road trip ahead, you could end up taking longer and costing you more money to get to your destination.

So that’s why I’ve put together the best tips for a road trip so you can be prepared for the road ahead.

Plus, I’ll share my best road trip tips with kids because you’ll want to keep them happy, entertained, full, and well…drained!

And with these family road trip tips, you’ll enjoy the car ride more when you are having fun on the open road enjoying the adventure together.

Here are a few tips for a road trip!

tips for a road trip

1. Clean & Empty The Car

If you have a dirty car, I promise you’ll be miserable while traveling. You will be sitting in your mess, and the stink, and it will drive you nuts!

Prepare for your trip by giving your car a good cleaning. This is one of the best tips for a road trip to get your trip started off right.

Take out anything you don’t need for your road trip, and stock your car with road trip essentials.

Having a few extra plastic bags handy for trash will help keep your car from getting dirty while on the road. A roll of paper towels is a must as well to catch any spills that will occur.

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Grab some baby wipes, disinfecting wipes, air freshener, hand sanitizer, nausea medicine, and water bottles. These are just a few of the items we bring to keep us and the car clean.

If you are worried about your carpet getting disgusting, you can lay down this carpet cover clear protective film. It will help your carpet from getting gross during your trip. This is one of the best road trip tips with kids!

We also carry a few things for our car just in case:

tips for a road trip

2. Get Some Cash & Coins

You will find toll roads in some of the most bizarre places! If you don’t have the money to pay the toll, this could cost you around $50 for each toll you can’t pay for!

Keep coins and plenty of cash on hand in case you run into a toll or have to stop somewhere that will only accept cash.

We usually keep quarters in an old plastic gum container. That way when we need money for tolls, we aren’t digging around trying to find just the quarters.

We have even walked into a gas station just to find that they can’t take credit cards or debit cards at the moment because their machine was down or the internet was down.

These tips for a road trip by having cash and coins on hand can be a lifesaver.

tips for a road trip

3. Sign Up For All The Gas Rewards Cards

This is going to save you so much money while you are on your trip!

We have a Shell Fuel Rewards card which allows us to get a few cents off each fill-up and sometimes even a FREE Tank of Gas!

Over the course of a long road trip, this starts to add up quickly! We also stock up on gas cards whenever Publix has their Gas Gift Card coupons in the ad. This not only gets us $10 off a $50 gas card initially, but this is also one way we save for a vacation!

Other gas stations have rewards cards or similar options. Make sure you are signed up just in case you need to stop and make a purchase.

If you don’t already have a few gas rewards cards, look for some free ones to sign up for. It takes just a few minutes, and will save you big!

These money-saving family road trip tips can help save you hundreds of dollars!

tips for a road trip

4. Pack Food & Drinks

Road trips are unpredictable. You could get stuck in traffic for a solid 30 minutes straight or even longer! And then there are the dreaded rest stop closings and you may not pass any exits for another 30 miles!

If you don’t want to bring full meals with you, you should at least pack a snack bag and a cooler for drinks.

Skip fast food when possible, and stick to healthy food that will keep you energized and full.

We all know what our kids are like when they get hangry. Let’s not let that happen with these best road trip tips with kids.

tips for a road trip

5. Plan The Entertainment

One of the worst parts of traveling with the kids can be the never-ending “are we there yet?”

Make sure that you bring something along to entertain the family as well as something to keep the driver from getting bored and tired. We like to do engaging car games on long road trips or ask each other fun and silly questions.

One of our all-time favorite games is the alphabet license game!

There’s even a Car Games Bingo set that is so much fun! Plus, it has no little pieces that could get lost in the car! Double win!

The kids have always enjoyed Madlibs too! We always get a kick out of the stories they make. Plus, they are also learning too! Double mom win!

If it’s a long road trip, we’ll download a few audiobooks for the road to play that the whole family will love. The Chronicles of Narnia has been a favorite for the entire family!

We’ve also brought handheld games, Crayola Wonder sets because they don’t stain, personal music players, and headphones.

I’m sure my kids would have also enjoyed this kid’s travel tray like this one to keep their toys from falling onto the floor. It has lots of pockets, a dry erase table, and will also hold a tablet upright. And the best part is that it also has a drink holder!

It’s these family road trip tips that make a long car ride actually enjoyable!

What other games would you add to our tips for a road trip?

tips for a road trip

6. Plan For Accidents

One of the worst parts of traveling is having an accident…and no I’m not talking about a car accident (although that would be horrible too). I’m talking about a potty accident.

When my kids were little we kept a small portable potty in the car so that at any moment we could whip that bad boy out and they could “go” anywhere. On the side of the road, instead of going into a nasty gas station bathroom, or even when we were on the back roads to grandma’s house. I don’t know what we would have done if we hadn’t had that think in the trunk, even I could’ve used it (TMI right?)… it’s like a genius mom hack!

BONUS FREE DOWNLOAD

Create A Plan For Your Money

These FREE Budgeting Spreadsheets will help you keep a pulse on your money (from the palm of your hand).

Then you can easily dispose of the diaper in a trash bag or doggie poop bag.

Don’t forget to leave some extra clothes and cleaning wipes within easy reach just in case an accident does happen.

You’ll be grateful for this nugget of an idea! This is one of the best road trip tips with kids EVER!

tips for a road trip

7. Make Sure The Drivers Get Plenty Of Sleep The Night Before

You don’t want the drivers to be too exhausted before a trip. Make sure that the drivers get at least seven to eight hours of sleep each night the two days before traveling.

If you can, you should try to avoid driving between 1-3 pm as this is when most people start to feel drowsy.

Try to plan eating lunch around this time and then take a little cat nap. Or stop by a rest stop to stretch your legs and get a little fresh air and exercise.

The fresh air and exercise will energize you before the next leg of the journey. It’s these tips for a road trip that will help make your journey easier.

Road trips can make a fun vacation with family or friends.

So that’s why I’ve put together the best tips for a road trip so you can be prepared for the road ahead.

Plus, I’ll share my best road trip tips with kids because you’ll want to keep them happy, entertained, full, and well…drained!

And with these family road trip tips, you’ll enjoy the car ride more when you are having fun on the open road enjoying the adventure together.

 

YOUR TURN: What other tips for a road trip do you have? Let me know in the comments below!

tips for a road trip
The Best Tips For A Road Trip You Really Need This Year
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