5 Favorite Things for Summer Travel with Kids

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If you read my last post then you’ll know that summer, in my opinion, is here. Another reason why I think summer is here is because the school year is ending. And that means summer travel!  I love summer travel. Whether it’s a trip to the beach, camping in the mountains, or flying across the country, I just love getting out of the house for a few days and doing something fun.

It was pretty quick into having kids when I realized that the thought of a road trip brought on both feelings of excitement and fear. Excitement to share new adventures with the kids and fear of getting there with sanity intact. Over the years I’ve narrowed down a list of 5 things that I consider a requirement for traveling with kids.

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  1.  A potty.  When I was potty training my oldest I kept a kids potty chair (the ones that close up like a stool) in the trunk of my car for “emergencies”.  This potty ended up staying there and on many trips has come in handy for longer drives.  Also there’s a bonus – since most these potty’s double as step stools it can be used in the hotel room for helping littles reach the sink to wash their hands.
  2. Sticker Kits.  Kids love stickers and creating sticker kits is an easy way to entertain.  Doller stores often carry a large variety of stickers that can be used with plain paper or a small journal for your kids to create their own sticker books.  For younger toddlers, we often let them stick the stickers all over their body  and carseat and they always have a blast.
  3. Baby Wipes. This may seem a little obvious but we pretty much always keep wipes quickly accessible during any trip.  They double as boogie wipes, disinfecting wipes, toilet paper, paper towels, and a whole myriad of of thing things including activity cleaning wipes where we let the kids clean their windows, the seat in front of them, their stuffed animals…whatever is within reach and will keep them occupied.
  4. Headphones. These are very useful. Load an iPod with kids music, plug them into a kindle, or simply cover a baby’s ears in a loud airplane. No one enjoys a long car ride listening to “row row row your boat” so headphones can come in great to either plug into a device for your kids or into your own music source to give you a short reprieve!
  5. A Quick Change Bag. I pack one change of clothes for each member on the trip and put it in a separate easy access bag.  This is great for emergencies or if you’re arriving somewhere super late.  No need to unpack the whole car, just grab the quick change back and you’re set.

What are some of your favorite things to have on hand for summer travel? What has made travel easier for you?