The Snowboard Mom

With summer around the corner, road trips with the family are also around the corner. With most family being at least 1 hour away, we have done our fair share of road trips since the little one was born. (At two months old, we drove to Toronto for a family wedding)

I’ve come up with a list of top 5 tips to makes road trips fun and manageable!

5. Print a packing list – And Use it

There are so many things you need to bring and think about. Things are changing every second (is that poop I smell? But I just changed you) and when you realize 2 hours away from home that you forgot the all important (fill in the blank) it’s simply too late. No turning back. I write everything down and print it – from the amount of socks we are all bringing to the amount of diapers and quantity of soap. It’s much easier to think about it all in advance and write it down when you have a moment. I personally love google drive as I have my work computer, home computer, iPhone and iPad. I can update the list from any one of these devices easily.

4. New toys for the trip (or old one that has been hidden), always a hit!

New toys and books are GREAT! You might get a few hours of distraction (more like 20 min..) and it keeps your little one occupied if they haven’t dozed off in the car. We are big fans of “look at this… WOW!” and it seems to be working great for us.

3. Day 1 of travel, pack a lunch if you can.

We realized early on that it was much easier (and cheaper) to pack snacks and lunch for day one of travel then trying to find a place we all liked at the side of the road. Yes it’s a vacation and trust me, all diet/food group rules go out the window pretty fast after that, but having a few sandwiches, fruits and favourtie snacks make things a lot easier.

2. Be a hypochondriac, we won’t shame you 

I bring it ALL. It is so much easier to pack the Tylenol, snot sucker, hydra sense, thermometer, polysporin and anything else we use at least once a month with us then having to rush around to try and find one when you’re right in the thick of things. Does it take a little room, yes… but is it totally worth it to bring… Uh YES!

1. Have fun!

At the end of the day, it’s a vacation. Yes it’s a lot different now than it was when it was just you two, but bend a few rules, enjoy the memories – and if a pit stop lasts longer than anticipated because your little one is running up and down the sidewalk and thinks it’s the funniest thing ever (that happens to us) let them run! Watch a little TV if you need to, it’s ok if they only want Kraft dinner – they’ll survive and you will too with your sanity!

BONUS: Bring a bucket

As a little kid apparently I had bad car sickness. And I’m literally waiting for the day that our son gets his bout of it too. Bring a little bucket for the toys and in an emergency, you have something help soften the blow.

Hope this tips were a little helpful! Until next time!