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Happy summer! I am so excited for this new season and to enjoy so many fun summer activities. Something fun we are doing as a family is packing up the car and exploring the national parks around us. More to come on the national parks! But today, I’m going to share everything I’ve learned about how to plan a road trip with kids!

The first thing I want to talk about is what to wear, because, well, duh! If I’m going to stick myself in a car with my family for hours on end, feeling comfortable in my clothing is essential. Here are a few gorgeous and comfy options that can be found at Love, Olive Co.

How to dress comfy for your next family road trip

Our Boon Top is one of the most popular items we sell! It is so soft, comfortable, and easy to pair with anything. Dress it up with a skirt or throw it on with a pair of sweats, it is really so versatile. For a road trip, you could pair the top with the Gemma Pants. There are lots of color options with the Boon Top so you can mix and match to your heart's content! 

Now you might think I’m crazy, but I love jeans! I’ve been selling jeans for 10 years and our Pluto Denim Med-Wash jeans are the comfiest ever. If you’re going to wear jeans for your road trip, these are the ones to grab.

Another great option are our Lazy Weekend Shorts. Stretchy, soft, and thin, these are perfect for lounging in the car, crawling into the backseat to soothe a crying kid, and jumping in and out at the gas station for drinks and road food!

Road trip activities for the kids

It can be really daunting to think of road trip activities for the kids. Everyone has the question in their mind when contemplating a road trip with kids - “how are we going to keep the kids entertained?!”. We are not huge fans of sticking the screen in front of our kids for the entire road trip. Here is one of my tips for how to plan a road trip with kids.

Raid the dollar store! A few days before the trip, head to the dollar store and browse for fun toys, books, or puzzles for the kids. You can do this one of two ways. The first way would be to take your kids to the store and have them pick out the things that interest them. If you do this, I suggest doing it the day before (or morning of) the road trip. If you do it too far in advance of your trip, you’ll get the kids begging for those toys every day until the trip starts! The second way is to just go yourself and pick out what you think the kids will want. If you just go yourself, you can do this any time before the big trip! Keep the activities in a bag and let the kids pull a new one out every few hours while on the road. 

Tricks for your next family road trip

Another trick for your next family road trip is to pack snacks individually! This eliminates the fighting that can happen over a bag full of snacks. One way to do this is give each kid their own bag of food that has everything for the day- sandwich for lunch, a few pieces of fruit, granola bars or a bag of chips. Then they can have that bag beside them and grab something when they need. No more passing back food during the entire road trip! Don’t forget to have an extra bag in the car to throw away the garbage.

The last tip to include when you think about how to plan a road trip with kids is music! Create a playlist of music the whole family will love and have a few sing alongs during the road trip. Be sure to download the music to your phone, you don’t want to get stuck on a stretch of road with poor cell service and not have access to the tunes! If your family isn’t into music, you could consider a family-friendly podcast, a book from Audible, or a comedian that you guys can listen and laugh along to. 

Planning for your next family road trip

These tips have been life savers for us as we get out and explore with our family! The best thing I’ve realized when it comes planning a road trip with kids is to break the day in sections. Do a little bit of screen time, then listen to something together as a family. Pull out some activities, have a lunch break, then back to screen time. This keeps the kids entertained and gives them something new to look forward to every few hours. And above all else, enjoy the family time! These are memories that will stay with you forever and you won’t regret the time together!

xoxo