Crispy Green Brand Ambassador and Food Blogger Heather Seeley (FoodLovinFamily.com) loves to take family road trips and is already planning her next adventure. She has lots of advice for fun and safe travel, which we’ve boiled down to 10 Family Road Trip Tips.
1. Get your car serviced: Get your oil changed, new windshield wipers and tire pressure checked. Accidents happen, but you do NOT want to be stranded on the highway or on a remote road with a preventable service issue.
2. Pack an emergency car kit: Make sure your car has an emergency car kit with jumper cables, spare tire and roadside service information.
3. Look at a map–GPS is not fail proof, especially in remote areas, where your GPS could lead you onto a dirt road only designed for ATVs, or simply not even have a road on it because it’s so new. Even if you’re doing urban driving, make sure your GPS system is constantly updated with construction and road closures.
4. Pack Healthy Snacks — Crispy Fruit, unlike fresh fruit, stays fresh and won’t turn into a sticky mess in a hot car. Other good options:
– Carrot Sticks
– Cookies or Crackers
– Pretzels
– Sunflower Seeds or Nuts
5. Water: Pack one if not two water bottles for every member of the family. You can never have too much water in the car. Without water, you are more likely to purchase unhealthy beverages at a rest area.
6. Cooler and ice: Unless you like drinking hot water from a water bottle, don’t forget to pack a cooler with ice to keep that water cold.
7. Activities for the kids: Keep the kids busy in the backseat with interactive items such as colored pencils and coloring book, books to read, small toys and stuffed animals.
8. Media–Music, videos and audio books: If you have a DVD-player in your car, pack some movies–watching a film really helps the time fly on long car trips. Audio books are also an excellent way to engage the entire family, just be sure to bring a good selection so you can find one that hold everyone’s interest.
9. First-Aid kit: Stock up on First Aid essentials and stow them in a plastic box to have in the car at all times in case of an emergency.
10. Keep it tidy: Vacuum your car before your trip and include a plastic garbage bag for any trash you accumulate along the way. Also keep spare napkins and tissues handy for spills.
Enjoy your trip!
– Heather Seeley
Writer, Photographer at Food Lovin’ Family, Food Lovin’ Family