If you haven't noticed, we drive to Texas OFTEN. I feel like I have the packing and road trip itself down to a science so I thought I'd share some of our strategy.
When I pack, I still fit all of our clothes (all four of us) in one suitcase. I usually pack about 7 days worth of "normal" clothes and then a dress/ nicer outfit for each Sunday. I don't usually roll the clothes (although you can fit a little more in the suitcase if you do). We have built up almost a full supply of bathroom products at my parents' house so I only pack a few things here and there as far as toiletries go. And that's it. The van winds up full of stuff to bring home that's not sold here and vice versa on the return but that's the only luggage we take.
As far as the time in the car goes, we have started leaving super early. We get completely ready the night before and pack the van then just transfer the girls to their seats and drive while they are still sleeping :) Actually, they always wake up but go back to sleep quickly.
I pack a lunchbox full of drinks for the girls (I should include drinks for us but for some reason I forget to plan ahead for that part). I also pack a bag of snacks. I joke that it becomes an all you can eat cruise line buffet for them. They really don't mind the drive and pretty much never complain about it. I think at least some of that is due to the fact that they pig out on Fig Newtons, Teddy Grahams, Nilla Wafers, and any other snacks I include all in the same day with little restriction. That never happens on a normal day so it's just fun. Before Kaitlyn could manage a ziploc on her own, I used those handy little
snack trap cups (Munchkin sells a version now too) that way if she dropped it, it didn't spill all over the place. I even put veggies in there once when Addison was a baby, hehe. While the snacking is virtually unlimited, the drinks are rationed quite conservatively until we are approaching a planned stop. One handy little gadget we have discovered is the
Sprout Spout.
They come in a package of 3 main rings with a couple adapters so that you can covert pretty much any juice or water bottle into a sippy cup. I usually pack our own drinks but just bring these for backup. I imagine they would be especially great for air travel where you are so much more limited on the amount of stuff you can bring with you! The best time to let your kids have a drink is approximately 20-30 minutes before you plan to stop for lunch. That gives it just enough time to make it to their bladder before you take them potty ;)
Speaking of stops, we only stop twice on our 11 hour trip. If we leave around 3 or 4, we plan to stop for breakfast and lunch. This last trip, Gordon had us leave at 1am!!! Insane ;) I will admit, though, that it was nice getting here (to "Texas") at lunch time! We almost always plan our stops around Chick-fil-A's.
Not only do we like Chick-fil-A... who doesn't??... but you can depend on the fact that they are in a nice, safe area. This is especially important in Louisiana. Before I learned the Chick-fil-A trick, I accidentally stopped at some very questionable spots by myself- not good! Also, when I do happen to be traveling without Gordon, I can depend on excellent customer service at Chick-fil-A. Having someone come offer to take my tray to the table or bring me an extra napkin or a refill makes a HUGE difference on such a long day! The clientele is also much nicer... nothing like sitting next to a creepy looking guy when you KNOW that it is obvious you are traveling alone with two small girls.
Other than that, the girls get to watch a movie or two depending on how much car time they are awake for and I bring a bag of toys and books. I try to pick out some books that they haven't looked at as much lately and that have good pictures. I bring 5-10 of those and our road trip toys. For the toys, I highly recommend the
travel version of the Aqua Doodle.
We have one for each of the girls and they love them. I love that it is a quiet activity that doesn't involve me and that it uses their imagination. We also have a
Leap Frog abc toy that they never play with except on road trips. It's just not interesting enough when we are home but it breaks up the monotony a little for them on a road trip. I also bring a toy phone and set of keys for each of them. They are allowed to each bring their special animal and their "special blanket that Nanny made" and that's IT.
Well folks, I think that's about it :) Did I miss anything?
**Oh, edited to add, I only bring water for myself since I get Dr Pepper when we eat but Gordon appreciates it when I pack an energy drink, sunflower seeds, and gum for him ;)
