Must-Have Essentials for a Road Trip

This post is sponsored by Chevrolet Traverse.

Summer is in full swing and it seems like every day we are in our car and off on an adventure! Ever since my husband and I started dating over 10 years ago, we have loved taking road trips. Having three kids hasn’t slowed us down either. Just in the past few months, we have gone on two road trips that have taken over 12 hours, so I consider us road trip pros!

When you’re going on a road trip with two adults, a 7-year-old boy and 2-year-old twin girls, you need A LOT of stuff! I always like to make sure we have everything we need in the car so we don’t have to make any unnecessary stops. Below are some of our must-have essentials for the car during a road trip.

Cooler for Drinks and Snacks

If you don’t want to be stopping at gas stations and fast-food joints for food, make sure to bring a cooler along for snacks and drinks. We usually fill up water bottles and freeze them the night before so they are nice and cold during our road trip. Snacks and drinks include juice boxes, crackers, individual bags of fruit, sandwiches and fruit snacks. We also usually keep some bottled water in the back of the car so we don’t have to stop to hydrate.

Bag of Books

It’s so easy to automatically turn to tech for those long road trips and, believe me, we do use it! But all three of my kids like to look at books so I usually head to the library before a long road trip and check out books they have never seen before. There are also usually small books in the dollar section at stores, so I usually buy a few of those too. It really keeps them busy and QUIET when they have new books to look at.

Electronics

These days, electronics can really make a road trip go smoothly for everyone in the family. For my husband and me, I make sure to bring our phone chargers so we can keep our phones at 100%. Especially when you are using a maps app, your phone battery can drain fast. I also like to bring my tablet or e-reader with me so I can read a book while my husband drives.

For the kids, we make sure we have a portable DVD player so they can watch movies and my son usually has his mini tablet on him so he can play his favorite games.

Fun Bag

When the books, snacks and electronics fail – and they will fail – it’s good to have a “fun bag”. Sort of like your very own Mary Poppins bag in the car. I fill it up with cheap toys from the dollar store and they love playing with new toys!

Just-in-Case Bag

It seems that when you’re on a road trip, ANYTHING can happen. One of my daughters gets carsick, so we have learned we need to pack a bag in case that happens. Our “Just in Case Bag” usually consists of grocery bags for trash or dirty clothes, cleaning wipes, baby wipes, hand sanitizer, a small first-aid kit and a flashlight. It’s got everything we need….just in case!

Chevrolet Traverse

When you’re going on road trips with the family, it can make the trip when you have an awesome car! With spacious seating, ample cargo space and available safety and entertainment technologies, there’s no better vehicle to bring the family together than the Chevrolet Traverse. Now that’s a must-have summer essential for a road trip!

What are some of your must-haves for a road trip?