Road Trip Sanity Savers: Family Survival Tips for Summer Travel
As our family gears up for summer travel, we’re on the hunt for the magic formula: how do you keep kids happily occupied during long car rides, airport delays, and even those inevitable rainy vacation days?
If you’re staring down a packed minivan or airport security line with dread, you’re not alone. Here are some road-tested tips and creative ideas for keeping everyone smiling—no matter where your journey takes you.
1. Build a Travel Activity Kit for a Road Trip
Pack a tote with coloring books, activity pads, sticker sheets, and crayons.
We love Pop Darts that stick to the windows, and puzzles that are easy to do in their lap.
Don’t forget snacks! A mix of healthy nibbles and a few special treats can work wonders. Some our our current faves our:
2. Download Fresh Entertainment
Before you leave, load tablets or phones with new movies, shows, audiobooks, and games. Pro tip: Many library apps offer free audiobooks for kids!
Invest in a headphone splitter so two kids can watch or listen together.
3. Make Your Own Road Trip Games
Keep classic games handy—think “I Spy,” 20 Questions, or car bingo.
Create a travel scavenger hunt or printable bingo sheets with things you’ll see along the way (trucks, cows, specific road signs).
4. Get Some NEW Toys and Surprises
Try some new brain activity toys and surprises! We love the Innovative Code-Breaking Game and the SuperCube! Our boys are always trying to beat one another in decoding a Rubix Cube and this takes it to the next level!
5. Embrace the Roadtrip Playlist
Let each family member pick songs for a road trip playlist. Sing-alongs can lift spirits fast!
Try an interactive podcast or a family audio story for a change of pace.
6. Plan Movement Breaks
Map out stops at parks or attractions where kids can run and play, or simply have a dance party next to the car at a rest stop.
On rainy days, look up indoor play spaces, aquariums, or museums on the way to your destination to break up the drive! (Trust me, it helps on long drives!)
7. Snack and Savor
Turn snacking into an activity—pack a “mystery snack bag” with my favorite on the go hand wipes and let kids close their eyes and guess what they’re tasting. I love my little glass jars to pre-prep chia seed pudding and overnight oats for our early morning drives.
We’ve been loving Uncle Jerry’s Pretzels lately too! They are made with only five ingredients — flour, water, yeast, sourdough starter, and salt. No additives. No preservatives. No sugars. Perfect road trip snack!
Try local treats at different stops to add to the adventure, Buc-ees anyone!?
8. Get Creative on your Road Trip
Bring along small notebooks for each child to keep a “travel journal”—they can draw, write about their day, or collect fun facts.
Hand out disposable cameras or let older kids snap photos for a trip scrapbook.
9. Prep for Rainy Days
Download extra movies, games, and coloring apps for those unexpected days stuck indoors.
Keep a deck of cards or a small board game in your suitcase, like momo Simon or mini Tic Tac Toe.
10. Don’t Forget Road Trip Self-Care—for Everyone
Make mood-boosting stops for coffee and stretch breaks, not just for bathroom emergencies.
If you are driving for a long time, get a little pillow to support your lower back. I love traveling with my little dream pillow, plus the boys use it to take naps in the car too!
P.S. we keep our handy first aid kit with us everywhere we go, you just never know when you will need it!
Give yourself grace; even the best-laid plans can unravel.
Summer travel with kids may never be totally stress-free, but a little planning and a lot of flexibility go a long way. Here’s to family memories, new places, and just enough quiet for everyone to arrive with their sanity intact.
Safe travels and happy adventuring!
Want more summer survival ideas?
Check out Orlando Mom’s Ultimate Guide to Summer in Central Florida for local day trip inspiration, backup activities, and fun around every corner.
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