Road trips with kids require a very different packing list to road trips before kids.
There was once a time when getting ready for a drive meant grabbing my keys and maybe a coffee.
Now it feels suspiciously close to moving houses.
Four children will do that to you.
After plenty of trial and error, these are the things I actually keep in the car or pack before a longer drive.
1. More water than you think you’ll need
It doesn’t matter if everyone tells you they’re not thirsty before leaving.
They will be thirsty once you’re twenty minutes down the road.
Reusable drink bottles for everyone saves a lot of unnecessary stops.
2. Snacks that are easy to hand out
I keep things simple.
Individual portions work better than handing a child an entire packet and hoping for the best.
Containers also make it easier to pass snacks into the back without half of them ending up between the seats.
Although, realistically, some still will.
3. Spare clothes
Even older kids somehow find reasons to need a change of clothes.
For younger children, particularly during toilet training, they’re essential.
I keep at least one full change somewhere easy to reach rather than buried under luggage.
4. Wet bag
Wet swimmers.
Dirty clothes.
A toilet training accident.
Something inexplicably soaked in water.
A wet bag gives all of it somewhere to go until you get to your destination.
5. Wipes
Always and plenty of them!
No explanation necessary.
6. A rubbish bag
The simplest thing on this list and possibly one of the most useful.
Without somewhere obvious for rubbish to go, every wrapper somehow becomes part of the car interior.
7. Something for quiet time
Depending on the age of your children, that might mean colouring, books, headphones or an iPad.
I don’t overcomplicate this.
Anything that buys everyone a little peace earns its place.
8. A Luxe Liner
Naturally, this is in my car.
But it was actually born from exactly this kind of family life.
With three children under three at one point, I was stripping and cleaning car seats far more often than I ever wanted to.
So I designed the product I wished existed.
The Luxe Liner is waterproof, washable and designed for the spills, wet swimmers, toilet training accidents and everyday mess that come with children in the car.
It stays in the seat doing its job until something happens.
Then I take it out, clean it and put it back.
9. Lower expectations
Possibly the most important item.
The car might still be loud.
Someone may still complain.
The snacks will probably still create mess.
And someone will almost certainly ask how long is left.
The goal isn’t a perfect family road trip.
It’s simply having enough of the practical things sorted that you can enjoy more of it.
That’s always been the philosophy behind The Luxe Journey too.
Practical is the new luxury.
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