20 Best Road Trip Essentials for Families

After traveling thousands of miles with our family, these are 20 of the best road trip essentials for families. Set yourself up for success and pack these the next time you hit the road.

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Over the years, our family has taken a number of road trips ranging from a short 3 days to a longer 10 day trip. One of the great things about driving to your destination is that you can bring more with you. You are only limited by the size of your car and what can fit inside. No matter the length of the trip, I’ve learned that there are some essential items that always make our trip easier and more enjoyable for everyone.

We’ve already taken a road trip to Los Angeles this year and recently returned from Oregon. As I was making my list of what needs to be packed, I realized that other families are probably gearing up for summer vacations. So I decided to share my family’s list of road trip essentials in hopes that it will help you as you plan your own trip.

The list I’ve provided isn’t in any particular order in terms of importance but I have tried to group similar items together to make it easier to digest.

Road Trip Essentials for Families

Keeping Messes Contained

Car Trash Can and Bags

Unless you plan on never having food in your car (ha ha), odds are you will have trash that needs to be thrown away. We have a soft side trash can that fits great in our van and I often wonder why we didn’t get one sooner.

Depending on your vehicle, you might need a different style that we have (this is ours) but there are tons of options available. When it comes to replacing the bags, we just use grocery sacks, but there are also small rolls of trash bags you can buy and keep in your glovebox

Behind the Seat Organizer

With kids ranging from 4 to 13, each one has different things they want to keep in the car during road trips. Our two oldest kids sit in the 3rd row and are allowed to bring whatever they want that will fit in the behind the seat organizers we put there. They are large, with tons of pockets in a variety of sizes for their pens/pencils, paper, books, games and more.

Collapsible Bins

One of the most used items at our house are these hard side collapsible bins. They are great for road trips because they store flat, are sturdy and easy to carry and clean.

Toilet paper

IYKYK.

Tissues

Keeping a small package of tissues in the car is great for short drives, but when you are going farther, they probably aren’t going to cut it. We recently tried out these cylinder tissue containers and they are awesome! They take up less space than a box of tissues and are easier to store. Alternatively, you could skip the roll of toilet paper and just take tissues with you.

Paper towels

There are some messes best suited to being cleaned up with paper towels, which is why I always grab an unopened roll to take with us. They take up less space than paper plates and space is a precious commodity on road trips.

Baby Wipes

If you have a kid (or kids) in diapers, you likely already have at least one pack of baby wipes nearby. But if you don’t have kids in diapers, then I highly recommend purchasing a pack of baby wipes to keep in the car with you. They are great for cleaning up sticky hands and faces, wiping the sweat off your face when it’s hot and any number of other uses.

Roll up Picnic Blanket

This rolled up picnic blanket definitely comes in handy when you are eating somewhere other than a restaurant. Think a rest stop, a park, the beach, etc. It can act as a blanket or a tablecloth. They are usually more waterproof and easily wiped down, which makes them an ideal place to eat on.

Food and Drinks

Apple slicer

Years ago, we bought an apple slicer that cut each apple into 16 pieces. We use it all the time at home but have starting bring it with us on trips because we often buy apples to eat. It’s pretty compact and safer than bringing a knife and cutting board.

Snacks

This is a given, but still worth being mentioned. For longer trips, I help my kids put together a gallon sized bag of snacks they can keep with them during the drive. This does a couple of things: 1) I’m not constantly handing out snacks, and 2) it helps my kids pace themselves and when it’s gone, it’s gone. Obviously this is not a one size fits all solution for road trip snacks, but it’s been helpful for our family.

[12 Easy Breakfast Ideas When Traveling]

Resealable bags

I can’t count how many times we’ve needed a resealable bag when we are on a trip. Whether it’s in the car or at our place of lodging, I’ve learned that they are invaluable. We usually bring sandwich size bags (because we often make sandwiches for lunch) but obviously they are great for other snacks as well. We also like to bring gallon size bags for larger items (food or otherwise).

Reusable Tote Bags

I’ve never regretted bringing a few extra reusable tote bags with me on a trip. They take up almost no space at all and I always seem to need one. It’s been helpful to have when we visit places that don’t have plastic bags, or if you need to carry a few extra items like souvenirs, wet clothes, etc.

Personal Water Bottles or Tumblers

Everyone in our family has their own reusable water bottle. They are all the same brand and style but different colors. We fill them up with ice and water before leaving home and again each time we leave to go somewhere. The brand we have has been great for us and I love how it keeps the ice from melting for so long. Another tip: Make sure they really are spill proof. Otherwise you’ll have to pull out those paper towels I mentioned earlier. *wink*

Small cooler

If you’re like us, you pack a variety of snacks to eat in the car. It’s nice to be able to switch it up with fresh fruits and veggies or a yogurt kept in a cooler. You can even pack items like granola bars that have chocolate in or on them to prevent melting. The size of cooler you can pack will obviously be determined by your own car and the distance you’ll be traveling. But having even a small one is helpful.

Ice packs

And if you have a cooler, you’ll need some good ice packs. We have a few different ice packs we use depending on how far we’re going and how much we need to keep cold. But I have found that using both hard side ice packs and softer ones that flex a little work well.

Plastic silverware

Have you ever needed a plastic utensil and haven’t had one? Yeah, me too. Which is why I always try to pack at least two plastic knives, forks and spoons when we head out on the road. (One of our most common meals to eat on road trips is a good old PB&J and that plastic knife sure comes in handy.)

Staying Entertained

Screen Free Games and Activities

I have an awesome blog post with 15+ screen free activities for kids, including suggestions for family friendly podcasts and audiobooks. If you are looking for some new ideas, definitely check it out!

Movies

It would be unrealistic to think that a long road trip should not include movies (or electronics). But that doesn’t mean you can’t be strategic about when they are allowed. (see the pro tip below.) One tradition I’ve started is buying a new movie or two to watch on our trip. It creates novelty because our family hasn’t seen it as many times as what we currently own.

*PRO TIP* Avoid putting movies in at the beginning of the trip. Save them for when you are getting close to your destination (whether that is a meal stop or final stop). That last hour or two before you get there can be really hard for kids (and adults) to stay patient and not keep asking “are we there yet?”.

Noise canceling headphones

Six people in a car for hours at a time can be a lot. If you have anyone in your family who is more sensitive to noise, having a pair or two of noise cancelling headphones can make a big difference. The ones we have don’t block out all sound, but they do dampen it. My 4 year old has used them on our recent trips and it’s amazing how it calms him down.

Car charger for electronics

We keep a charger in our car at all times, but have found it especially helpful during road trips because we are using devices more. I love the one we have because it takes up very little space, plugs into our A/C adapter and has two retractable charging cords.

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