Always pack less than you think — I know that might sound opposite of what you’d think but trust me one of the most bothersome things on a road trip is too much stuff. If there was ever a time to hone in your “spark joy” mentality this would be it.
Layer — one of the best tips is layering. This also depends on where you travel to. But inevitably you’ll need layers. Swimsuit, cover up, shorts, pants, tank, t shirt, long sleeve and pullover. You get the idea. Cater to the weather & region you’re traveling to.
Pick fabrics that are easy to fold and dry easy. Not much is worse than wet, heavy clothes.
Sun protection— we opt for hats & rash guards or canopy’s rather than slathering with sun screen every time we walk outside. Now there are definitely times I do pull out my fav Young Living mineral sun screen (please read ingredients on commercial brands they often are more dangerous than the sun) but we only apply when it’s the prime sun time or if we’ve been outside all day. But I always give our bodies time in the morning to soak in Vitamin D (so important for your system’s health)
Organization— figure out what you’ll need first and pack accordingly. PJs on top. Sometimes we even pack a mini bag with one set of clothes from each family member so we don’t have to go digging for pjs on our first stop.
Everything has its place — this year we took our new pop up and it was imperative to organize. We had a small cooler for our pantry items, drinks in its own cooler, main grocery items to keep cold in the big cooler, Harley eats a raw diet so she has her own cooler to keep things separate. We have totes to carry our camping gear and things we don’t need immediately. I pack each girl their own activity bag, along with my backpack with books and then everyone’s favorite bag :: the snack bag. Yes I sit criss cross applesauce most of the trip because I like having all the things right in arm’s reach.
Snack bag — I love packing yummy snacks for our trip. It boosts the anticipation of the trip ahead. This time I packed: beef jerky, shelled pistachios (salted & honey roasted), Mexican Chocolate wafer cookies by Siete (grain free!), olive snacks (by Oloves 😍), smoked white cheddar cheese with black pepper (snack size by Tillanook), cheese sticks, almond butter malt balls, dried apricots, peanut butter pretzels.
Make ahead — I opted to make food ahead of time to save money, healthier and I find joy doing that. I made a breakfast bundt + pop tarts for breakfast on the road and for lunch I made a muffuletta on challah bread, the sliced it up for everyone and put it back in the bag for easy serving. You could also make homemade granola bars or peanut butter protein bites.
Grocery List — this year I aimed to be more organized. We are usually gone all summer (like 8 weeks), so instead of scrambling to figure out what we’re eating I did this weeks ahead of time. I put together a spreadsheet with a calendar of meals ranging from breakfasts, lunches, snacks, dinner and even on some days dessert. I also made a row for things to do in the city we were visiting. That way I could try to take the thinking out of it.
Relax! Enjoy! Bring things that will inspire joy & peace on your trip. We always bring our Bibles, our diffuser, my bag o’ oils, a fan (hot flashes are still going strong) and this year to make our camper a happy place: a plant.
I love roadtripping and hope this brought you excitement for your own trip! It is one of the best ways to enjoy God’s country with littles in tow. Whether you tent camp, pop up, big RV, cabin or find an Airbnb memories are best made with the phone down, in nature, together.