Road Trip Hacks and Snacks

With airfares on the rise and gas prices low,  road trips make more and more sense. Enjoy the wide open road, time spent together and savings!

Road Trip Hacks and Snacks – Plan Breaks to Potty and Stretch Legs

Pre-plan stops for potty breaks and leg stretching before the growling and whining begins in the back seat! Of course, there is an app for that!! Try the “Sit or Squat: Restroom Finder“.

Finding spots for stretching legs can lead you to some really cool places! I like to check Roadside America for cool places to see along our route. For example, if you are passing through Austin you’ll enjoy checking out the Cathedral of Junk.

Pack a frisbee and a ball so you can play catch at roadside rest areas! Locate rest stops along your route.

Road Trip Hacks and Snacks – Eat on the Go.

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Snacking is a part of road trips, movie watching, and vacations. Calories on vacation don’t count, right? But, if you can choose a healthier option that is always a great one. Parents try to sneak in a little healthy food wherever we can!

My kids, our neighbor friends and I had the wonderful ‘chore’ of taste testing these healthy snacks. It was a tough job, but….someone had to do it, right? We loved them!

Mamee Guilt-Free Snacks – These yummy chips are Gluten Free and have no artificial colors or flavors. We especially enjoyed the sour cream and onion flavor!

New Zealand Premium Beef Jerky – From free range and grass fed cattle, these protein treats will keep everyone happy and tummies satisfied. Protein sticks to your ribs better than carbs.

Bare Snacks – These banana chips are delicious!! I was snacking and working and before I knew it I had eaten the entire bag of cinnamon before anyone else could even taste. OOPS! Yummy! An apple a day keeps the dr away and kids will gobble these right up. Super easy for road trips.

Barbaras Cheese Puffs – Anytime you can substitute baked chips for regular you are way ahead in the health department, right? I have one kiddo who LOVES Cheetos and these get her thumbs up approval.

Road Trip Hacks and Snacks – Divide and Conquer

Be sure each little one can reach some snacks. I like to put the snack bag on the floor between my kids. The bag has favorites for each kid and without needing ME, they can get a snack.

Decide ahead of time the movie order for viewing so there is no bickering about movies. Mine have trouble choosing a movie they both like so…we have everyone choose several movies. Then, Kid A movie, then Kid B movie, and so on. Both end up happily watching all of them usually anyway.

Road Trip Hacks and Snacks – Build in Quiet Time

Schedule in quiet time. The driver can only handle so much background noise without raising stress levels. I like to have 20 minutes of quiet time in between movies. Kids need time to stare out the window and just ‘think’ like we did when we were kids!

Road Trip Hacks and Snacks – Go Old School

We love technology but the old school ways can be fun, too! Remember singing along together?  Pop in a CD or pass out printed sheets with the lyrics for old favorites like “Oh, Suzannah!” and “I’ve been working on the railroad” and sing your hearts out! Drive your kids crazy and sing, “99 Bottles of Pop on the Wall”.

Remember the license plate game? Where do you look for every state’s license plate? It is an oldie but goodie. Find every old school road trip game here in one spot!

Road Trip Hacks and Snacks – Where to?

Road trips are a fun way to get to grandma’s house (Just go over the river and through the woods…) or as a way to get to your vacation destination. BUT, don’t forget the journey itself can be a wonderful adventure.

Look here for the 10 Best Bucket List Road Trips routes. If you have time in the fall, look at these 10 Best Fall Foliage Road Trips. If you and your travelers enjoy art, you’ll love this art themed Best Texas Road Trip routes. Think about the original Road Trip Route: Route 66!

If you are having trouble narrowing down what you want to see, how about the end all, be all, road trip to see the entire United States! 

Road Trip Hacks and Snacks – Music

Aside from the sing-along favorites listed above, how about just some wonderful road trip music to listen to? You’ll love this list: 50 Best Road Trip Songs of All Time NPR used a survey to create their  Top 90 Road Trip songs playlist. 

Let everyone choose their favorite CD and take turns listening to the familyplaylistt. Learn to appreciate each other’s musical genre choices! Make everyone feel important by giving value to their choice. Introduce the kids to YOUR old favorites.

Vacations build memories that will last a lifetime. The Educational Tourist helps families make travel memories.

Happy Travels,

Natalie, The Educational Tourist