I feel like we packed light considering we will be gone for 3 months.
In our yakima box we have three 31 totes with 3 shacke paks each. One a piece including summer clothes for a week each plus a swim suit, a windbreaker/raincoat, two pairs of pants and 2 long sleeves (5 total) 1 with dirty clothes, 1 filled with duplo blocks, 1 with shoes and 1 with toiletries. We also have a bag with resistance bands up there.
In the trunk we have the bike trailer for the boys, a tub of dry food, a small cooler, 5 bike helmets, the frog tent for the boys and for the sun at the beach, two cases of diapers and one of wipes (we already had them in the garage and I can’t see not bringing them), our Phil & Ted porta crib and lobster chair, our GB pockit stroller, a collapsible wagon to hold the boys and whatever else we need it for.
Behind the car seats we have some usbourne books, instapot and waffle stick maker, my backpack (with my makeup, diaperbag stuff, Tracy Anderson DVD, two baby wraps, sunscreen and sunhats) Adams backpack (his computer, hotspot and a bunch of phone chargers), each of the boys have a backpack filled with a kindle, earphones, a magnetic toy tin and their pura waterbottle, a minibag for Avilene which actually holds my bullet journal, stickers and kindle and a bucket of sand toys. Avilene’s little travel bassinet is also behind the seats.
Our bikes are on the back.
That lady’s and gents is all we packed!
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More from the Americas
Plan for roughly half the driving you think you can do. Kids need movement breaks every 1.5 to 2 hours. The best stops are not the ones on the itinerary but the ones you find by pulling over. Pack snacks that avoid crumbs. And accept that the trip will go differently than planned and that is usually better.
Audiobooks and podcasts for kids work better than screens for longer stretches. Window games. Music everyone can agree on. Letting older kids navigate. And giving them meaningful jobs rather than just asking them to sit quietly for hours.
A car trash bag. A cooler for drinks and snacks. A first aid kit. One bag per person that lives accessible in the car. Entertainment that works without wifi. A physical map as backup. And less than you think you need of everything else.
Four to five hours of actual driving is comfortable for most families with young children. More than that and the last hour tends to make everyone miserable. Factor in stops and add at least 50 percent to driving times.
The national parks are extraordinary and widely underused by families. Zoos in major cities. Interactive children’s museums. Sea World, Legoland, and similar theme parks for dedicated days. And the unexpected stops that were not planned that end up being everyone’s favorite memory.
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Enjoy your vacation!