10 Road Trip Tips for Summer 2020

Many of you still have a few weeks of Summer left before school starts and I wanted to encourage you that taking road trip during these crazy times is still very doable.  I promise!  Read on to see how we stayed healthy while traveling back in June.

Last month we went on a fun adventure.  We drove from Indiana to Southern Florida.  It was 18ish hours each way and we really enjoyed it.  Seriously, we all had a good time.  We modified things to make it work with covid and I wanted to share all about it.  Some of these things we'd do normally and some are new things we tried this year - like #1, 3, 5 and 7.   I am hoping it'll encourage you to go on adventure with your family :)

1. Drive at Night
We put the kids in their pjs and headed out.  Kevin slept during the afternoon and then drove all night.  This was a huge help because Fletcher gets really car sick and we got a huge chunk of the drive done from 8pm-8am.  I took over driving for a few hours.  This really limited the stops we had to make and we'd do it again in a heart beat.  This was our first time trying it and it couldn't have gone better.

2. Take Longer Pit Stops
We'd stop to feed the baby, get out and stretch our legs, get gas, etc.  We only went into gas stations to use the restroom and packed most of our meals and snacks.  We cleaned out the trash at each stop, made sure everyone got fresh air and took our time.

3. Snacky Meals for the Win.
This charcuterie board plate was a big hit.  I chopped fruits and veggies before our trip so they were easy to grab on the go.  I bought salami, pepperoni, salty crackers/chips and presliced cheeses.  I kept it all in a little cooler.

We'd get gas, eat in the car, use the restroom and get back on the road.

All of our stops included baby snuggles, quickly nursing and eating on the go.

4. Surprise Your Kids with a Surprise.
We let our kids go into gas stations to use the restroom and then we surprised them by letting them pick out a souvenir.  My husband or I did all of the touching of merchandise to keep the kids to a hands free shopping experience.  They were thrilled and such good little travelers.  I had fun things for them in the car - candy, activities, a new DVD to watch, etc.  But there is something special about getting to choose a souvenir of your own.

5. Car Sick Bags
If you're driving through the mountains or have anyone that gets car sick, these are a must have.  You can read all about them in this post (6 Amazon Summer Favorites).  My car will always be stocked with these.  They make car sickness mess free and really easy to deal with.

 6. Grown Up Essentials
Coffee, trail mix, candy and a Spotify playlist or two.  A beautiful sunset doesn't hurt either.

7. Drive Thru Meals
When we did eat out, we'd swing through a drive through.  Freddy's was my favorite, but any drive through will do.

8. Bring Along the Baby Gear
A major perk of traveling with a baby by car is that you can pack your favorite baby gear.  Our Boppy seat, play mat and bassinet were essentials.

9. Grocery Pick Up or One Designated Shopper
We opted to shop at the closest grocery store and have my husband do all the shopping once we arrived at our destination.  We were able to eat healthier and have lots of meals at the condo.  Grocery pick up would have been nice, but it wasn't easily accessible.

10. Relax and Be Flexible.
Our stops took longer than we would have liked (even without going into stores and restaurants).  But the fresh air, snuggles and smiles were all worth busting the schedule.  I even hopped into the second row seat for some of the trip so I could sit by the boys.  Leo was thrilled.  And so was Kevin since it meant happy kids and less stops :)

Where would you love to road trip to in the remaining weeks of Summer??