Here’s a free road trip packing list printable so you don’t forget anything before you leave! What to bring on a road trip with kids and how to make your trip more fun! Believe me we have forgotten essentials on vacation and it’s no fun. This road trip checklist has helped immensely and I use it to pack every time now.
We LOVE going on road trips each year. Visiting National Parks are our favorite places to go hiking! To make things a bit easier we made this road trip packing list so we didn’t forget a thing. Hopefully this helps you in your planning too! This and many other family travel resources are listed on our road trip blog post for you to enjoy. 😉 This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Banana Boat® and OFF!®. (originally published 6/16)
Printable Road trip packing list
If your family loves to travel and you love road trip checklists, I’m sure this will help you too!
- On the left side of our road trip packing list are comfort items to keep in the car in order to keep your kids busy. They’ll also allow them to take a bit of a nap too.
- On the right are things you definitely don’t want to forget when you’re headed out for a long road trip.
We have been on countless road trips and there’s nothing worse than arriving at your destination only to realize you forgotten something important.
I suggest bringing one of each thing for each person so if something breaks you will have a spare.
- Print out this free road trip checklist so nothing important is forgotten. This one has items on it we suggest and shown at the top of this post.
- We also have another one that is blank and you can fill out yourself shown below. You can choose either or both of these to keep you organized.
You can print this other version of this blank road trip list here.
- Keep the items on the left in your car
- Pack the items on the right side of this checklist. You can use this packing for a road trip printable too.
- Make sure each person in your family has their own items listed above
- Bring items to prevent car sickness is needed
- To make your trip smoother pack a road trip busy bag for each child too…you’ll thank me later
When you begin to pack for a road trip first look on the list and pack the things you already have at home. Check them off and then head to Walmart for anything else you need to pick up.
I make sure to stock up on more Banana Boat SunComfort and OFF! bug repellent. I have very fair skin and most of my girls do too so we tend to buy sunscreen in bulk, especially when we’re going hiking! 😉
This summer our road trip took us on a weeklong trip to several National Parks, including Bryce Canyon and Zion.
Each morning we lathered up with sunscreen to protect us from UVA rays. Then we brought our bottle of Banana Boat® SunComfort in the backpack.
Coupled with water, snacks, and our camera of course. It’s important to reapply throughout the day especially with fair skin,
If you haven’t taken a long road trip with your kids before I HIGHLY recommend it! Our first one was when my youngest was about 3 and we’ve been on one each year since.
We started with shorter distances but as time went on we lengthened the time in the car and now we typically drive 7-9 hrs. each way. It’s not just about the destination but what you find and see along the way.
It’s fun to talk about the animals you see and the towns you pass through. Also a great way to review things they learned in school like “what type of rocks are those”, when you visit National Parks.
Free road trip packing list
Of course there’s time for talking, eating, and sight seeing but you will need some other activities to keep them busy too. Books are great for school aged children.
Even if they aren’t big readers at home they will usually pick one up in the car. Keeping them busy (and having some quiet time) are essential to making your road trip a successful one….believe me! 😉
I will say our trip this year to Bryce Canyon and Zion was incredible and probably one of our favorite trips. Hiking as a family is a great way to bond. Even if you aren’t a huge outdoorsman (I wasn’t at first) just start slow and work your way up to a weeklong trip of camping and hiking.
If you bring along some comfort items for everyone and essential items like the ones on our road trip packing list, it will make your trip one you will want to repeat year after year like we do.
Where are you headed to this year?