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Every year, we take several summer trips– some are close (an hour to the Kansas City), and some are far (18 hours to our favorite island destination). All of these require a little bit of planning to make sure our car, and the kids, will get there without breaking down or totally losing it on each other. After a few summers, I think we’ve got this down to an art, so I wanted to share my best road trip tips with you so you will be totally ready for your summer vacation!

First, my focus is making sure there’s plenty to entertain everyone on the ride.

A few weeks before vacation, I start checking the appstore for free apps and app sales that might entertain. As much as I know we like to limit screen time usually, I am a firm believer that if kids aren’t fighting, road trips are a lot safer and less distracting. That means screen time rules are a little less firm in our family when a long trip rolls around. So, before we make a long trip, I stock everyone up on apps and movies that will entertain for awhile… and planning ahead is a great way to save a little money. By doing it myself, I make sure that the apps don’t appear until time to leave, so we don’t have them bored before vacation, but an alternative is to get each kid a gift card to the appstore your family uses and let them pick their own favorites.

I rely on free printables from around the web to entertain my kids. A quick search on pinterest or google for Road Trip Games can give you a ton of options for bingo cards, traditional games like Battleship and Connect Four that can be played with markers instead of small pieces, and other great sing-a-longs, travel games, and rules for other fun like “eye spy” and new ideas you might not know. There are SO many resources for great car games out there, so before every trip, I do a search and see what’s new!

A car bag helps with “something new” and allows arguments to be tamed quickly. Before vacation, I prep a bag that stays hidden until time to go. It’s usually full of snacks, extra diapers, and other essentials, but I use exterior pockets for plenty of fun, too! Small figurines and dolls, as well as toy cars, are usually favorites for road trips. Why do I pack so many drink mixes? Because a few hours on the road means water eventually gets boring, and dehydration fuels arguments (I also pack grapes and other hydrating foods the night before we leave!)

Tailor in-car offerings to your child’s tastes. Road trips are a better time to spoil your child– offering up something they’ll like is a really great way to squash arguments before they start. If you have a child who prefers to play with action figures, toss a few of those in. An artistic child? Be sure to stock up on coloring supplies and pads for them to draw on. A writer? Bring their favorite writing utensils and paper so they can imagine a great new story. A musical child? We pack sets of cheap wooden chopsticks that make perfect drumsticks for the road (and if they get lost, they cost next-to-nothing!) I know it may seem a little bit like spoiling, sure, but sometimes, avoiding a car brawl is best– it isn’t like home where you can send kids to separate rooms to squash an argument.

Finally, we keep everyone in line with plenty of snacks. A hungry family is a grumpy family, so we put snacks in our under-seat storage. It starts with a liner of multiple trashbags, so if there is a spill, it’s caught by the bags for easy cleanup. If there isn’t, we have bags to use for our week on vacation (we typically stay in cost-saving places where we cook for ourselves and don’t have housekeeping services, so things like trashbags are part of our responsibility!) Trash bags can be used for plenty of things on vacation– bringing wet swimsuits home, keeping dirty clothes separate from clean ones, or keeping sandy boards together without sand all over the car. And this is a great way to transport them down.

 

On top of the liner, we pack special treats that we don’t usually get to have, any non-perishable foods we can take with us for our meals (like spaghetti and cereal, which we buy on sale weeks before the trip), and of course, any favorite snacks for the trip there and back that will keep us happy.

It isn’t just about keeping the kids happy, either. It’s about keeping the driver happy, too. We make sure sunglasses are where they’re supposed to be and that whoever is in the drivers’ seat has a steady supply of snacks to enjoy, like sunflower seeds.

Once you’ve considered all of the passengers’ needs, it’s time to focus on the car itself.

First, it’s a good idea to go over the entire car– do you have all of your entertainment needs met? I will probably get heat for this, but I notice that a lot of times, men go over the checklist of “wiper blades, fluids, etc,” and moms make sure the family is happy… so moms, don’t forget when keeping the family happy to change the batteries in any in-car entertainment and devices and pack spares just in case. We had our in-car headphones go out one year during a very, very long marathon of an awful children’s show, and it was pretty much a tragedy. Don’t let it happen to your family (first world problems, right? but if you’ve got these, it’s a must).

Most devices don’t use batteries these days, but have a charger instead, so be sure you’ve packed your chargers for the car and the trip ahead. We also like to take those fuel packs of extra battery charge that you can connect to a phone or device, just in case.

And then, yes, it’s important to make sure your car is trip-ready, too!

Check your wiper blades! After a long winter, they may be tattered and torn, so it’s good to replace those before you go on a car trip this summer.

Fluids are a must! What good are new wiper blades if you have no wiper fluid? What other fluids do you want to check before going? Just make sure everything is all topped off and ready to go!

It’s also a great idea to check tire pressure and make sure your tires have the right amount of air to get you where you need to go without a flat. It’s also a great time to make sure your spare is ready to go– I’ve known a lot of people who don’t even know where on the car their spare is located until they had a flat and needed to know, so make sure you’re pretty well-acquainted, just in case. And if not? Having your car’s manual in the glove box is a great plan, too.

If you have roadside assistance, make sure you have that number handy (and any paperwork you may need for that!) It’s also a good time to check for your insurance card– do you have it? Is it up to date?

Finally, before any big trip, I really like to get an oil change if my car is due for one or going to be due for one soon.

 

I’ve mentioned before that I am a big fan of going to Walmart for a Pennzoil oil change, because it’s easier to check off two things on my to-do list– oil changes AND shopping. So, when it was time for me to prep my car for summer travel, it was back to Walmart, as I was due for an oil change and wanted some Pennzoil.

When you get a Pennzoil oil change at Walmart, you get this cool little oil change passport, which you can scan around the store at any price checker to get an update on your car’s progress– like if it’s in the queue to get changed, if they’re getting it started, or if it’s finished.

To entertain my kiddo, I put him in charge of seeking out scanners to check out our car’s progress while we shop. It also is the PERFECT time to stock up on everything we need– like snacks, batteries, and headphones– while we wait for our oil to get changed. Basically, getting our oil changed with Pennzoil at Walmart allows us to eliminate a stop– instead of shopping and then getting our oil changed, we can shop while we get our oil changed.

Before we had even finished getting all of our vacation gear, our car was ready for pickup!

I choose Pennzoil because their products clean out the sludge that lesser oils leave behind, and since it’s designed for complete protection, it lets you drive more miles per year than a dirty engine would.

I personally was getting an oil change on one of our high mileage vehicles, so I selected the high mileage oil that helps reduce the leaks and oil consumption in an older engine. Because our car is over 75,000 miles, this is a good way to help keep the engine going a lot longer. However, since Pennzoil has a conventional and a platinum offering, you’ve got several varieties to choose from.

But now is the perfect time to get your car ready for summer with an oil change at a Walmart Automotive Care Center, because Pennzoil High Mileage oil and Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic oil is on rollback, starting today and running through September 9! The high mileage oil will be priced at $35.88, which is so affordable, not only compared to the Walmart price of $39.88, but especially the industry standard price of $46. The Platinum oil change costs $45.88 on rollback from the Walmart price of $49.88– but it’s a huge savings from the industry standard price at $66! Don’t miss the savings while you’re getting an oil change for summer (and hey, with the money you’ve saved, maybe you can do a special excursion on your trip! We’re going to use our savings to get a trip to the Estuarium on an island we like to visit each summer!)

 

If you’re going on a trip this summer, you’ll want to check out some of my older posts on how to pack for two people for a week in one carry-on suitcase, or some can’t-miss photo opportunities on your vacation. Staying local? I have some great arguments for why a staycation is a GREAT option for summer.

Don’t forget to get more car care tips for summer by checking out the Pennzoil social hub, and find out more about how Pennzoil cares for high mileage cars, too!

 

What is your best tip for prepping your car or your family for a road trip? Let me know in the comments below!