My husband and I are from the same city. For us that means a lot of 8 hour drives to visit family. Prior to Covid, we were traveling to our home town almost every month, which basically means we have gotten very good at traveling with our three girls ages six and under. Here are some of our favorite items to travel with.
I would first like to preface that we don’t bring all of these items at once on our travels. We typically stick to a few basics such as snacks (and water bottle), drawing, book and toy, along with a blanket and a stuffed animal for each of the girls. All three girls have their own backpacks that they like to bring along a few personal items of their choosing such as the poly pockets, or safari ltd figures listed below. I also added our portable travel potty that is heaven sent in dire situations, as well as our new favorite lunch boxes, and our outdoor blanket for picnics.
Travel Essentials with Kids
Little Unicorn Outdoor Blanket: We keep this in our car for a quick picnic or to place over a nasty picnic table at the park. The blanket folds into an easy carrying bag, and is whipe-able for easy clean up.
Travel Potty: This collapsable potty has saved us many times. We keep it in our car to pull out whenever we need it, whether theres not a toilet available or the only one available is disgusting (you know what I mean). This travel potty makes clean up easy! Pull over, have your child go potty in the back of the car and simply throw away the bag, and you’re good to go!
Lunch Boxes for Snacks and Food on the Go: These are our new favorite lunch boxes! They have different pieces you can move around to fit the food you are putting inside. My girls loved having their own personal snacks and treats. The lunch box also can open flat so its easy for the children to hold on their lap while in the car or on a flight. Use code: PURPOSEFULTOYS for 15% off.
Kids Portable Drawing Case I was so excited when I found these cases at IKEA. My girls loved packing their own drawing utensils and notebooks in their case, and they have a hard surface to color on when they pull it out. I typically look for blank notebooks in the Target dollar section to add in.
Polly Pockets If your children are a little bit older and can handle smaller pieces, these polly pockets are perfect for traveling with!
Buckle Toy Busy Board: We love these busy boards! I keep these in the back pocket of the seats in front of my youngest girls for them to pull out any time we are in the car.
Magnetic Dolls Find a theme that best fits your child! My youngest is obsessed with Belle from Beauty and the Beast and this was a big hit during our long road trip!
Safari Ltd Figurines: We cant get enough of our Safari Ltd figures! Use code: PURPOSEFULTOYS for 15% off your purchase!
Legos My girls loved traveling with these mini lego homes. If lego friends isn’t your thing you could glue a lego base to the bottom of a container to have a similar travel item.
Cars: Candylab cars are our personal favorites: Use code CANDYPURPOSE15 for 15% off your purchase (limit one time use per customer)
Books: What Should Danny Do? and What Should Darla Do? are favorites around here because there are multiple alternate endings which is basically like having 7 stories in one!
Guidecraft Geo Lacing We LOVE our guidecraft geo lacing boards, and this one is sure to keep your kids busy during your travels! It even comes with pattern cards for lacing ideas!
Boogie Board for Mess Free Creations. Draw, erase and repeat!
Rubber Band Geo Board How fun is this elastic geo board, also with pattern cards!
Play Dough (if you’re feeling up for it): Land of Dough play dough has different themes that can match your adventure. Or you can go with one of my personal favorites, Yaya dough and use code: RYLEEMATANGI for 15% off!
Other Personal Favorites
Kid Made Modern Double Sided Markers Hands down our favorite markers!
Kid Made Modern Gem Crayons: These are a unique and fun crayon for your child to explore with.
Silly Putty: Our last trip we brought along silly putty thanks to Grandma and it was a big hit without the mess of slime. A fun sensory for your little one to explore while mom and dad are listening to all the podcasts and books on tape.
Paint by Sticker: These books are super fun for the older kids you can match the numbers to create a fun picture.
Reusable Stickers: My girls have all loved these stickers regardless of their differing ages. Tip: on an airplane sit by the window seat and use these on the window!
We love to mix things up each road trip. What are some of your favorite road trip activities? I would love to hear them in the comments below! Happy Travels!
