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How To Save Your Sanity on Family Road Trips

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My family loves nothing more than a good road trip! Our kids have their moments of moaning and groaning along the way, but that’s normal. It’s hard to sit still for long periods of time in the car – even for moms and dads. Whether you have 20 miles or 200 miles to go over the river and through the woods to your destination, these tips can help save your sanity on family road trips.

family road trip tips

Before we get started, I feel like I should put a disclaimer out there for anyone traveling with babies under 3 years old. I have been there, done that (four times!) and road trips with young children are difficult. Most babies do not like to sit in their car seats for long periods of time and understandably get fussy when they travel. My best advice for you is to try to plan your drive around nap schedules or bedtime so the baby will be asleep for as much travel time as possible.

My family goes on road trips a lot more often now that our kids are older. But I have learned that successful family road trips always require us to plan ahead and pack lots of road trip essentials.

4 Ways To Save Your Sanity on Family Road Trips

1. First of all, pack your patience. Be sure to bring extra if your road trip will take longer than 3 hours. Resist the urge to be in a hurry to get there – wherever “there” may be. Trust me, trying to hurry almost always backfires and will only cause you unnecessary stress. Give yourself plenty of time to reach your destination, take a deep breath, and drive safely.

2. Bring on the entertainment. Make room for travel toys, tablets, books and road trip games. Travel toys can be anything your child can play with while buckled up. Reading books and simple activities like coloring can keep kids busy. Everyone can play road trip games like “I Spy” and the License Plate Game. Watching movies and playing games on a tablet can keep the kids entertained for long periods of time, too.

3. Pack Snacks. Snacks are road trip essentials. Eating helps pass the time and helps put everyone in a better mood. Kids (and adults) get cranky and impatient when they are hungry. Bring a variety of snacks and drinks. Someone is always hungry and thirsty in my car – it’s best to be prepared.

Orchard Valley Harvest Trail Mixes and Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds are convenient road trip snacks. All Orchard Valley Harvest products are Non-GMO Project verified. I picked up a few Multi Packs, which contain 8 individually packaged servings.

road trip snacks

The single serving bags are easy to hand out to the kids in the car. They especially like the Chocolate Raisin Nut Trail Mix (dark chocolate covered raisins, almonds and peanuts) and to my dismay, I recently discovered they love my personal favorite, Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds (now I have to hide them from the kids or I’ll never get any.)

4. Plan regular pit stops. Everyone needs to get out of the car for a stretch break. Plan to stop at least every 2 hours along the way. Give kids 10-15 minutes of time to get their energy out. We like to stop at parks or rest areas where the kids have room to play when possible. We bring balls to throw and sometimes have the kids run relays to help expend some of their energy before getting back into the car.

Where will your holiday travel plans take you? Let Orchard Valley Harvest help.

Orchard Valley Harvest wants to send one lucky reader an assortment of their snacks, perfect for anytime snacks and family road trips. Orchard Valley Harvest Grab & Go and multipack sizes of Cranberry Almond Cashew Trail Mix, Dark Chocolate Almonds and Chocolate Raisin Nut Trail Mix are now available in the produce section of Walmart, among the fruits, vegetables and other products that help promote a healthier lifestyle. The winner will also receive a $50 Walmart Gift Card as part of the prize pack!

orchard valley harvest walmart

How do you save your sanity on family road trips? Share your tips with us in the comments. 

road trip snacks

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Orchard Valley Harvest . The opinions and text are all mine.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. Amy Deeter says

    i learned that ” convenient Grab & Go bags and Multi Packs are a great choice when you’re on the run”

  11. Tanya White says

    I learned that they don’t use any artificial ingredients or genetically modified organisms in their products.

  16. Crystal F says

    I would love to try the DARK CHOCOLATE ALMONDS. I love chocolate covered almonds but haven’t had them in forever. Thank you!

  17. laurie murley says

    I would love to try the Chocolate Raisin Nut Trail Mix first and then try all the other products next

  20. Jennifer R says

    I love the Orchard Valley Harvest Multi Packs that offer eight 1 oz pouches of perfectly portioned snacks. These would be perfect for my family. The CHOCOLATE RAISIN NUT TRAIL MIX packs look wonderful.

  33. Betsy Rubendall Barnes says

    I am most excited to try the Orchard Valley Harvest Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds 🙂

  36. Tiffany Banks says

    I would LOVE to try the chocolate raisin nut trail mix! I know this is something that my whole family will enjoy!

  39. Dawn Monroe says

    I’d like to try the dark chocolate almond flavor. Electronics are great on our road trips.

  73. Ann Fantom says

    I learned that I can buy Orchard Valley Harvest’s products at our local Hannaford Supermarket.

  79. Margaret Smith says

    I’d like to try the Cranberry Almond Cashew Trail Mix. Orchard Valley Harvest has some great products. Thanks so much.