Must-Have Travel Items for Road Trips With Kids

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We travel a lot. And since plane tickets for five people get expensive very fast, most of that travel is done in our minivan. Just in the last year, I’ve done three road trips alone with three kids under 6-years-old, the most recent being a three-day drive from Idaho to Kansas (AKA the longest three days of my life). Traveling with kids is tricky. It’s nearly impossible to pack light: kids just need a lot of stuff. From extra clothes in case of accidents and sticky messes to toys and activities to keep them entertained. Knowing what to bring and what to skip can be really overwhelming. So I’ve compiled a list of my favorite, absolutely must-have travel items that make my frequent road trips with three young kids a little bit easier.

Hiccapop Inflatable Toddler Travel Bed – This mini air mattress is a life saver when your kid is too small to sleep on a giant hotel bed, but too big for a pack ‘n play. It’s big enough for my 5-year-old to fit comfortably, has a weight limit of 300 pounds (which is good, since kids feel the need to use air mattresses as trampolines), fits a standard crib sheet, comes with its own air pump, and has bumpers on the sides to ensure your little one doesn’t roll off the bed. We’ve had our Hiccapop since our oldest was 18 months old, and it’s held up great!

Lusso Gear Kids Travel Tray – This thing is a game changer! Meals in the car are so much easier with a lap tray. It prevents a lot of spills and dropped food, but it’s also great for play time in the car. Having a large, flat play space opens up so many possibilities.

Ryan & Rose Cutie Holder – This all-purpose holder is sheer genius. It has an extra-long handle that can wrap around stroller or shopping cart handles, or you can hang it on a hook inside your car. At home I use them to hang the kids water bottles from their bunk bed, but in my car I use them for my “Covid Station.” One is filled with masks for the kids and I, the other has hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes. But honestly, the possibilities are endless for this nifty little invention.

Rohm Portable Sound Machine – My kids use a sound machine every night and for every nap but bringing two sound machines in our luggage is a pain. This little guy is powerful, loud, and has high quality sound. The battery life is great, and it charges quickly. When we’re traveling all day, I’ll hang this from my baby’s car seat and turn it on during her naptime window to help the car feel more like her regular sleep environment.

Bentgo Kid’s Bento Lunch Box – I never bring my kids on a roadtrip without these. They’re perfect for packing lunches, but they also work great for fast food meals. If you have little kids, you probably know that handing a two- or three-year-old a Happy Meal in their car seat is a recipe for a mess. This lunch box has the perfect spaces for french fries, a burger or chicken nuggets, and ketchup. And when they’re finished eating, just close the lid to contain the mess until you stop somewhere and can clean it up.

GoBe Snack Spinner – These snack trays are a little pricy, so it took me a while to jump on board. But they’re seriously so great that I think they’re worth every penny! Kids love using the button to switch between snacks, and having five compartments for five different treats helps keep your kid from getting bored and asking you every five minutes for a different snack.

ChooMee SoftSip Food Pouch Tops – These food pouch toppers help prevent spilled applesauce from getting all over your kids and car when you hand them a squeeze pouch to snack on. They are a must-have item for on the go, and I always have at least one in my diaper bag.

Squeasy Snacker Reusable Food Pouch – This thing is the best! It has the same style of valve as the ChooMee pouch toppers which prevents spills and leaks. Unlike most other reusable food pouches, this one has a wide, round opening which makes clean-up super easy. And it’s dishwasher safe, too! It fits 6 ounces of purees, yogurt, smoothies, or any other liquid. It’s easy enough for a baby to use, but comfortable for toddlers and bigger kids. Get one! (Or two…or three…)

Rubbermaid Cereal Container – Why would you need a cereal container in your car? As a mini trash can, of course! Put a plastic grocery bag inside to contain the trash, and keep smells locked away with the flip-up lid. Once it’s filled, throw away the bag and start over. Trust me, this will help keep your car soooo much cleaner during a road trip—which is a big deal, because messes pile up fast when you’re in a car all day!

Crayola Washable Dry Erase Crayons – If you’ve ever allowed a small child access to a dry erase marker, you know the definition of regret. Dry erase marker DOES NOT WASH OUT! Not from clothes, not from upholstery, not from cherished blankies. They pretty much destroy everything they touch (except for white boards, but you get my point). So many on-the-go activities use dry erase markers, and these washable dry erase crayons are the perfect solution. They work on all the same surfaces as a dry erase marker, just without the stains! The Lusso Travel Tray has a white board, so grab a pack of these and let your kid draw and create without destroying their clothes.

Melissa & Doug ColorBlast – This is another great no-mess drawing activity for the car. These markers only draw on the paper provided, keeping clothes, hands, faces, and surfaces safe from toddler marker doodles. As your little one draws on the page, the colors on the paper are activated, revealing the picture. It seriously is like magic for little kids!

Fat Brain Whirly Squigz – These cool little do-dads are like baby versions of fidget spinners. They have suction cups on the bottom, making them perfect to stick on car windows (or travel trays). And spinning these guys keeps little ones entertained for a long time.

Chuckle & Roar Pop It! – You can find lots of different versions of this toy, but what I love about this specific one is that it has letters and numbers on the bubbles! The packaging includes lots of suggestions for how to play, but the possibilities are seriously endless. Little babies can pop the bubbles, toddlers/preschoolers can practice identifying letters and numbers, and kindergarteners/school aged kiddos can write sight words, spelling words, or even secret messages. It’s a sensory and learning experience for every age!

Leap Frog My Own Leaptop – Generally speaking, I recommend quiet toys for the car (to help keep the driver sane). But having a couple of talking toys can really help keep your kiddo entertained on the drive. We’ve had our Leaptop since my oldest was a baby, and it’s been used and loved by all three of my kids.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A Tablet – Let’s be real: having a tablet around for your kids to use in case all else fails is a pretty smart travel strategy. I personally recommend setting limits on how much your kids can use a tablet in the car, but there are days (like that three day trip from ID to KS) where I rely on our tablets like they’re lifelines! The Samsung Galaxy Tab A is much cheaper than an iPad, but much higher quality and waaaaaay more user friendly than an Amazon Fire kid’s tablet (we had a couple of those and hated them. Like, seriously hated them. Don’t waste your money). We download only a few apps (Spotify, Disney+, Movies Anywhere, ABC Mouse, etc.) and keep them on airplane mode as much as possible to ensure that the kids are only accessing the content that we want them to have.

Mini Voyager Tiny Cam – First of all, how adorable is this tiny camera?! It’s seriously so stinking cute. And kids absolutely love being able to document their travels with their very own camera. It will keep them entertained in the car, but also is great for any tourist stops during your trip. And bonus: Mini Voyager sells a bunch of different stickers to customize the look of your kiddo’s camera, making this the absolute cutest kid camera available anywhere.

Mini Voyager Customized Travel Kits – I cannot say enough about how awesome these travel kits are. They’re curated for different ages from 1 to 8 and contain the perfect combination of toys and activities to keep your little ones occupied for your entire trip. Not only does this remove the stress of deciding what toys to take and what toys to leave behind, it also comes packaged in a kid-friendly drawcord backpack, so everything cleans up easily! You get to pick most of the toys/activities that come in the kit, and you can also purchase a la carte options to round out your kit. It comes in two different options: Weekender (for shorter trips) and Jetsetter (perfect for multiple days in the car). I also highly recommend following @minivoyager_ on Instagram for tons of awesome travel tips! She’s a gold mine of information for taking your kids on adventures near and far, in a plane or in a car (yes, I did rhyme that on purpose).

These are my top go-to travel items, but I’m always on the look-out for new amazing travel finds. What are your favorite toys and gear to bring on road trips? If this list was helpful to you, please share this post with your friends, family, and co-workers. I can guarantee you know someone who needs help preparing to travel with kids.