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This post is sponsored by Firestone Complete Auto Care but all opinions are my own.
Thinking back to all the trips that I took as a child, the road trips with my grandparents were always my favorite. Whether we were driving up the east coast, or just a few hours away, each minute spent in the car and sightseeing were so memorable. I knew that when I had a family of my own, I was going to make sure to give my kids that same experience. And while there are always lots of “are we there yet”s and more rest stops than I can count, I know that the memories we make will last a lifetime.
Road Trips Done Right
Earlier this year, we took a road trip from Florida to Georgia and back. It was a week we will never forget. We loved the experience so much, we started planning our next road trip before we made it back home.
Safety First
Before we head out on any road trip, we always make sure that our car is in perfect shape. Whether it be the oil, the tires or the breaks, when you’re driving long distances, there is nothing more important than making sure you and your family are safe. For this reason, we rely on Firestone Complete Auto Care. Firestone Complete Auto Care backs all of their work with a Triple Promise that guarantees your experience will be Fixed Right, Priced Right, and Right on Time. Their 4,000+ hardworking and trustworthy ASE-certified technicians keep your car running newer, longer since 1926. I trust them with my car and with my family’s safety.
Prepare for the Journey
Each of us are different. We have a variety of things that we love to do when we have free time. So we make sure to give the girls each a backpack and have them fill it with things to keep them busy while we’re on the road. The contents of those backpacks range from headphones, coloring books and crayons, journals, drawing pads and playing cards to stuffed animals. They always make sure to leave some space in those bags for souvenirs from each of the places we go and every adventure we have.
Stray From the Itinerary
We try to plan things out for each of our road trips, but some of my favorite experiences are those that were spontaneous. When you’re on a road trip, and you see a sign for something on the side of the road, don’t be afraid to pull over. It’s those little gems that you didn’t know about that turn out to be the most memorable. For us, one of those places was St. Augustine Alligator Farm. We live in Florida, so we aren’t strangers to alligators. In fact, we occasionally have them in our backyard. Going to an alligator farm wasn’t at the top of our list but we decided to take a detour and visit the alligator farm and the girls had an absolute blast. Had we stuck to our plans, they would’ve missed out. One of the things we love to do is ask for local treasures at the front desk of the hotel we are staying at. You can also reach out to the local visitors bureau for each city and they will be happy to share their top tourist spots.
Capture Every Moment
Photography is something I truly love. There is something so special about being able to capture a moment and look back on it. Whether it’s on your phone, or with a camera, make sure to capture every memorable moment (especially the ones that aren’t posed). I love to sit back and let my family explore and have fun. Allowing them to live in the moment, gives me the opportunity to capture it for them. Once we get back home, I’ll print my favorites or create a photo book filled with photos of the trip. The girls love to pull those photos and books out every now and then and relive the trip. Each photo sparks a memory and I find them sharing stories that I know they’ll be sharing as they grow up.
Plan as a Family
No matter where you go, or what you do, make sure you are enjoying your family. We find that road trips always bring us closer. Being confined to a car for hours on end, gives us more of an opportunity to connect. Planning a road trip is not something that is done by just one of us. It’s a family affair where each of us gets to give our suggestions and choose places to stop and things to do. Allowing our kids to help us plan our trips gets them just a little bit more excited about each stop. The look in their eyes when they see us enjoying their part of the trip is a sight I’ll never get tired of.
Relax
You don’t have to be out and about all the time to have fun. Dedicate some of your time to relaxing. My family loves the water, so give them a pool or a beach and they can spend hours having the time of their lives. Don’t be afraid to enjoy your downtime. Find a hotel that offers the on-site amenities that work for your family and take advantage of them.
We can’t wait for our next road trip this Summer and can’t wait to show you all of the fun places we will be headed. Have you recently taken a family road trip? Comment below and share your favorite road trip memories.
Are you planning a road trip? Make sure to visit Firestone Auto Care and download a coupon to get your car ready for your family road trip.
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Elle
January 27, 2020That’s a great guide! Road trips will always be fun if everyone follows your advice. 🙂
Wanda Lopez
July 9, 2018Great tips. We love road trips. We love making the plans and packing, but when it comes to taking care of some very important details we don’t take it lightly. It’s all part of having a great time. Being safe, staying safe while making new memories.
Shannon Gurnee - Redhead Mom Blog
July 9, 2018It sounds like you and your family had a great time on your road trip! These are some great tips! Thanks for sharing.
anvita
July 9, 2018these are great trips. we just got back from a long road trip from NC to montreal with our 5 year old. setting the expectation for the kids and making it fun and relaxing for them always helps.
Charli Bruce
July 9, 2018What a great post! We are going on a very long road trip in two weeks with all the kids, we are quite looking forward to it! x
Shilpa Bindlish
July 9, 2018Our family loves to take frequent road trips. Your tips are definitely helpful. Thanks for sharing.
Kusum
July 8, 2018I would also include plan for the unexpected too. Roadtrips are always a great way to bond with each other and so fun.
Novel Blondes
July 8, 2018The best trips are a balance of scheduled activities and unplanned surprises! Thanks for sharing your tips.
Sayanti | bingeonbasics.com
July 8, 2018I must say that excellent planning is done and all the special moments are captured right 🙂
Cat Uy
July 8, 2018it is important that you are all insured before doing a road trip. good points!
Michelle Snow
July 8, 2018I’ve been road tripping all my life and I whole-heartedly agree about straying off the highway if you see something interesting. Part of the fun of a road trip is discovering things you didn’t plan for. =)
Apostolia Delikosta
July 8, 2018You cuties! You look so happy in the pictures! Totally love your tips on road trips… I’m planning to go on a road trip in the beginning of September! Totally using your tips!
Mane
July 8, 2018That is an amazing roadtrip with the family. I can see you really enjoyed it. Thanks for the great tips as well.
Puja
July 8, 2018Agree with all the tips. We do roadtrips with our son quite often.
Laurie
July 7, 2018One of my favorite road trips to take is to St. Augustine and have never been to the Alligator Farm (my fear runs deep!) I love planning for trips almost as much as I do taking them. But I agree that it is important to not plan out every moment. You never know what type of experience that could come up out of nowhere.
Aleese Hughes
July 7, 2018I’ve traveled on the road a LOT, and I agree with all these tips! Thanks for sharing!
Echo
July 7, 2018I love this! Road trips can be so much fun and you get to see so much!
Jessica Taylor
July 7, 2018Roadtrips with kids are so fun, but so nervewracking. Super important to make sure everything is good with the car before we leave.
What Corinne Did
July 7, 2018I love road trips! they are always so much fun! they were also very spontaneous but i guess when you do it as a family, you need some prep!
Agnes Dela Cruz
July 7, 2018The hardest and painstaking thing when you go on a road trip or travel is going unplanned especially when you have the kids with you. It will take your time and it will be expensive too!
Shanab
July 7, 2018This is a great guide to road trips and it looks like you guys had so much fun doing it too!
Adaezeboltbethel
July 7, 2018I Just returned from a road trip and I must tell, it was fun but I must commend you for being able to manage the kid during your road trip.
Ricci
July 7, 2018YES to straying from the itinerary! Some of my favorite memories as a kid were doing random unplanned stuff on road trips!!
Ada
July 7, 2018These are all wonderful tips to road trips. Packing a bag for every person is definitely a must! I like to pack books, of course music, snacks and my iPad for any last minute work.
Jeanine
July 6, 2018Love this. Such great info. Road trips freak me out with 8 kids but at some point we will get into them!
Ashley
July 6, 2018Straying from the itenerary sometimes brings the most memorable experiences! Looks like you guys had a blast!
Vaishali
July 6, 2018We love road trips. They are such a learning experience
Nancy P
July 6, 2018Love the guide! We are big on road trips! At least 1 trip every month! Having a plan and most importantly safety is a must! Looks like you guys had a blast on your trip!
Terri Beavers
July 6, 2018I do quite a few of your tips but not all of them. I need to learn to stray from the itinerary to enjoy our surroundings more. And I definitely could take more photos too.
Nina
July 6, 2018I love road trips 🙂 there are so many things to see and explore. you have pointed out many of the major points 🙂
Anosa Malanga
July 6, 2018Definitely planning ahead of time and budgeting plus safety first is a must when going on a road trip. Of course, considering the food to bring is a must too.
Marcie
July 6, 2018Encouraging kids to help plan the itinerary is key for any family vacation. Looks like you had an awesome road trip and made some amazing memories!
Gisele
July 6, 2018I love the suggestion of straying from the itinerary. Nothing is better than spontaneity ! This looks like it was a great trip
Evelyn
July 6, 2018Great tips, stray from the itinerary, that always leads to amazing finds!
Janet C
July 6, 2018Planning a trip together as a family is probably some of the best advice. This will ensure that everyone has a say in activities before they are locked in.
Alison Rost
July 6, 2018Those are really awesome tips for families who plan on going to road trips this season. Above everything else, safety is the most important especially if you have little kids with you!
Backpacking Series
July 6, 2018Road trips are a great way to explore and the tips you have shared definitely makes it an easier ride! Especially when you say “Plan as a family”. Sometimes, kids are kept out of the planning process but I think this is a great way to inculcate responsibility and planning skills.
Best
Backpacking Series
https://www.backpackingseries.com
Emma Riley
July 6, 2018Who doesn’t love road trip? This will make them change their mind. Great ideas and tips to all road trippers. Now, I’m looking forward to our next road journey.
Thatsmeonline
July 6, 2018That guide was very useful! Can’t wait to go on my next road trip. Thanks for sharing!
Love,
Claudia
http://thatsmeonline.net
Shell Feis
July 6, 2018Love all these points! We road trip as a family quite often and you’re so spot on with everything. We’re especially concerned with safety because most of our road trips are 80% hot desert, so if we got stranded out there we’d be in trouble!
Emma Riley
July 6, 2018I love doing road trips and I think all these tips are the best for me. I love avoiding itinerary because I think it is impossible to follow your plan itinerary if you have a younger kids. Thank for sharing this with us.
Cassie
July 5, 2018We love road trips! We usually plan one big thing to see or do and play the rest by ear
Kayla
July 5, 2018I really like that you included avoiding an itinerary, because life with kids makes it nearly impossible. The stress that is lifted once you just kinda go with the flow is amazing.
Rachel
July 5, 2018These are really great tips. I need to remember to stray from the itinerary!
Tara Pittman
July 5, 2018I like short road trips best. A couple of hours in the car is all I can handle.
cait
July 5, 2018oh yes the joy of road trips ha- planning is key for me too!
Jenn
July 5, 2018Yes to all of this. Road trips are the best. We have made some of our favorite family memories during road trips. Some of which were planned and some were not. They are all great.
Sarah Bailey
July 5, 2018These are some great tips – road trips can be hard, after all you have a lot to do and think about so making sure you make it as easy as possible is a must.
Marina
July 5, 2018Such a lovely family. That crocodile looks real 😉
wendy
July 5, 2018Great tips! We leave soon for a long road trip and I do think it’s good to make sure everyone is included in the plan.
Ashley
July 5, 2018I always tell people to get the car checked out before road trips. It is so important!
Riah Tarango
July 5, 2018These are such great tips! It can be hard to stray away from the itinerary but necessary to really experience the world at times!
Tomi C
July 5, 2018We take a lot of road trips and it’s important to have the car checked out before hitting the road. Better safe than sorry. We look at it as creating memories. Discovering this beautiful world of ours one highway at a time.
Amber Myers
July 5, 2018This is good to keep in mind. I always want to be safe when we go on road trips. We’re headed to the beach this weekend and I hope everything goes well.
Philly
July 5, 2018Now we have 2 children our road trips take much more planning but it is so worth it when you see the excitement in their eyes.
Tammy
July 5, 2018Great ideas. I love all those places you have been with your family. Atlanta is a fun place to visit. There is also another great alligator place called Gatorland in Orlando if you are there with the family.
valerie christie
July 5, 2018Nice sharing all the wonderful memories. Love to see that you are focused on Safety first. Have a great summer.
Melissa Chapman
July 5, 2018We don’t have a road trip planned yet but the summer is young and we have some ideas. I think getting ready for a trip with a well tuned car is essential and everything else will work itself out.
Courtney
July 5, 2018Love these tips! Especially capturing the moments! I love to relive past trips by looking at all of the photos! ♥️
Teresa
July 5, 2018Road trips do take some planning, and great organization. We have taken quite a few road trips with our children over the years and you have pretty much pointed out the key components!
Heather
July 5, 2018I don’t live in the States at the moment but I dream of taking a road trip up to the New England area during autumn so we can go leaf peeping. You have some great tips here to make it a fun trip instead of stressful.
Tasheena
July 5, 2018These are wonderful tips. I’ve learned that planning our trips as a family just makes things so much easier especially with teens.
Glenda Cates
July 5, 2018We will be taking a trip soon, and I will be using the tips you compiled for us. Thank you for sharing them with us.
Jeanette
July 5, 2018We love going on road trips. There is so much to explore in this country that flying misses. I love when we don’t have much of an itinerary and sort of just stop along the way! It is a fun way to go.
GiGi Eats
July 5, 2018I love road trips with my husband and soon enough we will have a son to go on road trips too!! And all of a sudden I got randomly excited.
candy
July 5, 2018We just returned from a road trip. The car inspection to make sure everything was okay came first. We planned where would stay and many other things. It turned really hot the last couple of days so we changed it up to include more inside things to see and do. Had a blast.