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Mindset is the key! It may be difficult to start, but on the road, you’ll be just fine.

• Will your baby cry for an hour in the car? Probably.
• Will you need more planning? Definitely.

However, these hiccups can come & go at your own home. The eagerness when you know you can travel is sticky. If your child(ren) feel your happiness, they will adjust much quicker.

If choosing close destinations make you feel comfortable, start with those ones. There is no correlation between the distance & the amount of fun you can have. We’ve discovered more than 70 places, 3 countries in the last 2 years. We took baby steps. A lot of them. 🙂

Disclaimer: Please don’t take the below as a ‘must-have’ to-do list. Rather a guidance in the maze of road trips. Grab only those tips & ideas with which you resonate to most.

Choose what your comfort level & budget let you. Each way of transport has its perks, but here is a rough list, why can be a road trip better for you & your family:

• Packing is more permissive (more bags, more random things – you just need to puzzle it into the trunk).
• More comfort & freedom (with timing, routes & personal preferences).
• Totally customized (tailor-made for you & your families).
• Give opportunity to be more family-friendly (chat, play together).

Every road trip starts with packing up. Okay, but what to pack? How many bags you’ll need? Hard cover or duffel ones? One for every person, or mixing up?

• Keep your packing style pre-kid if you had any. There will be plenty of new things to adapt to anyway. If you continue to have trips together, you’ll find the new way of working.
• Start packing a few days earlier. With a baby on board, there are so many things to pack, or pay attention to. When something pops to your mind, grab it & put it in a designated corner of your home.
• In case you don’t use packing cubes (which is recommended), have at least a few clothes bag for the laundry items. When you’re living out of a suitcase it’s handy to have them separated.
• For flexibility we recommend to have a compact stroller AND a carrier too. At least in warmer weather. Carriers are good, but during hot weather you create an extra sauna for both of you.
• Have a mini backpack / diaper bag with the essentials (detailed list below). We found it useful to have a designated backpack on the go.
• One treat for everyone! Yes, you heard me. It’s good to pack 1 toy for your child but it’s super important that during travel you enjoy it as much as you can. So, bring only one thing you’ll get soaked in: book, podcast, crossword, journal etc. At least when your child has a nap, you can treat yourself!
• If you have toddler(s) or older child(ren) let them pack a small bag. They will share the responsibility, will be motivated for longer & will anticipate the trip just as much as you are.
• There might be exceptions, but in general our opinion is to NOT bring diapers for one week. Unless you’re going to seclude yourself from society, there must be a drugstore, supermarket, or a pharmacy where you can buy essential things for changing diapers. Saves so much space.
• Definitely have multipurpose muslim swaddle (usable for breastfeeding cover, shader, swaddle, blanket). For long trips which overlaps the nap time, creating a relatively dark space at the back can do magic.
• I found it useful to pack entire outfits together (especially for the child). It’s easier to grab an entire set – particularly during emergency diaper change on the highway – than matching together a set when you find the pieces in different piles.

After showing what we pay attention packing-wise, if your space is extra limited on the go, here are some tips which can help reduce the package (& also valid in case of flying):

• Have one shower gel/shampoo for the fam (tailored to the child).
• Same for lotion, we use a cream for her what is totally usable for hand cream or normal lotion for our body (for 1 week it's totally fine).
• Rent accommodation where towel is included.
• Soft bags instead of hard covers (This one is not really recommended on planes tho).

In the diaper bag we always have:

• Diapers
• Wet wipes
• Water bottle
• Snack
• Cutlery
• Hand sanitizer
• Tissue
• 1-2 toys
• 1 extra set of clothes
• Sunscreen during summer

What we leave in the Car seat holder:

• Changing mat
• +1 Water bottle
• Extra swaddle

Attention! For a more detailed packing list suitable for road trips (and basically for any kind of trips, please subscribe on the main page & I send you the ALWAYS Packing List as a token of my gratitude.

Well, we are packed, but when should we leave? Again, instead of “must follow advices” I just share how we do. As a golden rule: always incorporate nap time.

• 1-2 hours drive - During nap time
• 3-4 hours drive – If you can’t do it one leap (like us), divide into 2 sections, where one should cover the nap time. Between the 2 session, have plenty of time to eat & move a bit.
• 5-6 hours drive – Divide into 2 sections preferably in the evening. (1 short before bed time, then stop, eat dinner, have nighttime routine, & continue during sleep).
• 6+ hours - During night. Finish the night time routine as usual then instead putting the child in bed, put him/her in the car.
• Several hours but night time is not an option - Leave many extra hours & plan ahead multiple stops.

Let’s see what’s the situation in the car. I only have a few thoughts to share.

• Accompany in the back seat. I’m sure it’s more comfortable sitting in the front while the baby is at the back, but for us, it made more sense to keep her company – especially in the beginning, while the car seat is rear facing. It’s much easier to react & cure the issue faster, like give a sip of drink, fondle for soothing her nerves, sing & whisper for helping her sleep.
• Keep important stuff near the driver’s seat. Normally we have our IDs, money, passports separately, but during trips where we cross country border, it’s more pleasant to keep your passport, ID, highway toll fee, c*** certificate in one place, in order to avoid digging around making unnecessary noises at 3am.
• Rotatable car seat. After changing our newborn—compatible car seat we opted for 360 degree rotatable one. Firstly, you can put your child in & take her out easier. Secondly, even if you stop for a second on the road, you can easily rotate your child rear or front facing, without making a big deal.

Entertaining will be different in every phase of childhood. Luckily there are a gazillion options you can choose from when it comes to fun times in the car. Peculiarly when you travel with your small baby – back at that time basically any object did the trick, so don’t overthink the toy question.

We are not really strict on the number of toys we have with us, but try to keep quality in mind instead of quantity. There is definitely 1 ‘current favorite’ & 1-2 small but engaging ones like stickers, pop-it.

We try to pack 1 toy which is in connection with the place we’re going: mini airplane for the Porto trip, teddy bear for the bear sanctuary, Easter egg for the ‘bunny’ chapel during Easter. It’s a good way engaging her & also to introduce the place in advance.

As we’re currently in the toddler phase we don’t have any other life saving idea, however I cannot wait till she’ll be old enough to try out these options too:

• Choose route wisely - let them decide where to stop (obviously offer 2 manageable options) but it gives them responsibility & sense of power.
• Play some game along the way like ‘I spy’.
• Download some fun podcasts made for children.
• Even put together a playlist with your child(ren).