Summer is finally here, meaning you’ll be spending lots of time in the car for day-trips and vacations with the family. Road trip packing can be stressful – it’s mom’s job to be prepared for the unpredictable and remember everything, right?! To ensure your vacation starts off on the right foot, here is a list of our top summer travel tips and tricks.
Take time to prep
- Dedicate time well before departure to plan your pack—yes plan. Check the weather forecast, ensure flight times are accurate, check construction and closures and find alternative routes to make a realistic travel route to get you there on time. If flying, remember to double check what you can bring in your carry-on to avoid anything being thrown out.
- Avoid the morning of mad dash to gather all necessary toiletries and invest in a travel set of essentials. Do you need a full size shampoo and conditioner for the family to share, or can you use the adorable mini travel-sized items, like the super cute and convenient mini Scope Outlast to maintain fresh breath on the go? If you have essentials you just can’t duplicate, like an electronic toothbrush, add them to your last minute pack list.
Make a list, check it twice
- If heading on a road trip, packing the family and your trip essentials can mean a tightly packed car. Making a check list of what you really need will help eliminate those “nice to have” items that will overflow the car.
- Involve the kids – throughout the week have the kids write down items they use in the day on a chalk or white board in a central location (i.e. kitchen fridge). At the end of the week, go through the list together and narrow it down to the must haves. You may be surprised by some of the things you use daily!
To pack it right, pack it light!
- The lighter the better! We know packing with kids and pets it may be difficult to live by this mantra, however keeping things light and simple leaves room for souvenirs.
- Downsize by bringing items that have more uses than one. Bring Pampers Sensitive wipes – they work wonders for baby’s bottom and do double duty by wiping faces clean of juice spills and other sticky messes. Be sure to have Puffs Basic Tissues on hand to aid in the unexpected clean up!
- Bounce Free & Sensitive Dryer Sheets are a great static solution on the go. Rub along your electric-charged clothing item to help remove pesky static!
- When packing clothing, try rolling versus folding. It often helps keep things less-wrinkled and can save space in your suitcase. And to keep everything smelling fresh, longer, spray the inside of your suit case with Febreze Fabric Refresher Extra Strength.
Car essentials
- It’s easy to get tempted by road side stops for fries and ice cream, which can add up and increase your budget. Try bringing cut fruit, veggies and bags of trail mix to help curb everyone’s appetite! And don’t worry about the mess, Bounty DuraTowels White Paper Towels are perfect for spills and sticky fingers.
- Bathroom pit stops can often be annoying if certain amenities are missing – don’t leave the house without bringing your own Charmin Basic so you’re always fresh and comfortable. Keep your mouth feeling fresh too by bringing Oral-B Pro-Health Cross Action Manual Toothbrush and ORAL B Pro-Health Glide Floss so you can head back into the car feeling rejuvenated, ready for the next leg of the trip.
- Long car rides can often result in smells you’d wish you left at home. With leftover snacks sitting around, get rid of the odours by using a Febreze Car Vent Clip Air Freshener to keep your vehicle fresh for hours and hours.
Safety first
- Always remember to bring a first aid kit. No one wants to get sick on vacation so be prepared for everything that may get thrown your way. From cuts, bruises, to colds and allergies, be ready to tackle it all so the fun never stops!
Portland, OR! To visit family…and maybe also stop in Vancouver, BC along the way
I would love to tour the east coast but would want to start from Ontario or Quebec
My ultimate road trip would be to San Francisco!
I’ve always wanted to do a road trip down Route 66! (Or if the kids had it their way, we’d take a road trip to Disneyland!)
My ultimate road trip would be to drive to Nova Scotia to visit all of our family. My husband and I drove from Nova Scotia to Alberta when we were dating and now I would love to do the opposite (Alberta to Nova Scotia) with the kids in tow.
It would take me to BC to visit family.
My ultimate road trip would take me out West to visit my is in the Vancouver area.
Disneyland and San Francisco
My ultimate road trip would be to Chicago!
Louisiana! I have always wanted to go and see the beautiful scenery and taste the amazing food!
Out to Vancouver Island to visit my sister
Down to South Carolina to visit my BFF then onto Florida to meet up with another friend.
I would travel to Calgary to visit my son and grandson.
Australia
Florida to visit a friend
I would love to drive down the coast through the US and Canada and take at least a year for the journey
Banff, straight to a hot springs.
I’d like to drive down the coast through, washington st., oregon, california and into mexico!
To be honest, my in-the-car limit is about 5 hours, so my ultimate road trip would take me no further than Pittsburgh, which is about 4.5 hours with no stops. 🙂 We’d have snacks, plenty of drinks, the kids would have toys and games to occupy themselves with, and my husband and I would play nice with sharing the radio!
Thank you for the giveaway. 🙂
I would head east to Nova Scotia.
I live on the east coast and I would love to take lots of time to drive to the west coast .
I would love to go to Prince Edward island. Anne’s Land
ive done the cross Canada a few times, would love to go state side this time from west to east coast
To Disneyworld!
it would take me to the California Coast
I would take a road trip to Vancouver Island, all the way to Tofino.
The ultimate road trip would would be around Alberta and Saskatchewan stopping to visit friends and relatives.
Kangaroo Island – Australia – dream vacation…..
Eva Mitton-Urban
across Canada
With four little kids along for the ride, a road trip to Disney World would be top of the list!
I would love to plan an epic trip across Canada….all the way to the East Coast!
I have always wanted to do something like Gettysburgh!
Across Canada from the West Coast to the East Coast.
My ultimate road trip would be through the Maritimes.
Disney World
I’d drive to Florida….and maybe drive back.
or maybe not? lol
It would take me to BC. I’d love to go all the way from east to west, visiting every province along the way.
I would go to the east coast.
I would love to drive down to Las Vegas
I really enjoyed the drive out to Halifax many years ago, and think it would be a great family road trip
I would love to travel around PEI! All those beaches and lighthouses? Beautiful!!
I would love to travel across Canada
thanks
I would be off to Alaska to see the mountains and some moose.
We drive from Ontario to Texas and back multiple times a week for work. The ultimate road trip would involve being able to stop and enjoy the scenery and cuisine!
The ultimate road trip for this Elvis fan would be to drive to Graceland!
I would like to take a cross-Canada road trip.
I would love to go to L.A. and San Fransico
Thunder Bay to visit my cousin
I would love to go to Chicago.
I would like to visit Alberta to see the Dinosaur Museum.
To finish going out to the east coast, we started this trip 35 years ago and only got to Fundy National Park
I love Fundy National Park!
We would go to the west coast and whale watch.
It would be trip to the east coast
To Vancouver Island on a surfing trip
Down to Disneyland California with the kids.
to alaska
I would love to travel across North America. Start by crossing Canada. Straight down the US. And then through Mexico.
My daughter and I had a road trip from Ottawa to Victoria, BC (our hometown). We lived in Ottawa for3 years. It was an amazing trip and we both have wonderful memories from it. We would love to do it again.
It would take me to visit family in Toronto.
to Ottawa, I think it would be a fun drive.
without kids, to PEI, with kids, to Ottawa to visit family.
I would go to Nova Scotia
across canada would love to go to Alberta, BC, New Brunswick, PEI and many other places.
I would go all the way from NL to BC,,across Canada,,would love to do that with my family!
Niagara Falls
PEI would be my destination.
I’ve always wanted to go to Nashville
I’d like to head out to the maritimes, drive around Newfoundland… stopping to see history in Quebec along the way.
I would love drive all across Canada
back east and into nova scotia, pei, newfoundland
NewFoundland 🙂
We would love to travel to as many states as possible, so maybe all in one trip!
We’d go to Washington to see my boyfriend’s family.
we would do a road trip to montreal
Road trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia!
my road trip would take me to halifax where I live to Regina where my family lives that I havent seen in over ten years
Cross country!
Orlando!
We (more like me) want to do a road trip to PEI!!!! Now just to convince the hubby 🙂
a road trip all the way down to florida
My ultimate road trip would take me south of the border – through Washington, all along the Oregon coast, and end up in northern California.
we would drive from vancouver down to my sister’s in california 🙂
The Yukon in the summer….I hear it’s beautiful up there
Interesting…well done
I would take a roadtrip to Manitoba because I want to visit Winnipeg!
The ultimate road trip will be all across Canada, from the west coast to the east coast!
I think I would take a cross country trip from the east coast to the west coast.
hmm good question! I don’t really know, I know I’d like to see all of Canada and the USA.
My ultimate road trip would be to the Yukon.
I would like to go to Algonquin Park
PEI!
My daughter’s in Burlington
Across the provinces in Canada
I’m a simple person, so mine would be to travel to Montreal from Ontario. We’d go to La Ronde, check out the bagels, and visit Old Montreal.
Florida and Las Vegas!
I live in Vancouver so I’d want to fly to Toronto and rent a car and drive through to Quebec City and on to the Maritimes.
A road trip anywhere
A few years back we road tripped from Kitchener Ontario to new Orleans Louisiana, I would love to do that again but spending more time in Mississippi this time 🙂
That sounds awesome!
A trip across Canada with stops in Kingston to visit my Mother and visits with friends.
BC wine region down the East and back up to Summerland, cross over to Kelowna to visit my relatives. Perfect summer trip!
Ultimate road trip – probably to Calgary 🙂
My road trip would be up north to Virgiantown, ON to visit my family and go fishing.
It would be to the East Coast of Canada.
We would love to road trip the eastern USA. We have already done the west coast but would love to see the east coast.
I’d go cross country to BC making tons of little stops along the way. there’s so much I’d love to see and so much I’d love to see that I don’t even know I want to see yet!! lol
Vegas, baby!
I would drive from here in BC to the east coast!
I would love to go to Calgary to the Stampede, and to visit with my Sisters 🙂
It would be a roadtrip to Newfoundland. I’ve always wanted to go there.
Drive to California and beyond!
Cheers.
I would take my family to Florida
California! or the Rockies
I would love a road trip to California — we would be driving from Calgary, AB
To new brunswick!
I have always wanted to travel by car to Amarillo.
It would take me to southern California …. a place that I love!!!!!
I would love to take a road trip to the Grand Canyon
I would plan a road trip from Toronto to Florida. I have always wanted to go there and there’s tons to see on the way!
I would love to take a road trip to Yosemite National Park.
It would take me from the east end of Canada to the west end.
I’d like to travel to So. Carolina to visit family.
Us Shopping trip to New Hamoshire!
Chicago
New York, Philadelphia, Chicago..
California
It would take me somewhere warm
The ultimate road trip would take me to Niagara Falls.
I would like to drive to Vegas.
We would travel to Texas.
i would travel to yellowstone
Europe by rail
PEI
Perfect!!!
Would love this it would be really handy
I would love to travel to Thailand…
I’d love to drive to the Northwest Territories.
To visit my ailing sister in Vancouver, B.C. Canada
To Edmonton to visit my family!
Disneyland!
Vancouver Island
Surrey BC Canada – Pick me
The ultimate road trip would take me complete across Canada, through all the Provinces, through a few of the States . Would visit all the silly little places for tourists along the way.
I would go to BC. There are so many beautiful photo opportunities just waiting for me there.
to edmonton
To visit my sister & her family!
Las Vegas
to visit my friend in Ontario
states side to Cincinnati, for a bengals game
I would travel to North Carolina to visit my daughter who I haven’t seen since Christmas!
My ultimate road trip would take me from Ontario to B.C.!
Alberta to see my mom 🙂
it would take me to california to visit my mother at her house.
i would like to travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic…right across our land!
I would take the trans canada across the country
I would love to take a road trip all across Canada! We live on the east coast, so I would love to take my husband and I kids and see all of Canada.
To the Happiest Place on Earth….Disney World!!!!!!!
Out to Tofino British Columbia.
my trip would be in PEI
Camping, of course
DISNEYLAND!!!
ACROSS CANADA UP INTO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS
My dream road trip would be through Eastern Quebec and the Maritimes.
I would take my family accross the country to the national parks and various museums. It would probably take the whole summer.
It would take me all the way to Nova Scotia for some lovely fresh lobsters, mmmm
to the states for fun
Barring any time limits or cash restrictions. I would travel to every province, every little town, harbour, beach and every little nook and cranny I could find.
I love this!
disneyland
mexico!
Across Canada all the way to the east coast 🙂
Edmonton as it’s where my hubby grew up
Across Canada to Calgary
I think I would like a true trip across Canada, covering some of the North as well. With unlimited time and unlimited funds!
We’d love to surprise our 9 year old with a trip to Disney World that would be such a great road trip
Hershey, PA to visit the Hershey factory or Disney World/Epcot Center (haven’t brought the kids yet.
The ultimate road trip would start in the north west of Canada, down the coast, and then back East all the way to the Maritimes. I’d like to see as much of the country as possible.
Love to travel across Newfoundland
Would love to go down to the Oregon coast from BC
i would plan a roadtrip to florida with my hubby, sister, and niece and nephew
I would head to Quebec City to explore!
Halifax , PEI AND New Brunswick 🙂
Drumheller and Edmonton!
I would love to travel to BC
I would love to drive to Vegas!
The ultimate road trip would take me to Scottsdale Arizona!
I’ve always wanted to go on a road trip to Vancouver, BC.
Coast to coast across Canada
I would head out to PEI!
Ultimate road trip to New York City!
If I could just get in the car and fill up the tank & just drive to wherever the roads take me , I would love!
The Maritimes.
My elder sister has always used car air freshener, whenever I smell them I think of her!
It would take us to the Okanagan in BC! Its such a beautiful area and we have family there that would love to visit!
Would take me to Banff and Lake Louise 🙂
We did a road trip across Canada (coast to coast!) when we only had one kid and I was 7 and a half months pregnant with the second. I would love to do the trip again now that I have 3 kids that would enjoy it. There are so many incredible things to see across this amazing country.
I would love to go to Thunder Bay!
I would have too say Disneyland just about 6 hours or so away from it never been there
I would take a road trip to Disney World!
Road trip across the prairies to west coast
Road trip across Canada!!