Recently our family did something we had never done before. We left our house expecting just to go to the zoo and ended up taking a road trip across 6 states!With a vehicle filled to the max with people (6 of us) there isn't a lot of room for "stuff", so packing somewhat light is a must.
Here is a list of items that work well for a family who doesn't know where they'll end up:
- 3 sets of clothes for each family member (you can always wash them in the sink or at a laundry mat if you need more clean clothes)
- extra undies for children 7 and under
- Sandals
- Tennis Shoes/Hiking Boots AND socks
- Jackets
- Swimsuits & Sunscreen
- Basic Toiletries and Daily Meds.
- First Aid Kit- including Benadryl and Pain Med. fo both children and adults
- Tent & Sleeping Bags
- Bag filled with Little Toys for the children to play with during the car ride
- A Backpack for each of the Children to pack their favorite comfort items and books
- Backpack Carrier for carrying Babies/Toddlers
- Disposable Diapers and Baby Wipes
- Map of U.S. Highways or GPS (we ended up buying a U.S. map because there was only so long we could make the trip blind. There are times when you run across locations with no cell coverage, so having a map is a must!)
- Cooler packed with bottled water, juice boxes, healthy snacks, and sandwiches
- Camera AND CAMERA BATTERY CHARGER!!! (If you do find that your camera battery dies, try Best Buy- they allowed me to charge my battery an hour for free. Unfortunatly, I didn't have it charged when we went to the Rocky Mountain National Park. I learned the hard way that a disposable camera doesn't evey come close to the type of pictures you get with a basic digital camera. Very sad. So don't forget your camera charger!)
- Bible (I wish I had taken mine as we could have read verses about what God says about creating the mountains while being in the mountains)
I'm not sure I could do this - I am such a planner - but I ADMIRE your spontanaity!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is GREAT! what a fun family tradition! Pack up for an overnight trip, and stay out 4 days. This makes for cherished memories for the whole family! I'm all for this! :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid I learned to pack light and smart and it has been such a useful skill! Also transportation and legendary French strikes taught me to have always in my bag a travel tooth brush, a clean underwear and a sweater even if the weather is great..
I'm still thinking about your post about family traditions, I'll comment soon. :)
What a fun family you are!! I can only be spontaneous when I have planned for it very carefully first. (Har, har)
ReplyDeleteThat's an awesome list!!! I did manage to remember our camera battery charger this time. Last time I didn't and it died on us halfway through our vacation and I was so sad. It never even dawned on me to go to Best Buy to charge it!! You always have the best ideas!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of bringing a Bible with you to read verses! The kids have been challenging me with so many nature questions and sometimes it throws me for a loop. It's amazing to me that when we drove through Cave Rock, they instantly thought of Jesus creating the whole in the mountain.
Great ideas...but how did you leave for the zoo and end up on such an extensive roadtrip?
ReplyDeleteha! That's a good question!
ReplyDeleteI guess we just weren't ready to go home yet and driving somewhere new sounded really exciting.
We had wanted to go to Colorado this year, but didn't think we could afford it (with having bought a new house and getting ready to get a dog), so when we were in South Dakota and only 7 hours or so from Estes Park, I knew we had to keep going. We were way too close to not go there too! : )