It is officially summer! You’re ready to hit the road and have endless adventures awaiting you. While the idea of flitting from one destination to the next can be exciting for many, it can be stressful for others. Coming from a family with three children, I can tell you that stress and last-minute planning won’t help you at all! It’s best to start planning a few weeks before to help ensure a stress-free journey that is filled with adventure, laughter, and memories to cherish for a lifetime. Today, I partnered with California Almonds to share my tips on how to make summer travel smooth sailing for the whole family.
How to Make Summer Travel Smooth Sailing for the Whole Family
The Packing List
Your packing list will obviously depend on the length of the trip. Still, there are always some essentials that your family can’t go without and these are the first to pack. In case you can’t pack these things right away, make sure to leave yourself a reminder or a post-it note so that you don’t forget anything. I would dearly like to tell you that you can get away with relatively small luggage, but in my experience, it is best to prepare for various scenarios. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you’ll have to fit your entire home into a trunk, but it also means that you probably won’t be able to travel light.
Fend off Boredom
Bring various games and toys that can keep the kids happy and entertained during a long trip. If I’m not driving, I love bringing a few books and magazines with me to help fend off boredom as well. I love reading anything from suspense to motivational books.
Travel Easier with Apps
In this day and age, apps are essential for traveling. The right apps can make traveling easier. From staying in the loop with traffic delays and locating good restaurants to mapping out your itinerary and tracking your travel expenses, there certainly isn’t a shortage of apps for the tech-savvy traveler!
Portable Charger
Hotel rooms are usually notorious for not having enough electric receptacles. One of my old annoyances was taking multiple chargers with me. Especially, since it isn’t always an easy feat keeping multiple cables and power adapters untangled and organized. This is where a charging station comes into play! The charging station that I use has the ability to charge up to 6 devices simultaneously. It makes the perfect traveling companion because of its sleek, lightweight, and portable size.
For my DSLR, there is nothing worse than my battery dying in-between taking pictures! This all changed when I purchased a PowerLine PowerCup last year. It looks exactly like a coffee cup and fits perfectly in my car’s cup holder. Not only it charges up my DSLR battery within no time, I can practically charge up any device. It is basically a socket that I can travel with anywhere!
Pack Smart Snacks
When it comes to food, your best friend will be a mini cooler that can hold water and snacks! This is especially important if you’re traveling during really hot weather. You most likely know how cranky kids can get when food is not according to their taste. Now, add the car ride and you can just imagine what could happen. Therefore, cool water and juice will keep you and your children happy and hydrated. Make sure to pack their favorite healthy meals as well as the usual snacks. Running out of those and having to wait in line for food leads to stress on a whole new level.
For snacks, I love almonds! Almonds not only help keep the hunger at bay, but they’re the trifecta of convenience, taste, and health. To satiate a sweet tooth, I’ll mix sliced and whole natural almonds along with a few of our candies, such as mini peanut butter cups! However, eating a handful of almonds is just as tasty. Did you know that eating a handful of almonds can provide up to 25% fewer calories than previously thought? It is true! In fact, recent research shows that eating 1.5 ounces of almonds daily helps curb the appetite without increasing calorie and body weight. Interesting! In addition, almonds are a chock full of antioxidants, fiber, protein, vitamin E, and magnesium. Best of all, almonds are naturally gluten-free and cholesterol-free!
I feel my best when I don’t skip breakfast, my favorite meal of the day. While I don’t mind stopping somewhere for breakfast from time to time, I usually like to bring my own breakfast with me. Oatmeal! I’m a huge fan of oatmeal and often pack it in wide-mouth pint mason jars. I’ll eat oatmeal plain at times, but I prefer mixing it with one or two spoonfuls of dark chocolate powder and topping it off with almonds. It’s a healthy and decadent breakfast that tastes like dessert! It is also full of protein, fiber, and healthy fat that ensures that I’m full until my next meal.
Great post. When I travel anywhere I take my tablet so I can read in between my downtimes. Even when I take our car to the dealer to get services, I have my book and I travel with coffee. Gotta have my coffee. I have to work on my snacks though, I am addicted to saltine crackers right now, and that is not healthy. I need to travel with peanuts, instead.
It really is important to have everything you need and that includes chargers and entertainment. It definitely wouldn’t hurt to have snacks in your bag as well. Love all the tips that you shared!
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haha, packing smarter snacks, apps and having a portable charger – it does make it easier haha
This is a really great post. You provided some great tips on travel essentials I like the idea of carrying around a portable charger too!
Pack of smart snacks sounds great tip to have it while travelling. I must add this for my next travel.
the idea of smart (and super healthy) snacks is the top of the tops! Great idea and I think I’ll always do it during my summer at the sea in south Italy.
Great tips! I could use this for our adventure this year!
These pieces of advice are great not only for family vacations but for any kind of vacation really, whether it’s solo or with friends. I think I’ll definitely bookmark this and look it up for my next trip!
I really need to remember to bring the almonds with me more often. I know they curb your hunger cravings.
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I always take a tablet for the kids to keep them entertained on journeys. Snacks are important too as there is no guarantee they will like the food we find when travelling.
These are good tips and probably very helpful when you have to plan and ‘think’ for more people than just yourself….for many years now, I’ve been travelling by myself, maybe that’s a bit less complicated.
I like to have a full itinerary written and printed out before I travel, especially if it’s going to be a busy trip – it helps me to stay sane!
Almonds are one of those good snacks. Its healthy and I love the taste of it.
Can’t live without my portable charger!
I always take four power banks on holiday with me as I find my battery dies so quickly when I’m taking photos and posting to social media! I’ve never thought to pack snacks but that’s such a great idea!
This made me crave for almonds! Our family trip is hassle free as long as we have enough food, enough phone batteries, and portable wifi!
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Yessss, almonds! My go-to snack for EVERYTHING! A portable charger is a must. I essentially double my phone’s battery, and can use it to snap more photos during my travel. 🙂
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