Heading on a Long Trip this Thanksgiving? Pack this First

Thanksgiving is just days away. Wednesday is said to be the busiest travel day of them all. Will you be hitting the road and traveling with your kids?

Thankfully this year we aren't headed far, but as a mom always on the road you are going to want to avoid the “I’m bored” and the “When are we going to be there?”

Here’s some advice that will help. Before you put that covered dish into your car and buckle the kids into their car seats, have each kid grab their favorite backpack. Tell them to load it up with these must haves. Before you know it, you’ll be on your way to a whine-free trip to grandma's.

Road Trip Must Haves

• Snacks
• Coloring books and crayons
• Books
• Audio Books – even when your child is old enough to read they can still get swept away in a story when someone else is reading it. If you don’t have CDs you can bring, load up the iPhone, iPads and MP players with storytelling apps.
• Spiral notebooks/journals with pencils – Let the kids write away without worrying about pages falling all over the floor. Plus they can chronicle their trip.
• Dry erase boards & markers never get old. Kids can draw their own pictures or play games like hangman, tic tac toe and more with each other
• Refillable water bottles
• iPhone equipped with the best kid-friendly apps – plus it can do double duty as an iPod playing kid-friendly music.
• Balls & Frisbees – Have something to toss around at rest stops so the kids can stretch their legs.

Moms here’s what you need in your backpack

• Hair elastics or spin pins – You never know when you’re going to want to pull that hair up into a ponytail or bun.
• Wipes – There’s going to be a mess somewhere.
• Stain removal sticks – Because that mess is going to be on someone’s clothes.
• Batteries- for the camera, the digital devices, etc. If you are bringing something that runs on batteries, you’re going to want a back up supply for when they burn out.
• Toilet paper - do you really want to be stuck without it?

Other fun ideas, but not necessarily must-haves

• 51 cents for each child- Because it seems no matter where we go, they have one of those machines that will turn your penny into a souvenir.
• Maps – Have your children follow your journey along the map. Use a special highlighter to mark your path as you go.
• Disposable cameras - Let the kids take pictures from their viewpoint.
• Portable DVD player with DVDs – While I’m resistant to giving my kids too much screen time, I also know that if you are going on a very, very long road trip, you just might need it to save your sanity.

What do you think? What have we forgotten? What’s on your must have must pack list for family road trips?