Pack up the car and LET’S GO!!
Emphasis on “let’s go!” because I’m usually yelling at the crew to get out of the house. If this is your first Punky Visits post you may not know how much we love to road trip. Let me assure you that you’ve stopped in the right place for these Long Road Trip Essentials. Some of these are second generation tips taught to us by our parents, that we’re now teaching Punky & Cat and sharing with you.
From our home base in Chicago we’ve driven, as a family, to Connecticut, Georgia and Washington D.C. Since Punky’s First Road Trip to Niagara Falls (2010) to any long-weekend you can find us loading up our SUV with these long road trip essentials.
Keeping the driver alert is critical.
Cal’s Driving Survival Snacks: Sunflower Seeds, Twix & Mountain Dew.
These long road trip essentials actually started as survival snacks for Cal when he was taking Art History in undergrad. It was a night class in which the students were required to watch slides of classic art…yes, slides…in the dark. He struggled staying awake in class. I mentioned slides so you may have realized that this was before 5 Hour Energy and the boom of energy drinks. If Red Bull is more your speed go for it! We find that Mountain Dew, coffee and cracking sunflower seeds are enough for us.
Which leads to V’s preferred energy source, her trusty:
Starbucks App
This is at the top of Mom’s list of long road trip essentials. The app allows you to find the nearest Starbucks, order and pay for your drink, then just walk in and pick up your beverage. Make sure to check the Starbucks hours, though. I got off the road in rural TN in the middle of the night and the shop was closed…bummer and wasted time.
For the Kids
Pillows
You ever get a crick in your neck just from seeing your child’s neck in an exorcist-esque pose? For the kids’ sake and your own, pack pillows. Travel Bonus, you’ll sleep better on your own pillow when you arrive at your destination.
Pillow Pets are awesome because they double as a toy, providing comfort and imagination play. Punky happens to be obsessed with pandas so double bonus!
Activity Books
Yes, we own Ipads but we’re very stingy with “Ipad time”, even in the car. We take road trips to force family time! But let’s be honest – we’re locked in the car with our kids so we try to find a balance between 
screen zombies and old school activity books. Punky is particularly fond of these Brain Quest books.
Cat loves stickers and coloring so this is more her speed. (Sticker Book)
I asked the girls, “What is your favorite item to take on a road trip?”
Punky’s Point of View: “My books and my stuffed animals”
Cat’s Catch Phrase “Make-up & Ms. Kitty”
*the editor must clarify that this 5 year old does not wear nor does she carry make-up, anywhere.
Long Road Trip Essentials
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and again and again. Pack Wipes! I find these travel packs 
are great in the car and fit nicely in my bag as we wander around our destination city. Wipes help with clean up after the park, with a scraped knee, ketchup on the face, Cheetos fingers, a filthy dashboard…seriously the uses are endless. Keep a roll of paper towel too.
Comfort is critical
What the kids wear during a road trip is the one tip that I remember from being a kid on a road trip. Wear comfortable clothes that you can pull down easily during pit stops.Take it from me, you may be rushing into a rest stop if your youngster is recently potty trained. Make it easier by avoiding belts or clips. These leggings come in fun colors so they’re a hit with the girls! Have boys, keep it simple with sweat pants.
Entertainment Options
It’s important to watch movies on road trips. If you aren’t watching movies as a family then you aren’t able to build up clues to play Guess the Movie*. These are a few of our absolute favorite family choices because they are written well. A well written movie allows the driver to enjoy the story line and jokes without actually watching the movie. Of course, if you have a DVD system installed in the vehicle then you don’t have to listen but again you should be building up your arsenal of clues. How many movies can you name with an evil bunny?
*Guess the Movie is Punky’s brainchild, she started giving us vague clues about characters, storylines or specific scenes and we Guess the Movie from the clues provided. We’ve been playing this for years. Our favorite memory is when she started a game on a bus that was taking us from Disney World back to our hotel, everyone on the bus joined in! We were in awe that our little girl had engaged so many people with such a simple game. It never gets old either because as you watch more movies, your pool of clues increases. This simple game is our time filler, we play while waiting for appointments, in line at the grocery store, pretty much anywhere. It requires no game pieces or scoring – all the fun lies in trying to stump each other.
Parent Tip
We adopted our family motto from ‘The Incredibles’, “Luck favors the prepared.” Our simple parent tip is, pack the wine you prefer to drink. No, don’t drink it on the road…that’s not what I’m suggesting. Just know that there are fewer things worse than getting to a different town and not being able to find your wine of choice. If you happen to be in the Northeast and don’t know that “The Package Store” is the liquor store or that you can’t buy wine after 10pm in Connecticut, you’ll be glad that I made this suggestion.
As you pack up your vehicle and get on the road, we wish you safe travels, lots of laughter and memories to last a lifetime.