The car is packed, the sun is shining and you are ready to embark on one the most treasured of American traditions. The family summer road trip! The Michaels fam love our getaways and through the years have learned how to make the best of the actual road time with three boys in the back seat. Quite a few years when only two boys occupied the back seat, we took a trip from Seattle to Iowa. We stopped at all the I-90 tourist locations, camped and for the most part had a really great experience. One thing that REALLY made a huge difference on those long drives was the mini TV we surprised the kids with stopping for a bathroom break in Ellensburg. The kicker? A headphone splitter with two cheap sets of headphones! Golden!

 

Before you head out this summer on your All American road trip with the kiddos here are a few things that have worked for us.

 

Get your car serviced before you head out! Nothing kills the trip like a breakdown.

 Take a cooler with snacks and beverages. The little road trippers will be thankful and so will you when you whip out cheese and crackers, grapes and juice boxes!

 Make sure your home is being looked after while you are gone. We have a girl down the street who feed our pets and looks after our house.

 Bring road entertainment! CD',s DVD's, books bingo. Play the alphabet game!

 And always remember that the journey is as important as the destination!

 

 

Photo Credit: Alyssais me's