How to road trip with kids
Australia is a land of big space and big opportunities, but when travelling with toddlers and babies, the classic road trip can also prove to be a big headache – should you be unprepared.
Parents know the story: restless legs and ‘are we there yet?’ lines of questioning can filter through from the rear seats of the car not long into a mammoth family road trip. Thankfully, with some forward planning and the tips below, you’ll not only survive road trips with kids, toddlers and babies but learn to enjoy them as a family too.
As always, be sure to the use the NRMA Trip Planner tool along your journey. This ensures you’ll uncover escapes in every state, including accommodation, attractions and dining. You’ll also notice all the great places you can redeem member benefits with My NRMA Rewards, so you can get even more out of your holiday.
More than anything, it is key to remember the road trip is the adventure, not just the means to reach your destination. Keep it light, keep it fun, and the entire family will remember the long drive for all the right reasons.
What are the best family-friendly road trip tips?
There is one key rule here: planning your road trip is key.
Before you even leave your house, some prior planning will set your family up for a more enjoyable and stress-free journey. So before you leave:
- Plan short driving days: 4–6 hours is a good guide for each day, but some parents may be able to squeeze more. For many kids, anything longer is going to risk chaos inside your vehicle’s cabin. We’d suggest shorter days mapped out with regular breaks is the best rule of thumb.
- Map ‘fun stops’ along the way. And we’re not just talking petrol stations; think parks, playgrounds, zoos, rest areas or even the eponymous ‘Big things’ that are dotted around the country.
- Leave early or drive during naps. Although it can feel tedious when you’re sneaking around the house in the quiet of dark, pre-sunrise departures mean you can cover big miles while your kids are asleep (assuming they will transfer from bed to car seat successfully).
- Download everything before you leave. With patchy mobile phone services still afflicting many of Australia’s major arterial roads, it’s safest to load up the tablet with playlists, audiobooks or your kids’ favourite shows. Paid apps like Netflix or Spotify allow you to do this.
- Have some food and plenty of water for your adventure. We all love a service station stop-over, but the reality is that Australia is a vast country and you can’t always count on a service station or convenience store being around the corner or having something healthy on offer. To save anyone becoming ‘hangry’, have supplies ready to go.
What are the best things to pack for a family road trip?
Just like forward-planning your stops and activities, it is critical to ensure you have easy access to some of these favourites on a family road trip:
- Baby wipes. Don’t let the name fool you, these magic wipes are a godsend for all ages when it comes to in-car spills and accidents. Always have a pack handy for the family road trip.
- Spare clothes. A soft bag on top of your luggage in the boot with some spare clothes and nappies is also an easy win. Think t-shirts, shorts, even PJs. You never know when you might need them and it saves digging through big suitcases.
- Snacks. These are a must. Healthy snacks, unhealthy snacks – whichever your preference, a little treat bag for periodic snacks and drinks will keep ensure occupants continue percolating along happily.
- Mirrors for reverse-facing little ones. These baby car seat mirrors that allow front seat occupants to keep an eye on babies over longer journeys ensure peace of mind.
- Familiar blankets or soft toys. Taking your toddler or baby’s familiar blanket or soft toy will help them feel like they’re in a safe environment, removing some of the stress of a longer journey.
Related: How to eat healty on a road trip
What are some survival tips for a long road trip with kids?
You've planned meticulously, you've sorted your rest stops, you've packed the games. Even so, there will be occasions where your little ones have decided 'enough'. Have these survival tips up your sleeve to bring it home:
- Keep healthy snacks on rotation. A snack every 30–60 minutes feels like entertainment during longer journeys. A longer stop for larger meals is also an excellent opportunity for a reset, to get out and stretch the legs.
- A surprise bag. Taking along a surprise bag with cheap toys and books is perfect for when morale dips.
- Audiobooks. While in-car music is great for sustaining energy over shorter drives, an engaging audiobook that older children can listen to as well will keep the car calmer and help the journey go faster.
- Play games. Who doesn’t remember ‘punch buggy’ or ‘eye spy’ when they were in the car as a child? Those same games hold identical currency with today’s kids - albeit, with less chance of spotting an original Volkswagen Beetle on the road, the game has now moved onto red and yellow Volkswagens in your correspondent’s case. Even games centred on music – like guessing the artist of a song first – are a great distraction on a longer journey.
- iPad or screen time as a final stretch tool. No parent loves excessive screen time, but sometimes a tablet for the final stretch of a road trip can prove the perfect tonic for child and adult.
