Taking road trips with kids can be tough, particularly if you have younger children who aren’t used to long car trips. You are probably dreading the inevitable “Are we there yet?” chorus every time you take an exit or pass through a hamlet. Travel goodie bags can be a way to occupy kids with fun, portable activities that will keep them entertained until arrival.
Here are some ideas for travel-savvy goodie bags to make your road trips with kids more manageable.
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Snacks for the Road
There will most likely be stops along the way where you grab lunch or pick up picnic ingredients for quick sandwiches. But between that, you’ll want something for the kids to munch on. Buy snacks like candy, trail mix, and crackers in bulk to save money. Then, you can separate them into little baggies tied with a ribbon so each child gets their own goodies.
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Bite-Sized Coloring Book
You can find small, travel-sized coloring books and mini portable crayons or pencil crayons to match at any dollar store. You can also browse online on Amazon if you can wait a day or so for shipping. It’s almost impossible to fill a whole coloring book in one trip so you can guarantee they have something to do the whole way.
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Road Trip Bingo Card
Make a bingo card filled with common things to see on a road trip, be it wild animals, farmhouses, flowers, or whatever you can think of! Keep a few additional toys in the front seat with you to use as prizes when the kids complete the whole bingo sheet! For older children, you can make it more challenging by making less common block items, like specific types of birds or specific colors of signs/buildings. You can also make it easier by requiring that they only complete one row. Don’t forget the “Free!” center square so they feel like the game can start right away!
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A new toy
Whether they like Minecraft or dinosaurs, there are plenty of small toys you can buy for them to play with. These will last the whole trip and give them something to do in the vacation rental in the evenings or at a park or beach. Pick something durable so that it can join them in the pool or lake if they want. Wrap it individually so that they can have fun opening a “present” once they get their goodie bag.
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A Puzzle or Brain Teaser
There are plenty of small, time-consuming puzzles that you can add to the bag to occupy your child. Think about Rubix Cubes, metal brain teaser links, wooden block puzzles, or ball-to-goal obstacle courses. You will want to find something small enough to pack along but without any easy-to-lose pieces.
Need some help planning where to go for your family trip? Ask us about our vacation rentals in beautiful British Columbia and we’ll find something perfect for you.
