Family Road Trip Essentials Under $40

Everything you need to have a comfortable and whine-free road trip.

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Travel + Leisure / Reese Herrington

Embarking on a family road trip is definitely a memory maker, but also a lot of work. From packing all the things to ensure an enjoyable ride, and all the activities (or screens) to prevent tons of “are we there yet?” whining, planning ahead is key. As a travel and parenting editor who takes multiple long road trips with my three kids each year, I feel like I’ve finally got some sort of car stocking up routine down pat.

From car organization products to mess-free entertainment to kid-friendly food storage, these are my 13 go-to family road trip essentials to make sure everyone stays happy, comfortable, and fed.

Amazon

This was one of those products I hemmed and hawed over buying. Would we really use it in the end? Was it just going to be annoying to attach with straps hanging everywhere? It turns out it's been one of my best purchases all summer. It’s a breeze to put on and the attachment straps tuck neatly into the seat, and it was easy to tighten to give it a really streamlined look.

The generously sized compartments hold everything from water bottles to coloring books to loveys, and there’s even a peekaboo window to drop a tablet in for some road trip movie viewing. When you’re stuffing your car to the brim for a long road trip, maximizing every inch of space counts, and this organizer definitely helps with that. It’s also over 50 percent off right now for two-pack, making each organizer less than $9 each.

Amazon

Despite what the name says, I use these on every road trip for way more than just cleaning hands. Any long (or short) drive with kids will involve snacks and drinks at some point that will mysteriously cause sticky things to end up all over the car or car seat. These wipes tackle it all — in addition to cleaning hands prior to any drive-thru meal. This six-pack may look like a lot, but I like to stash one in each row of the car and in everyone’s backpacks.

Amazon

This is the one item I purchase over and over again before any super long travel day. It’s available in six different three-pack themes like Safari, Dinosaur, and Ocean, or Farm, Princess, Mermaid, and the stickers actually are reusable and remain sticky. It’s great for long (or short) road trips and plane trips, and the stickers are chunky enough for even toddler hands to take on and off themselves.

Amazon

It comes in a two-pack, which has been clutch to prevent fighting, and is priced at an affordable $6 each. I had my doubts about whether this would be used, but I’m not exaggerating when I say my kids drew on these things for collective hours over the course of a 9-hour drive up the coast. We even packed them for a recent plane and cruise trip. They still get used on the daily at home, and I can’t recommend them enough to any fellow traveling parents.

Amazon

I’ve used these Munchkin Snack Catchers through raising all three of my kids. They’re ideal for keeping loose snacks like Cheerios and goldfish crackers contained in the car and easy for toddler hands to feed themselves out of, and I love that you can see through to see what snack is inside — and how much is left. At just $3 each, these are definitely a steal.

Amazon

What can I say, a road trip with kids means there’s going to be tons of trash in the car. Tissues, straw wrappers, snack packages — it all adds up. Having a place for everyone to dispose of their waste will make your life so much easier. This car trash can with nearly 25,000 five-star ratings is on major sale and is only $5 right now, so you can bet I just snagged another one.

Amazon

In my personal opinion, insulated straw cups are key when taking road trips with kids to avoid spills. We often toss in some empty ones and fill them with whatever juice or drink they get at the drive thru to avoid any of that “oops, I dropped my cup” situation. I love the Thermos Funtainers for their leak-proof flip top, and how easy they are to clean.

Amazon

Sure, kids can sleep without these travel neck pillows, but then you deal with that dreaded chin to neck head falling over sleep. We have one for each kid so they can comfortably take a nap on any long drives. This one comes in cute animal varieties, so it’s easy to know whose is what — and they’re machine-washable.

Amazon

This is the game I bust out when we’re hours into a road trip and everyone is just dying to get out. I love that it takes up practically no space in the car, is self-contained thanks to the “shutter slides,” and can be used multiple times over the course of one trip, as the sights are always changing. It comes in a four-pack so multiple family members can play together.

Amazon

If you’re relying on multiple phones, tablets, and gaming systems to survive a road trip with kids, inevitably one of them is going to start dying and the whining will start. I love this super fast iPhone charger (that also works with certain iPad models) that gets your phone up to 50 percent battery in just 30 minutes. It’s also handy for hotel rooms when you may be sharing the charger with multiple people.

Amazon

This three-pack, much like its aforementioned puffy sticker cousin, provides hours of entertainment for something so simple. An adult just needs to fill the water “pen” up before leaving on your road trip (or carefully with a water bottle in the car), and little ones have a mess-free coloring experience that eventually fades so they can do it all over again.

Amazon

No, I don’t use this for diapers or any baby supplies. I place this between two of my kids in the third row of our SUV as an organized storage for books, games, sunscreen, water bottles, and small snacks so things aren’t just rolling around all over the car.

Target

Snacks are key for a long road trip, and a compact cooler is perfect for storing cold drinks (or milk for a baby), fruit, sandwiches, and other snacks you want to stay insulated. Thanks to the soft-sided feature, this one — which can fit up to 28 cans — is easy to toss in the car among other luggage, and the shoulder strap makes it a breeze to take into the house or hotel with you.

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