road trip, baby.

So, it’s time for the road trip. It’s 11:30 p.m. and I’m not packed yet. The kids are packed, the car is packed, Victor is packed, but I am not. I’m in denial that we’re leaving tomorrow because I’m not totally organized. I don’t have individual presents wrapped for the kids to open every few hours like I normally do {best travel tip ever, by the way}, the house isn’t clean, and Victor is working the night shift. I’m trying to have faith that it will all work out in the morning; it has to. We’re pulling P out of school at noon sharp, whether or not I’m ready.

I’m excited in the back of my brain: a THREE week road trip down the coast of California, are you kidding me? Victor and I used to talk about this as our fantasy road trip way back when we were dating, and now it’s happening. I think I’ll be excited once I’m in the car, listening to the amazing road trip Cd’s made for me with love by Jet Set, kids screaming in my ear.

Welcome to my Summer.

I’ll be posting every day, or close to it, as we make our way down the coast. Here’s the itinerary: {Please send your California tips/suggestions: Where should we go in each city? What do we have to see? What restaurant will we die without trying?}

Reno: May 28 {yay! Who doesn’t love Reno? Me, that’s who.}
Napa Valley: May 29-30
San Francisco: May 31-June 2
Monterey: June 2-4
Pismo Beach: June 5
Los Angeles: June 6-7
Huntington Beach: June 8-9
San Diego: June 10
Brother-in-Law’s Living Room Floor: June 11
Catalina Island: June 12-14
Big Bear: June 14-15
Vegas: June 16
Home: June 17

I really hate packing, but it’s just part of the deal. Here are my essentials. Don’t ever leave home without this stuff or it will be a long, long, loooong way to California. Or you know, wherever you’re headed.


First of all, Ziplock bags will be your saving grace. I used to make fun of people who traveled with them, but they are critical for road trips with kids. Headed to a sandy beach? Put a Ziplock in your bag and fill it with whatever treasures your kids find. You won’t be able to smell the decay of ocean smells all the way home; pure magic. Ziplocks are also perfect for toiletries: shampoo bottles, toothpaste, etc. I always double bag the gooey stuff; you never know when you’ll have an explosion on your hands.

Secondly, take a potty. I won’t spell it out for you.

Individual suitcases for the kids. I bought these two from Lillian Vernon a few years ago on clearance, and it was the smartest travel move I’ve ever made. One for C, one for P, no fighting. Whatever fits can come on the trip and if it doesn’t, too bad so sad.

I lay it all out on the carpet so I can see what I’m dealing with. This trip is the longest we’ve ever attempted to go {3 weeks!} but I’m not taking a ton of clothes for the kids, I just plan on doing a lot of laundry.

I have a bunch of stuff for any type of weather: sweaters, jacket + hat, shorts, tees, 2 pair of shoes, pajamas, a blankie. The usual.

Stack of tees for C. I usually don’t take this many shirts but he can go through three outfits a day easy, and I don’t want to do laundry every night.

P doesn’t require as much stuff, she usually only goes through two outfits a day.

Laundry: come to terms with it, learn to love it. I’m taking $20 in quarters, a bag of OxiClean {C requires it}, dryer sheets, Laundry Tree detergent, and a laundry bag. I just throw the dirties in the bag so it’s consolidated into one place for my late night hotel laundry room jaunts {always take a good book with you to the laundry room and don’t make eye contact with anyone in there}.

The basics for the car include a bag full of bags. I stash a bunch of my old grocery bags in the car and use them all along the way for garbage. I’ve never used this many before, but we’ll be gone for three weeks and I don’t want to take any chances. I love traveling in a clean{ish} car, and “taking out the trash” at every rest stop helps.

2 kids + 2 parents + 20 days on the road = a 6 pack of air freshener.

DVD player for the car. This one is critical for long distance trips. We’ve gone back and forth as parents about whether or not to use these in the car; we really would rather promote back seat reading and crafting. But when it comes down to it, halfway to Reno I’ll be bowing down to the gods of electronics for inventing these things. We originally had two screens, but one broke on one of our trips, and now the kids have to share. Poor deprived things.

And last but not least, I pack a cooler full of drinks. Gas station stops can add up really, really fast. I’d rather pay .59 cents at the grocery store for Gatorade than 4 times that on the road. Ditto for the Diet Dr. Pepper.

Those are the most critical things for traveling with the wee ones. Tune in for our adventures. Happy trails.

{Alma just whipped up the travel button today. Isn’t she fantastic? I’ll put it at the top of all my travel posts for the Summer, starting right now. Thanks Alma, I love you!}

Allison

Hello there! I'm Allison Czarnecki, founder + editor of Petit Elefant, a blog all about style on a budget for every part of your life: style / home / travel / family. I do a lot of how-to beauty + style tutorials, travel posts, easy recipes, home remodel projects, and cool DIY crafts you totally want to try. I'm super happily married (to a hot Polish immigrant) and am the mother of two kids, a daughter and son, all of whom are featured here on the regular. We live in the country but we're a little bit rock + roll. Welcome!