Stay Organised on a Road Trip with Kids

For a successful road trip, organisation is key. An unorganised car can make for a stressful holiday, especially if you have kids with you. The first rule of any road trip is to only bring what you need. Overpacking leads to more clutter. If you don’t need it, don’t bring it. Our family has taken many road trips together from short drives just 300kms (186 miles) to long trips over the course of 21 days and 9000kms (5600miles). With all of our practice I have compiled these 8 tips to help you stay organised on a road trip with kids.

1. Pack Using Labelled Bins

I always find the best way to pack my belongings for a road trip is in neat labelled re-usable bins. Whether transparent or opaque, they should have a well fitting lid and a clear readable label. If the bins are transparent and you can clearly identify what’s inside, you could get away without labels. I myself, prefer to have everything labelled regardless the opacity of the bin.

Depending on what type of road trip you are going on will dictate what you have in each bin. If you are camping, you are going to need a lot more supplies than if you are driving from one hotel or residence to another. Most of our family road trips take place during camping trips, where we are driving from one camp site to another. In these cases we are going to have bins filled with cooking supplies like utensils, plates and cups. As well as camping supplies like lighters/matches, rope, lights, etc are needed.

Clothes

I have found great success in having bins for our clothes as well as supplies. I use long under the bed style storage bins to keep our clothes in, one bin for each member of our family. You will need bins with a hinged lid for these bins to work. Having a hinge in the middle of the lid will allow you to open the bin from either side while stacked without the need to pull the entire bin out of the vehicle each time. These long bins will only work in a hatchback, van or SUV, as they will not fit in the trunk of a sedan.

Our stacked clothing and supplies bin on teh right. They are easily pulled out half way and the hinged lid allows easy access.

There are many benefits of putting your clothes in a bin instead of a suitcase or bag, especially while camping. Suitcases are large and clunky and can be hard to pull out of the vehicle every time you need something from them. Duffle bags, although easier to pull out individually, don’t allow for a good use of space. They don’t stack nicely, and make the vehicle busy and cluttered which makes it harder to find other items as well.

Examples of bins we pack, other than clothes:

Toys

A bin is great to keep all toys for youngsters together in something that is sturdy. We place ours on the seat next to our son’s car seat, so he can access the bin himself while we are driving. Our travel toy bin is also complete with a play stove top on the lid. I created some vinyl stickers that imitate burners and dials. We include his play pots and some food, so he can “cook” with us when we stop.

Cooking dinner on the lid to his toy bin

Supplies

A general bin of supplies is handy to find odds and ends you may not know where else to put them. Our supply bin includes items like flashlights, string lights, small lanterns, matches and lighters. Also inside are towels, extra pillow cases, small board games like cribbage and cards, rope and clothespins. Depending on where we are going and what time of year, this bin would also include bug spray, and bug repellent d evices. This bin can include whatever you feel you will need for your trip that doesn’t fit elsewhere.

Toiletries

I like to put the whole family’s toiletries together in one place. This will limit the amount of doubles you’ll have to bring, like toothpaste. Everyone can share one tube instead of bringing their own. Toothbrushes each have their own carrying case to keep clean. In here you will also find a hairbrush, creams/lotions, eye drops, makeup, sunscreen and Tylenol or Advil. I also like to bring a small container with q-tips/ear swabs, nail file and clippers, tweezers, band aids and antibiotic ointment just in case. Teenagers and older kids may feel more comfortable with some personal toiletry items kept in their own bag.

Cook Box

For our camp stove and propane I use a sturdy cardboard box. Any could do, but I like the Costco produce packing boxes. You can obtain these for free from Costco when you take your groceries home. They are a good size, and are always very thick, sturdy cardboard. As the stove can sometimes be dirty or greasy at points throughout the trip, the box is easy, as you can just throw it out when you are done. Our Coleman stove fits perfectly inside the bottom of the box. On top of the stove fits the small propane tank, a frying pan, and a foldable wash basin used for rinsing our dishes. On top of all that goes our large wood cutting board. Having the cutting board on top allows me to stack other items on top if needed. It also keeps other items from coming in contact with the potentially dirty stove. If the box is large enough to accommodate our large cooking pot, this would also go in here.

Cooking Supplies

I don’t like to bring more than we need, so I only pack one washable plate and one bowl for each person. Instead of using paper plates each time, we use and wash plates after we use them. Plastic or metal camp plates are also more sturdy if holding your plate on your lap while eating. These plates and bowls would go in our Cooking Supplies bin. Along with that would be cutlery, can/bottle opener, mixing spoons, a spatula, a knife for chopping and small containers of spices. For cold drinks I bring a tumbler with straw for each of us. Having a lid is great, you can take your drink with you in the car if you didn’t finish it, and the lid keeps any bugs out you may encounter while stopped. These would be stored in this bin as well.

Coffee Supplies

Just because you are on the road, doesn’t mean you can’t have great coffee. We dedicate a whole bin to our camping/road trip coffee experience. In our bin we pack 1 mug for each coffee drinker, a hand held coffee grinder, a milk frother and a perculator as well as a bag of whole coffee beans.

Dry Goods

This would consist of canned or packaged food for cooking, as well as spices and beverages that don’t need to be put in the cooler.

Cooler

For all perishable foods that need to stay on ice.

Snacks

Snacks are an important part of any road trip. A small bin, box or bag that can be kept in reach of the driver or passenger full of road trip snacks is a must. Fill this with easy to eat packaged foods or fresh fruit or vegetables. Our favourite road trip snack foods are chips and/or popcorn, applesauce pouches, nuts, and fresh fruit like apples or pears.

Emergency Kit

Regardless of if you are camping or not, you should always make sure to bring some emergency supplies such as flashlights, matches and or lighters, blankets, water and car maintenance items such as a tire repair kit and jumper cables. You never know when you may break down and you want to be prepared in case you need to stay in your car for a long period of time while waiting for assistance. If you get a flat tire, you also want to be prepared with a spare, or a quick tire repair kit that will get you to your next destination.

Our packed car. The cooler was accessed through the left rear passenger door.

2. Make Bins Multipurpose

Rather than packing more than neccesary, make use of what you already have packed. One or more of your bins can be used as a wash bin.

Our Cooking Supplies bin and Coffee Supplies bin are also used for washing dishes. In the morning we use the Coffee Supplies Bin for washing our morning dishes as all the coffee supplies were used and the bin empty. I add some dish soap to some water in the bin, and we use a foldable wash tub for clean water to rinse the dishes. Once the dishes are clean and dry, they go back into their respective places.

Morning dishes being washed in our coffee bin, and rinsed in our collapsible bucket.

In the evening, most of our Cooking Supplies will be used, so that bin will be empty. I repeat the washing process but with a different bin. This way I don’t have to pack a separate washing bin as well, and space can be saved in the car.

3. Put Everything Away in its Place

It may seem obvious now, but it’s very important to put everything away in its proper place every time you pack the car. It’s easy to become complacent especially on longer road trips. If you spend a few extra minutes each morning putting everything away properly, you will save much more time later when you have to dig for things, or rearrange.

Save yourself the trouble and put it all away when you are well rested in the morning, and save searching later in the day when you are tired and have stopped for the night.

3. Keep Kids Toys in Easy Reach

You definitely don’t want to forget entertainment when on a road trip with kids. Each child should have a bin or bag of toys within arms reach so they can help themselves throughout the trip.

For us, the thing that works best is a clear storage bin. A storage bin has hard sides, so it’s always easy for their little hands to find what they are looking for without having to dig through a bag. I prefer clear for two reasons. One, a clear bin lets more light in, so again it’s easier for the little ones to see the toys they want. Two, if our son is having a hard time finding a toy, I can usually just turn around from the passenger seat and quickly locate it through the walls of the bin.

The toy bin within easy reach, right beside the car seat

Our toy bin usually consists of a bunch of small toys, and an activity/colouring book with a small pack of crayons. I like to add in a brand new toy as well. Kids are much more likely to be entertained by a new toy than one they have been playing with at home.

If you are crafty, you could transform your toy bin into a toy as well. Ours has a faux stove top on the lid, and I bring a few small play pots and a pan. When we stop to do our cooking, our son loves to help cook on his mini stove top. It could also function as a sort of memory box. Purchase a sticker from each location or city you visit, and let your little ones put it on the box as a travel collection.

4. Keep Snacks and Drinks in Easy Reach

No road trip is complete without lots of road trip snacks. Unless those snacks and drinks are in an easy to reach place, you are going to be pulling over every time someone yells “I’m hungry.”

5. Wear Slip on Shoes and Comfy Clothes

If you are like me and my son, you like to take your shoes off during a road trip. I always wear easy slip on shoes usually with socks regardless of the weather. This may not seem like a staying organised tactic, but if you do take your shoes off, and then for some reason have to jump out of the vehicle quickly at a rest stop you will be glad you don’t have to deal with any laces.

There is nothing worse than pulling over at a bathroom stop because your 3 year old has to pee, and you have to struggle with not only your own shoes but your toddlers as well. In these cases, all parents know that time is of the essence. My slip on shoes would just be for the car ride, or running small errands in stores and gas stations, etc. If we are planning any nature walks or hikes where a better support shoe is needed, we just pull out our runners or hikers and put them on.

Road trip with kids — Quick family photo opp wearing our slip on shoes and comfy clothes

If after your walk or hike your shoes are now muddy, this is another great reason to have a clean pair of slip-ons ready to change into. If your kids are in car seats, this will also save mud being kicked and ground into the back of your seat.

6. Keep Clean and Dirty Clothes Separate

This is obvious, but it can be hard to separate all your clean from dirty while on a road trip where space is limited. Kids will be especially guilty of just putting dirty clothes back in with their clean clothes.

Our family packs a soft hamper with a lid. This can be any style you want, or even a reusable bag with a zipper. Something that the clothes won’t fall out of. Our hamper usually has no particular spot it goes in the car, it just gets put wherever we have room to store it during the drive.

I never put wet clothes in the hamper, as this will make everything in it smell. No matter what you choose to put your dirty clothes in, you will be glad you kept them all together. Time will especially be saved if you do stop somewhere to do the washing.

7. Bring Small Bags for Garbage

Garbage will always accumulate inside a car on a road trip with kids. It can’t be helped. I like to keep a roll of small kitchen sized garbage bags in my glove box or centre console for all our road trip garbage needs.

Having all your garbage in one place when you stop at gas stations or other pit stops, makes cleaning the car so much easier. You will also want somewhere to put all those used wet wipes into for easy disposal. If you are traveling with any babies still in diapers, you may not be able to stop somewhere with a garbage can every time a diaper change is needed.

8. Cover Your Rear Bumper to Avoid Getting Dirty

This handy tip isn’t so much for organisation, but for keeping yourself clean. Getting your car dirty on road trips is inevitable. A common problem when you have a dirty bumper is getting your shirt and pants dirty every time you want something out of the back of your car, SUV or van. To help avoid getting unnecessary dirt all over your clothes bring a bumper cover.

A bumper cover can be anything large enough to pull out over your bumper. On our last road trip, I just used a small floor mat. It’s easy to unroll out of the back of our SUV and over the bumper. With my bumper covered with something clean, I am able to lean into the back of my car and not spread dirt from the bumper onto my clothes.

You can also use a plastic sheet, table cloth or blanket. Just be sure to always put the same dirty side down over the bumper and roll up your chosen fabric so as not to get anything inside your vehicle dirty while driving.

Summary for Your Road Trip with Kids

Staying organised on a road trip can take a lot of practice. The more you go you will likely discover new ways to make things easier for you and your family. Sometimes practice is best. If you are nervous about an upcoming first time road trip with kids, try a smaller practice road trip. Obviously time doesn’t always allow for this, and families can be busy. If you aren’t able to take a small trip somewhere first, you can also just try packing the car a few times. It took our family a few small trips to get everything where we liked it.

The size of your family and your vehcile will also play an important role in what you can pack and where you can put it. I hope that these tips will help you stay organised on your next road trip with kids. For further tips, check out our 10 Tips to Survive a Road Trip with Kids.