A road trip to the beach in the middle of the COVID-19 Pandemic?! Why not!
After months of quarantining my husband and I decided to pack the kids up and head south. We all needed a change of scenery and relocating zip codes gave us a much needed chance to regroup. Even if it’s just a shorter camping road trip, the change of location can make such a difference!
Spending time together outside of our home was just what we needed! BUT…..making the decision to travel during COVID involved LOTS of careful planning and consideration.
You know the basics…..avoid large crowds, socially distance, pack your masks and hand sanitizer, drive if you can and rent a house or condo instead of staying at a large resort.
We planned for every scenario and the car was packed to the brim. My tips and tricks are probably nothing you don’t already know, but they really helped us successfully road trip with three kiddos, so I’m sharing with the hope that they will also help you.
COVID Travel Tips
#1. Snacks: Pack snacks, lunches, fresh fruit, cold drinks etc. for the entire family! My kids’ bellies stayed full, the car kept moving and we avoided the germs and crowds. I kept stocked coolers easily accessible and used small storage bins (or you can even use a shower caddy) to serve food to kiddos. This keeps everything contained, easy to pass to the back seat AND crumbs are contained. Kind of. 😉
#2. Pack a Travel Potty: I have three girls, one of which we recently potty trained so I was determined to find a solution that was easy and germ free. I purchased a small collapsible travel potty and my kids used it the entire trip. We 100% avoided public restrooms, so I’m calling it a MOM WIN! Invest in the bags with liners versus using old grocery store or Target bags. I learned this the hard way. =) I drive a large SUV so I would recommend either leaving a spot in the cargo area, or we just pushed the passenger seat all the way up and the potty went in the footwell. My girls took turns and I had a small basket with toilet paper, wet wipes, and hand sanitizer.
#3. Seat Organizers: I purchased seat organizers that attached to the seat backs in front of each of my girls’ car seats. It was such a great way to keep everything organized AND off of the floor. They had a tray that folded down which was perfect for a tablet, coloring and even eating. I stocked the organizers with my girls’ headphones, tablets, books, toys, snacks, art stuff and of course their “lovies”.
#4. Movies, Movies and More Movies! We store all DVDs in an old CaseLogic CD holder that attaches to the visor in my car. Yes, I said CD holder 😉 it worked perfectly! The movies were accessible, free of scratches and we could bring lots of options because they didn’t take up much space.
#5. Toiletry Toy Bag: I use a toiletry make-up type bag with zippered storage sections to transport toys. My girls are obsessed with tiny princess / character figurines, LOL dolls, surprise packs, etc. etc. Before we leave the house I help them pack all “their friends” in this bag. It helps control how much they pack, keeps everything contained and works great in the car. But, it also makes it easy to bring into the rental house or even into a restaurant.
BONUS points for mommy if you bring a few surprises packs, LOLs or even some Dollar Store goodies to surprise them with. I used these surprises to reward good behavior / cooperation and my girls were thrilled! Anytime you introduce something new it’s a win for everyone during COVID travels!
