Family Travel Ideas

What did the shark say when it ate the clown fish? Tastes funny.

Why does a duck have feathers? To cover his butt quack

I put together little gifts (think Dollar bin) wrapped up in bags with a time on them. My kids look forward to these gifts and it helps to pass the time on long trips!

It's always a good idea to keep a spare "barf bag" or two in the car. Make sure you know where they are and can access them quickly. My kids don't get car sick, but we've had the occasional stomach bug pop up while on the road...and the end result is the same! I've seen blue bags specifically for this purpose on Amazon.

If you were an Olympic gold-medal athlete, which sporting event would you want it to be in?

If you could have any super power, what would it be, and why?

Knock Knock. Who's there? I eat mop. I eat mop who?

Knock, knock. Who’s there? Doris. Doris who? Doris locked. Open up, please!

Category-type naming games. How many types of desserts can you name? How many countries can you name? How many different characters in Harry Potter can you name? Etc.

First letter/last letter. Not sure if there’s really a name for this game, but one person starts by picking a word (usually we like to pick a theme, like Marvel or Harry Potter). The next person had to think of a word that starts with the last letter of that previous word, still within the theme (if you are using one). For example, if the first person says “Harry,” the next person has to think of a word that starts with a “y.” Then we go around the car taking turns until someone gets stuck!

I use old flat bed sheets as beach blankets. I always pack icy cold water bottles and ice packs in insulated bags with fresh fruit and snacks. In my beach bag, I always keep kids sand/water toys, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, hand soap, hair ties, lotion, band aids/emergency kit, napkins, tissues and bug spray. Don't forget beach towels, sunglasses and spare swimsuits!

If you can find beach chairs with straps for carrying on your back, it makes the trip to and from the car so much easier!

Though dining out is part of the travel experience and something to embrace, we never fail to make a quick grocery store run on day 1 of the trip, especially for breakfast items so we can wake up and casually eat at "home": cereal, milk, bagels, fruit, coffee, etc. This is less expensive (and less time consuming) than eating out every single morning.

Join the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) reciprocal network. Register with a flat yearly fee at your local children's museum (it pays itself off very fast!) and you'll receive 50% off at sooo many children's museums nationwide. (You'll earn free membership at your local museum, too.) Where are you headed? Find a children's museum in the ACM network here: https://findachildrensmuseum.org/