It’s hard to pick a favorite from all my road trip memories from growing up. I remember my dad carrying me out to our packed minivan in the early morning before it was even light out. I remember being half asleep snuggled up in “my seat” as the sun slowly crept up over the horizon. There are memories of national parks and setting up tents, and one not-so happy memory of my crayons melting all over the cloth seats of our minivan in the hot sun. Sorry mom! This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and The Coca-Cola Company. All opinions are completely my own.
road trip memories
Eventually on our trips we’d lose the radio station and mom would pop in one of her mixed tapes (yes, tapes) and we’d sing along about glory days and some girl named Rio. This was the soundtrack to our summer road trips. The backdrop to countless rounds of the license plate game and copious amounts of whatever snacks we were able to talk mom and dad into getting us when we stopped for gas. These and many other songs I still associate with that time spent building memories with my family on road trips.
| Read: All the Disney Trip Tips you need to Know |
Growing up I was blessed to go with my family on many road trips including Yellowstone National Park, Washington state, and, one of my last ones before getting married, all the way from our home in Orange County, California to Key West. I think it’s because of these special road trip memories that I love making memories like that with my own kids now.
trips to make road trip memories
For me, successful road trip planning starts with Diet Coke®. Here are some of my other essentials for a successful and memorable road trip that don’t rely on a screen. I think it’s always best to make sure you have easy access to these things, whether they’re in a small cardboard box behind the driver’s seat, or a cute canvas tote bag you can pass back to the children.
- Snacks & drinks: a good mix of healthy and fun treats to help you pass the miles. Take a pass on messy snacks (like chips or candy that can melt) and pick things that will be easier to maintain.
- Paper and crayons/pencils: know what works best for your child. Crayons might not be best if you have a small child who will easily lose them (again, sorry mom!). Consider a mess-free marker or colored pencils.
- A few small games/toys/books, assortment of old favorites and brand new: there are lots of games for which you don’t need anything more than a piece of paper (like the license plate game) or a smart device (like guess the song with the Shazam app). If the drive is really long, a small, new item wrapped in several layers of tissue paper creates a fun diversion for awhile.
- Wipes/hand sanitizer: great for cleaning up hands and small messes.
- Mp3/CDs: for when you lose your radio stations!
| Read: Screen-free Road Trip Tips |
other things to think about:
- If you have children in diapers make sure you have easy access to diapers.
- Easy access to changes of clothing in case children spill or have an accident.
- Blankets or stuffed animals if you’re doing an early morning/late night departure.
- You always want to make sure you have the basics in your car, and right before a road trip is a great time to check your stock: flashlight, first aid kit, water bottles, etc
DIY road trip memories canvas tote bag
Now that you know what you want to bring, you’ll need something cute to store it all in. For this road trip bag I started with a simple canvas tote. I decided to use my handy-dandy vinyl cutter but you could also use fabric paint or markers if you don’t have access to an electronic cutting machine. That would also be a great way to have your kids help create! With so many great song lyrics out there it was hard to choose just one to feature, but I think I made a great choice for our road trip bag.
| Read: Free SVG Files for your next Disney Trip |
If you’ve never used heat transfer material before it’s a cinch to work with but there can be a little trial and error in the beginning. First of all, make sure that you cut out the image in reverse. Secondly, check your iron to make sure it’s not too hot, otherwise you could damage the material. It’s also best to start with a washed and dried product so the material can adhere properly.
Armed with your road trip essentials I hope you have one of the best summers ever making road trip memories and maybe singing along a little too loudly to your favorite songs.
What are some of your favorite road trip memories? What songs bring back summertime for you?
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17 Responses to road trip memories + diy tote bag
Such a cute tote bag! I love road trips with the family. We make such awesome memories along the way 🙂
Thanks so much Dana! Totally agree, road trip memories are some of the most special and long-lasting. 🙂
Love the tote bag. We do a 3 1/2 hour drive to the beach during the summer quite often, so I try to make each trip fun for my 4 year old. Usually, it involved me plugging my phone into the stereo for a fun dance party!
That sounds fun, I wish I had a car I could plug my phone into like that, maybe someday. 🙂 Thanks for your comment!
Your hair is adorable in these pics! I love road trips. 🙂
Thank you so much! Aren’t road trips the best?!
I have so many great road trip memories too. We didn’t have a TV/DVD either. I remember bringing my walkman and listening to my own tapes. I also probably sang way too loud with my headphones on. I really love that bag! So cute with the lyrics on it!
Thanks Shann! I remember a few trips I took with my Talkgirl recorder in tow (like the Talkboy from Home Alone except in purple and pink), such fun memories!
Very cute bag! I really need to get a vinyl cutter but I have been able to use vinyl before just by cutting it with scissors. Thanks for the great road trip tips! {client}
Thank you so much Cristi!
We were like you. Our family toured the country in the good ole station wagon. Mom would get the mixed tapes out about an hour out on our road trip and we’d be singing along to what ever mom had put together. We did a lot of traveling from Texas to Washington. Great memories!!
Texas to Washington, so fun! I bet it was gorgeous too! Aren’t those such fun memories?!
I absolutely adored this post! My family and I are big road trip people since before I can remember, so these tips will definitely come in handy! Thank you so much for the share!
Thanks so much for your sweet comment! Aren’t some of those family memories from road trips the best?!
Kudos for doing a road trip solo with two young kids! I loved when my family did road trips from AZ to CA, my brothers and I would slap each other’s legs until they hurt! My mom was annoyed with us because of the slapping sound. I love the DIY tote, so cute!
Haha, that would probably annoy me too. It totally gets under my skin when my kids are getting at each other in the back seat. But it’s also kind of funny… ah, sibling love! 😀
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