via Parenting Chaos: Planning a road trip? When it comes to planning a family vacation there is no such thing as being over prepared. By planning ahead parents can avoid many meltdowns and tantrums along with being ready to handle any bumps in the road.

How to Prepare for a Road Trip with Kids:

1. Pack Lightly
Traveling with kids requires packing a ton of stuff. When deciding what comes and what goes, think minimalist. A car that is overflowing with stuff will do nothing but add stress to everyone. Keep to the bare essentials and try to stick to items that are designed specifically for travel. Trust me you just do not want your car to be overflowing with junk…

(I just could not even begin to imagine traveling like this…)

2. Pack Snacks:
There is nothing worse than hungry kids. When it comes to eating on the road there might not always be a fast food joint or store easily available. Plus who really wants their kids fueling up on only fast food? A small car cooler packed with healthy snack options is an easy way to save money on your trip while making sure your family is eating right. As an added plus car coolers typically fit beautifully in between captain seats and can be used as a table space or some may even have additional cup holders.

3. Pack Quiet Car Activities:
Simple activities that your kids can play on their own in the car will be your friend! Some of our favorites for traveling are our DIY Paint Chip Puzzles, DIY Lacing Cards, and DIY Story Book Puzzles. Making your own toys, games, and busy bags for travel is an awesome way to save money!

4. Electronics are your friend!

Family road-trips aren’t a daily occurrence, because of this we are a lot more lenient about our screen time rules when traveling. There are going to be parts of your trip where there is no where to stop, nothing to look at, and bored kids. Packing electronics gives your child access to eBooks (you can find an amazing amount of eBooks for free), movies, and even educational games. Most smart phones can act as a hot spot, and most cellular plans will allow you to up data for a month (just remember to call to knock it back down after the trip)! Also your local library is a great resource for finding movies or eBooks for your trip.

5. Avoid the Flat tire!
A flat tire when traveling is already miserable. Add kids into the mix…and yeah, you don’t want to go there! No one wants to be stuck on the side of the road with kids in the car, especially when hundreds of miles away from home!

It’s always a good idea to have your car checked and tuned before you head out on a long road trip. Make sure you get your oil changed, your car systems checked, and your tires looked over. If you’re tires are getting a little bald, you’ll want to get those changed before your trip.

Sam’s Club is a great place to get those new tires. A Sam’s Club membership continues to get you unbeatable summer deals on everything, including auto & tire services! On these tire brands Sam’s Club has the best all-in price (or will match offer): Michelin, Goodyear, BF Goodrich and Pirelli. Not only do they have low prices on tires and offer a great value on their Tire Installation Package* ($15/tire, $25/dually tire) but my favorite part is that they offer emergency roadside tire service — for three years from the date of purchase, members have 24-hour toll free access for emergency tire change service! A great deal for us moms!

Other services available to active Sam’s Club Members are:

  • Tire Mounting
  • Tire Lifetime Balancing
  • Tire Lifetime Rotation
  • A Value Stem
  • No Charge Tire Lifetime Flat Repair

How Sam’s Club’s #DareToCompare offer works: Bring a valid “all-in” quote from a tire sales and installation retailer to your Sam’s Club Tire and Battery Center service counter. The quote must be printed on dealer/retailer letterhead and dated within the past 7 business days. The tire must be the same brand, same line, same load index and speed rating (service description) as the tire intended for purchase at Sam’s Club. Sam’s Club carries some club-specific tire lines – in these cases, Sam’s Club will compare the club-specific tire line to the equivalent general-market tire line.