Florida... Road trip survival kit

Last year after we completed our second round trip drive to Florida and back, I actually did something smart. I created a document and wrote down all the things I learned. What I brought that worked, what I should have brought, how I should have packed it. I just found the list and I'm thrilled I did this as you really do forget the specifics of what to bring and all the possible scenarios that could pop up. The biggest issue for us has been that Alanya gets car sick, and we have cleaned up more vomit on Interstate 95 than you probably care to know about. The first thing on the list surprisingly enough is a "Vomit Care Kit". For the record, she finally is old enough now that we feel more comfortable about giving her medications, so we do give her Dramimine now and so far so good. So for anyone out there planning a major road trip, here is my survival list.

Vomit Care Kit – Febreeze, Gallon Ziploc with top turned down, Wet Wipes, Paper Towels, Dramamine and Trash bags. Some of these things are useful for other parts of the trip, but are essential if vomit does arise. The febreeze is a must-take now. The last thing you want to do is sit in a car for hours when it smells. Buy a small bottle and find a place to put it. You'll be happy you did. The gallon ziploc with the top turned down (one of my cyberfriends pointed out the necessity of having it already open!) lives in the pocket in front of Alanya. If necessary, write "vomit bag" on it so it doesn't get used for something else by mistake (have done that too!). The wet wipes are good for cleaning people and car interiors. Although the Lysol ones would be nice for the car, you can make do with the people ones for both tasks. Paper towels are necessary for mopping up, and we suggest two dozen grocery shopping bags for garbage, bagging dirty clothes, and anything else that comes up. The dramamine should be chewable, just in case a tired cranky child revolts and refuses liquids or pills.

Items for Adult Passenger – earplugs, eye mask, pillow, blanket, crosswords, notebook and pen, Trip-Tik, book light, phones and charger. The adult passenger has two primary jobs, sleeping and entertaining the driver. I am a very light sleeper, so the sleeping aids are a must. Earplugs drown out kids and road noise. I made an eye mask out of an old dark colored towel and an elastic headband. We also bring a small pillow and a small fleece blanket as the driver will often keep the car cool to stay awake. Once the passenger is rested, he now needs to entertain. We save crossword puzzles from the paper for a week or so and do them together. The notebook and pen are for logging expenses, gas purchases, and time travelled, as well as brilliant ideas that pop up in the middle of the night. Jason and I still have a list of dream trips we want to take from last year. The AAA trip-tik or any other map is obvious, but the AAA version shows rest areas, rest areas with bathrooms (yes, there is a difference!) as well as exits with food and services. A small book light is good so the driver isn't inundated with the blinding overhead light, and the phones and charger is obvious to have nearby.

Important extras that need to be accessible – Advil, Children's chewable tylenol or advil, Band-aids, Immodium, Tissues, Paper Towels (select-a-size for napkins), glasses and sunglasses. All of these items should be within reach of the adult passenger so they can be retrieved without stopping. Ok, maybe not the Immodium, that likely requires a stop, but the rest should be in grabbing distance.

Food – Prepackage 5 of each kind of snack. Prepare a second set and put in a plastic shoebox for the return trip. Wraps are easy to put together on the road for lunch (pb, hummus, turkey). I've learned through trial and error how to pack the food. We bring lots of food, primarily so we aren't tempted to spend money along the way. One year, everyone had a snack container and I'd open a large bag and fill everyone's container, but this proved messy, and it left me with open bags. After a few refills, the kids thought they could pick and choose and it took more time than it needed to. Last year I came up with the 5 of each kind approach and it worked well. But the lightening bolt idea was packing the snacks for the return trip before we left. We take two days to drive back, so having snacks on hand is even more important to save money. As soon as we arrive in Florida, I take the box of snacks out of the car and put it in my parent's garage and it stays there until we are ready to leave. I also can't emphasize enough that when you are in the car for so long, you need real food, fresh food. You can only live so long on cheez-its and granola bars. We bring grapes, apples, orange slices, baby carrots, celery sticks, sliced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and bananas. Also good is nuts, dried fruits, cheese sticks and gogurts. Last year, 20 hours into our trip we stopped for lunch and we pulled out a pack of wholewheat tortillas, some turkey, hummus and filled it with veggies. Much better than a cheeseburger and fries.

Drinks – Use straight ice on the beverages in the hard cooler. (Cold packs for the food.) Fill all water bottles with water and refill smaller containers. Again, we learned here when at 4 in the morning we wanted an ice cold Diet Coke or Starbucks frappucino and they were lukewarm. Beverages need to be in straight ice. The food on the other hand will do fine with the cold packs. Limit the drinks with the kids or you will be stopping more than you care to. We give all of them a water bottle to hold at their seat, and refill from a gallon in the car when needed. A juice box or a soda as a treat will perk them up if you stop to let them run around. The kids need to get out and move, so every time you stop, jog up and down the sidewalk a few times to get the wiggles out, or play tag while waiting for others who are finishing up in the bathroom. Tired and sleepy kids make good companions on road trips.

Kids – dvds, blankets, pillows, book lights and activity bags. The importance of the dvd player can not be over emphasized on a trip like this. We actually have two, one with a double screen for the boys in the backseat, and one with a single screen for Alanya in the middle. She really doesn't watch it much because of her car sickness, but it will distract her when she is in a good mood to watch it. And as far as dvd's, I should start asking around now to see what I can borrow from friends. I try to borrow some, and I have also gotten some from the library. The only problem is you can only check out a dvd for one week, so I have to go online while in Florida and try to renew them during the vacation. If by chance someone put a hold on one of the movies, I won't be able to renew, and will get a fine, so this isn't the best option. They each bring a small blanket and neck pillow (I made them each one out of fleece last year). They also bring a stuffed animal or two, a notebook, pen, book to read, game boy... whatever they bring though must fit in their backpack and their backpack must be with them at their seat.

Packing – Pack all the things you definitely won’t need on the ride together and put those bags on the bottom. (Exception, easily accessible clothes for vomit-prone children). This seems sort of obvious, but sometimes obvious goes right out the window on a trip like this. We have stood in the rain in the parking lot of a Waffle House in South Carolina trying to dig through the back of the van looking for something... anything... to put on Alanya. Have one change of clothes for everyone in one bag on top.

Now that we are approaching one week away, I'll actually start piling things in a staging area, and I'm sure I'll be updating this list as I get going. Stay tuned!