With six kids, we find the easiest way to travel is to take family road trips! We regularly travel from New York out to Michigan and down to Florida to visit family- but we've also driven as far as Wyoming and Utah to show our kids the Western United States. I've got lots of tips to share with you on how to pack and plan for a road trip, and some great suggestions for road trip destinations! You're going to look forward to traveling with your family!
Family Road Trips: Tips for Planning and Packing:
All great road trips start with a plan! I love this phase of dreaming about all of the possibilities! What area of the country do you want to explore? What kinds of things will you enjoy doing there as a family? What new experiences can you have? What would make this next road trip one that you'll remember for the rest of your lives?
Road Trip Planning:
- How to Travel with a Large Family
- Printable Road Trip Planner– a free printable and planning guide to help you plan your next road trip!
- How to Plan a Great American Road Trip
- Free Printable Road Trip Packing List
- Best Road Trip Tip: Leave Early in the Morning
- Keeping up with Homework on a Road Trip
Road Trip Packing and Prep:
- Packing for a Road Trip: How to Pack the Inside of Your Car
- How to Pack for a Road Trip using a Bin System
- Packing Tips for a Family Road Trip
- The Best Car Coolers for a Family Road Trip
- How to Pack Jewelry for Travel
- 8 Must-Have Road Trip Essentials!
- Are We There Yet? Tracking the Family Road Trip
- 10 Great Travel Gifts for Road Trip Warriors
- 10 Great Travel Games for Kids
- Camping with Kids: Everything You Need for a Weekend in the Woods!
Ideas for Cooking While Road Tripping:
- Cooking in a Condo- 3 easy ideas for road trip dinners!
- Breakfast on the Road
- Lunch on the Road
Lessons Learned From The Road:
Ideas and Inspirations for Family Travel:
- 5 Amazing National Parks for Your Summer Bucket List
- 5 Awesome Spring Break Ideas for Families
- Wreaths Across America
- Great Wolf Lodge
- Off Season Beach Rental
- Take Your Kids to See Where You Grew Up!
- Staycation Ideas with Tweens and Teens!
Some of My Favorite Travel Resources:
- Six Suitcase Travel– a great site for finding hotels that will accommodate at least 6 people!
- VRBO– home and condo vacation rentals
- Trekaroo– family travel
Road Trip Destinations that Your Family Will Love!
So now that you've been convinced to hit the road- where do you want to go? The posts below are grouped together by region of the United States- and I've included maps so you can get a sense of where everything is!
Family Road Trips in the Northeast!
The Northeast part of the United States is filled with history! You can learn so much about the early years of our nation, and you can see some incredible scenery too- the rugged mountains of the Appalachians and the Adirondacks, the fast-moving rivers carving out gorges which are perfect for rafting, and the beautiful coastlines where you can get your fill of amazing seafood!
- 7 Great Things to Do in Lake Placid with Kids
- Amazing Things to Do in Bar Harbor Maine with Kids!
- Fun Things to Do In New Hampshire with Kids
- 8 Great Things to Do In New York City with Tweens– in just one day!
- A Visit to Gettysburg with Kids!
- Washington DC with Kids
Southeastern USA:
Living in the Northeast- we love to vacation where it's warm! There are amazing sights to see in the major cities of the Southeast, but what we enjoy most is a trip to one of the soft white-sand beaches!
- 10 Great Things to Do in Atlanta with Kids!
- 5 Fun Things to Do in Asheville with Kids!
- Seabrook Island SC with Kids
- 8 Things to Do in Williamsburg VA with Kids
- Things to Do in New Smyrna Beach Florida- A Perfect Family Destination
Middle States USA:
Both natural and manmade wonders await your trip to the Midwest! From the largest cave system in the world to the tallest and fastest roller coasters- we love exploring the middle of our country!
- 5 Reasons to Visit Mammoth Caves with Kids
- St Louis
- Summertime in Northern Michigan
- Cedar Point Amusement Park
Western USA:
In our family's experience- nothing quite stops us in our tracks like the majesty of the National Parks of the West! The hiking, the vistas, the jaw-dropping wonders of natural stone shaped by water and wind, and the chance to witness geysers and incredible wildlife- the Western United States is our favorite place for a road trip!
- 10 Great Things to Do In South Dakota with Kids!
- Ideas for a Family Road Trip to the National Parks of Utah!
- Wyoming with Kids
- Rocky Mountain National Park with Kids
- Colorado Springs
- Western Colorado
- Southern Utah with Kids
- North Rim of the Grand Canyon
- Road Trip Diaries from our Month Long Road Trip Out West
MomOf6 Loves New York (Our Home State!)
Road trips don't have to cover long distances and take an entire week to enjoy- especially when you live in the state of New York- there are so many great places to see close to home!
- 7 Reasons to Visit Lake Placid with Kids
- 8 Great Things to Do In New York City with Tweens– in just one day!
- Howe Caverns with Kids
- Watkins Glen State Park with Kids
- Corning Museum of Glass
- Walkway Over the Hudson with Kids
- Minnewaska State Park with Kids
- Rockefeller State Park: Hiking with Kids
- Legoland Westchester
- Statue of Liberty
More Resources for Busy Moms!
- Get Organized! A Busy Mom's Ultimate Guide on How to Organize Your Life, Your Family, & Your Home!
- How to Throw Your Own Kids Birthday Parties at Home
- Parenting and Large Family Life
- How to Hold a DIY Summer Camp at Home
- Recipes That Your Kids Will Actually Eat
I hope that you found this to be a great resource for you as you plan your next family road trip!
Belia Salazar says
Hi its not letting me print the road trip planner
Annie says
Hi Sharon,
How old were your youngest kids when you felt confident to do long-distance car trips? Were there any caveats you put on yourselves before you decided you were ready as a family? (Ex. everyone potty trained, etc.) We are contemplating a 16-hour triip to SF, but don’t know if we are brave enough to do it yet. Four kiddos – 7, 5, 3, and 1.
Sharon says
We have no family that lived near us- so in order to spend holidays with family we had to drive- at least 10 hours each way. So my kids have been doing it since they were babies. You just make more rest stops for diaper changes / potty breaks, etc. We like to leave early in the morning (3-4am) so they go back to sleep in the car for a few hours which helps the time to go by! I truly believe that if you start road trips when they are babies, they will be good road-trippers as they grow up!
Jen says
Hi there. I got to something about packing in bins for roadtrips, but I see that none of your packing and planning posts are linked. I hope you can fix that because I thought it was awesome and would love to read about it. Thank you!