5 Tips for traveling alone with kids

My husband works full time and is in school full time as well. This stage of life can feel a little overwhelming. I needed a break from our routine and something fun to do with the kids! I recently gave up my small business to be a full time stay at home mom and I loved the feeling that I wasn’t tied down to any commitments at the moment! I wanted to take advantage of this time I have with the kids and going on a road trip seemed perfect!

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1. Plan it all out! Make an itinerary

Here is the one I made! You can use the same template.

Having the days already planned out was SO helpful. There was already so much on my mind that I wouldn’t have been able to think of things to do too. Having a schedule gave me a peace of mind.

2. Set up your car for success

We love having seat organizers for the kids! They’re a total game changer. Also, we have a snack tote that we place on the armrest between the driver and passenger seat. It makes for an easy snack pass to the kids.

3. Make Muffins

Okay this sounds silly but really, make muffins before the trip and take them with you! They make the perfect snack or breakfast and can solve any hangry melt downs. It was so nice to have muffins in the hotel room that both Ronny our 9 month old and Lucy our 3 year old could eat for breakfast. They’re filling, nutritious, they don’t need to be refrigerated, and they stay good for days after making them. For other road trip snack ideas check out this blog post.

4. Stay somewhere you feel safe

We stayed at the Little America Hotel in Flagstaff, AZ. We spent a little extra money to stay somewhere I felt safe with the kids (we did get a killer deal through hotels.com). I knew that if all else failed the hotel was a great place to be. They have a nature trail, a playground and lots of grass – perfect for picnics.

5. Look up potential break stops

When you are road tripping with kids breaks are inevitable. Rest stop are great if you need something spur of the moment. We stopped at one on our way back and there was a beautiful look out. I was able to feed Ronny a pouch and Lucy was able to get some of her wiggles out. I wish I would have looked up hikes that we could have done on our way back home. I saw a few potential hiking trails while I was driving but I didn’t feel comfortable being that spontaneous alone. I wasn’t familiar with the area and I didn’t know if I would be able to get back on the highway. I think looking up hikes beforehand would have been helpful!

On the way up there I was SO glad we had our Pogo Passes! Ronny wanted out of the carseat and we were passing by the Arizona Boardwalk. I knew our passes gave us free admission to Pangaea Land of the Dinosaurs so I made a quick decision to stop by. Pogo passes gives us free admission to variety of local attractions. They’re the best! Read this blog post to learn more about them! You can use code SADIE20 for 20% off!

Would I ever do a trip alone with the kids again? YES! 100% yes! It was such a great time. I loved it and the kids loved it. It was so empowering as a mother to take my kids on an adventure by myself. I will forever cherish the memories from this trip. They’re only little for so long and I’m so happy I took advantage of this time with them.