Preparing for Summer: Family Road Trip Essentials

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, Walmart Family Mobile. All opinions are mine alone. #DataAndAMovie #CollectiveBias

We have some road trips planned for this summer. Being in the car for multiple hours with our kids can be an adventure to say the least. Throughout my years of parenting so far, I've learned some great tips to make road trips easier.

Have plenty of snacks.

I always go overboard when preparing snacks for a trip. Preparing snacks ahead of time saves money and stops. I always make sure to include a variety of snacks, and I try to get snacks that won't make a huge mess and that are easy for them to eat while the vehicle is moving. Bringing along our own beverages in sippy cups is a huge help and cuts down on spills.

Bring along some fun drawing supplies.

Not only do I pack up crayons and paper, I try to add in some stickers or other fun little additions that are new to the boys to keep them busy. I try to stay away from many markers at their current ages because who knows what they will try to draw on.

Bring along a small surprise or two.

I hit up the cheap toy section and snag a couple little toys I think the boys will like before a long trip. Extra little surprises lift their spirits. Sometimes I wrap them up as little presents and give them out one at a time, other times I just sneak them in with their normal things. When we drove to Colorado from Iowa when Henry was two, I gave him one gift an hour. You can even wrap up some of the snacks.

Have some trash bags.

The gift wrap can cause a little litter, but I also make sure that I have trash bags handy! I try to keep a trash container in each row of the car so everyone has easy access. I also have a few extra trash bags so we can switch them out when we do stop for a break.

Bring on the extra data and movies.

The boys love their devices and watching things, but it eats a lot of data. Walmart Family Mobile has phones and plans that are so reasonably priced and perfect for road trips.

I purchased the Cool Pad Rogue which cost just $19.88 (Rollback from $39.83). It's a smart phone that really has all you need including the ability to talk, text, surf the web, and download Andriod apps. The starter kit is cheaper than before and now on rollback for just 19.88. A monthly plan is $49.88 per month which includes 10GB of 4GLTE data AND a free movie each month from VUDU (a $7 value). All prices for phones and plans included in this post are accurate as of the date of posting; however, these prices are subject to change. Please refer to http://cbi.as/3edbl or your local Walmart for current pricing.

The movie can be played via our Chromecast(R) and many other great options. Some of the titles currently available that I think our boys would love are: The Good Dinosaur, Wreck it Ralph, The Peanuts Movie, The Jungle Book, Toy Story, and more. There's plenty of movies on there for adults, too!

The whole package is a great value, the starter kit cost is so reasonable, and I love that there is no contract! A device that can be used to play games, do a little online shopping, stream music, and stream YouTube will be a huge help on our long road trips. No worrying about data overage; 10 GB is plenty!

What are your must-haves for a family road trip? Have you heard of Walmart Family Mobile?

Linking up with Still Being Molly, Garay Treasures, Tuesday Talk,  Mama Shares Monday, and Motivation Monday.