Traveling to new destinations has always been one of Matthew and I’s favorite things to do, throw some spontaneity in there and you have my idea of a good time. Something about seeing and experiencing new places excites my soul. It was only natural that my sons would have the travel bug too. Now that they are getting older in age (and the positivity rates for Covid are actively going down) it was time to get this pack back on the road. While we have taken some family trips in the past, this trip was by far our most successful. I truly believe this has everything to with our boys now being 2 ½ and 5. Our first attempt at a family road trip was one month into my first son’s life, not my brightest idea to say the least. While it is do-able, breast pumping/feeding on a road trip with a baby who hates his car seat is stressful as hell. I do not recommend it but understand if you do it anyway. Our second family trip was seven months into my second son’s life and my oldest was 3. We are a family who loves Dinosaurs so we decided a trip to Washington DC would be perfect for us. It was, but also still very stressful. My youngest son unfortunately also hates the car seat, just like his brother, and had a terrible habit of screaming until he made himself puke every single time we got in the car. (With time, we have found out his issue is motion sickness. Luckily, this is a problem that we now have a solution for, Dramamine.) After many successful day trips around Kentucky, we thought we would give a family road trip another try. Flash forward to the present and we are freshly home from a successful family road trip to the Field Museum to see Sue the famous T-Rex. My oldest son, and future paleontologist, has been looking forward to seeing Sue for a while now. I wanted to make sure we got this one right! How did we do it you ask? Matthew and I have literally spent the last five years traveling just around Kentucky to get the traveling with children thing down to a science. Here are two key lessons we have learned from our experiences. I cannot stress this enough; make a list of everything you will need before you start packing. Sit down and think of every possible scenario you may encounter on the road. For example, in my case I must come prepared for vomit. While he does not get sick on every car ride it is not fun to be caught off guard, so puke bucket and extra clothes are a must for me. The better prepared you are the smoother your trip will be. One thing I have learned is the things you need as your children grow will change and become minimized, so do not give up hope when traveling gets rough. Our first two trips required so many things that it was completely overwhelming. Clothes, bathroom supplies, bottles, breast pump, diapers, wipes, blankets, pack n play, bottle warmer, and toys. To be honest, I am probably forgetting something. Now the list is much smaller and manageable. No matter what age I have learned the hard way that lists are the only way to not forget. The next trick we have learned when traveling with kids, is travel when it is sleep time as much as possible. When they are asleep, they are content, and your ride is much more enjoyable for everyone in the car. Luckily, Matthew and I have always traveled for long distances at night to avoid traffic. So, this time we loaded the car up at 3 in the morning and were on the road by 4. This got us to our destination of Chicago just in time for breakfast before we went to the museum. After seeing Sue, it was time for lunch and a nap giving us the perfect opportunity to drive to our next destination, Kalamazoo, Michigan. Random I know, but I have always wanted to go there, and Matthew had never been to Michigan. It was our chance to check another state off the list of must visits. We arrived just in time to check into a room for the night and relax. Before children we would have just slept in our car, but now it is essential to have a bed. Also, with age I am so grateful for not sleeping in a vehicle. I would if I must but won’t if a bed is an option. The next day was the trip home, with a planned stop at the Gilmore Car Museum just before we started the long drive. This was of course to time the drive with naptime and worked in our favor. The boys had so much fun at the car museum all it took was getting their tummies full and they were ready to sleep for most of the drive home. Time is everything when on the road with children, timing breaks out of the car is key to your trip running smoothly. This will look different for every family but is a great rule of thumb to live by when on the road. With our first successful road trip finally in the books I look forward to taking many more Nichols Family Adventures and sharing them with you all 😊 Stay tuned for the shenanigans we get into next! Look out world the Nichols are on our way to explore!!!