Top 3 Items to Survive a Road Trip

Spring has sprung on the east coast! With the sprouting flowers and chirping birds, it’s hard not to think about summer being right around the corner. In our family, summer means one thing – ROAD TRIPS!

With family and friends spread out all over the country, we take road trips extremely frequently. Road trips are not easy for young children, especially for those who are neurodivergent. Any trip is full of unexpected events, overstimulation, and the fallout of a lack of routine. However, here are the top three items that have helped road trips become easier for my family and can hopefully help yours as well!

Road Trip Visual

Patience is not a strong suit for any member of my family, myself included! So the journey to our destination can get a little stressful for everyone in the car.

Something that has been a lifesaver is this Road Trip Visual from BIAS Behavioral. This visual is a great way to keep track of the road trip so that your child knows where you are and can see the entire trip laid out for them. (This resource can also be used for small trips or just everyday errands – anything to help your child be as comfortable as possible with any travel!)

My son loves moving the car along the road and hitting the states and landmarks. Moving the car gives him a sense of control of the trip and helps him feel calmer about the unknown during the journey. Be creative on where you can display this in the car – somewhere easily seen and accessed. We stick ours on door of the car next to him. I laminated this resource to help with durability and so far have only needed to make one visual to use for quite a few road trips!

Yoto Mini

Screen time is a constant struggle with all children. This makes travel difficult because it would be so EASY to just put on movies during the whole road trip. However, too much screen time can lead to an increase in behaviors, something I have observed with my own son. My husband and I have had to become creative in our travels to make sure there are many opportunities for different types of stimulation and screen time breaks.

The Yoto Mini is hands down my FAVORITE discovery in the past few years. While the upfront cost seems steep, I promise you it is worth every penny. The diverse amount of cards available for purchase give you so many options for your child and their particular interests. There are cards for music, sounds, meditation, nonfiction and fictional stories, and even jokes. Just slip the card in and listen SCREEN FREE. My son has listened to his Yoto Mini for countless hours in the car and when we have reached our destination. It is a great option for him when he needs alone time and is feeling overstimulated. Invest in the Yoto Club to get the most bang for your buck and to increase your card library.

Car Organizer

If you are like me, your car is always a mess. However, getting a good organizer to hang on the back of the seat in front of kids is a must. There are many options so get whatever works for your car. I make sure that before long trips, all of the sensory essentials are packed – headphones, sunglasses, fan for temperature control, fidgets, pop-its, stress ball, chew necklace. I also add in any toys or books that are currently interesting to each child. Anything that will help regulate your child on a long trip and brings comfort to them should be put in here!

Road trips can be intimidating! As they say, “it’s about the journey, not the destination;” but in the neurodivergent world, the journey can be overwhelming. Hopefully these ideas can help the journey be a bit smoother so everyone can enjoy it along the way!