Road Trip Must-Haves for Teens and Tweens

This post is sponsored by General Mills, but all opinions are my own.

We’re in the thick of summer and our adventures are just beginning. Over the next few weeks, we have a few occasions where we are going to be hitting the road so I’m sharing our road trip must-haves for teens and tweens. There are certain things we need to have in the car to make road trips bearable with my crew. With four kids, there’s bound to be some tormenting, boredom, and possibly tears, but we like to minimize that possibility. With the right items and proper car packing, we’re sure to have a great time no matter where our adventures take us.

Road Trip Must-Haves for Teens and Tweens

Headphones are great for keeping the peace between all passengers of the car. Sometimes the headphones are linked to a movie playing in the car so mom and dad can still pick out an audiobook they’ll enjoy and listen to it. Other times, the headphones are connected to a tablet or phone for personal entertainment. Either way, letting one (or all) the kids zone out for a time is a great way to keep things peaceful. 

No road trip is complete without snacks. We made a stop at Walmart to load up! We often get the munchies in the car, and I prefer to not go straight for the candy and chips every time. My kids and I have always loved Nature Valley granola bars, but now there’s a new guy in town, which fulfills those munchie cravings quite nicely. Now at Walmart, there are the new Nature Valley Wafer Bars! In Peanut Butter and Peanut Butter Chocolate flavors, these wafers are delish! Get layers of crispy wafers mixed with peanut butter and chocolatey goodness for the perfect car snack on your next road trip.

Activities for the mind are a must. Whether it be reading, trivia questions, puzzles, or our favorite – Mad Libs, something to keep the mind active is very important. We like to have enough activities to alternate through, especially when the drives are long. 

Drawing/coloring supplies are imperative for keeping a couple of my kiddos happy. I have quite the budding artists so we are also sure to keep colored pencils, pencils, sketchpads, and comic book papers in stock. If your kids are younger, then coloring books are fantastic, but my kids like using their own creativity and like to draw up a storm. 

Lastly, we never complete a road trip without movies. I remember the good ol’ days when we didn’t have DVD players in our car, and we used our imagination. In today’s technology age, kids are often happiest when they’re zoned out to a movie with snacks in one hand and something cold to drink in the other. Another reason Nature Valley Wafer Bars come in handy. They make for great movie snacking! We make sure to have a variety of movies on hand, to keep everyone happy. I let the kids take turns picking which movie we watch.

Wherever your road trip adventures take you, I hope our road trip must-haves for teens and tweens will make your list. Happy travels!