20 Top Tips for surviving long car journeys with kids

If you’re desperately searching for tips on how to survive a long car journey with kids, you’re not alone – and luckily, you’re in the right place!

Whether you’re facing a 6-hour motorway slog or planning an epic family road trip, you’re probably wondering: How on earth do I keep the kids happy, entertained, and avoid the dreaded travel-sickness?

As a mum of now three with countless road miles under my belt – from weekends in Wales to the stunning North Coast 500 in a motorhome while pregnant. I’ve learned (often the hard way) what actually works when it comes to car travel with kids.

And let’s be honest, no one wants a journey filled with “Are we there yet?” on repeat, spilled snacks, and overtired toddlers unraveling in the back seat.

This post covers 20 real-life, road-tested tips for long car rides with kids that will help make the journey smoother, calmer, and dare I say, even enjoyable.

From boredom-busting games to smart packing hacks, this guide has everything you need to arrive with your sanity intact.

Best games for long car journeys with kids

When it comes to car travel with kids, these fun travel games are road-tested favourites that help make long car rides with kids more enjoyable.

We’ve listed the top games we play to pass the time on long car journeys:

1. I Spy (classic for a reason)

Big sigh… yes I know, I Spy can be terribly tedious, but kids love it (well, ours do).

This classic game is one of the easiest long car journey games to play with children of all ages because you can make it as easy or difficult as you like.

It’s simple, you choose an object that you can see, say the words “I spy with my little eye… something beginning with ?”, and everybody else has to guess what it is. The winner takes their turn next.

It gets your kids engaged with the scenery outside (good for keeping car-sickness at bay) and you can always give clues if proving tricky to guess what it is.

Top Tip – Add some humour to it by changing the words to something funny, like “I spy with my googly eye”. Or if it’s too easy and you’ve run out of objects, pretend that you’re somewhere else like at the zoo or the beach.

2. The Minister’s Cat (a wordy winner)

This is a great educational game that apparently dates back to the Victorian-era.

Each person takes it in turns to describe the minister’s cat using an adjective (describing word) beginning with each letter of the alphabet.

The first person starts, choosing an adjective starting with the letter ‘A’. So for example, “the minister’s cat is an adventurous cat”, then “a beautiful cat”.

Each person takes their turn, using the next letter in the alphabet. When you get to the end, you can start again but use different words this time.

We find this game really good for developing children’s vocabulary, and passes the time beautifully on those long drives with kids..

3. The Memory Game

There are many variations to this game, whether a trip to the supermarket or a picnic in the park.

Each person chooses an item that they bought from the shop or took on their picnic, but before sharing their item, they also have to recall all of the previous items mentioned beforehand.

So for example, the first person might say “When I went shopping, I bought an apple…”. The second person takes their turn by recalling the previous item and then chooses their item, ” …an apple and a banana…”. Then “…an apple, a banana, and a sandwich…”

As the game continues, each turn becomes harder as the list of items you have to recall gets longer.

This is a great game for memory, and also becomes quite competitive to see who can remember the most.

4. 20 Questions

Think of a person, animal, or object. Others ask questions with only a yes or no answer, to guess it in 20 tries or less. Perfect for kids as young as three or four.

5. Alphabet Hunt

Work together to find words starting with each letter of the alphabet on signs, lorries, buildings, etc. This is actually harder than it sounds, and maybe one to play in more urban areas!

6. Guess the Song

Hum or whistle a tune or song and see who can guess it first. Or use a playlist, skipping through the songs and quickly turning the volume up for a short burst to see who can guess the song title and artist.

Top Tips for Long Car Journeys with Kids (Beyond Games)

Games are great, but sometimes you need more tricks up your sleeve (and a rest, given that the games always have to include the adults!). These family car travel with kids hacks have saved our sanity more times than I can count.

Snack & Food Strategies to Keep Kids (and Parents) Happy

If your kids are like mine, food is always on their minds, and particularly on long car rides with toddlers, a frequent phrase I hear is “I’m hungry” in that familiar whining tone.

7. Bring Snacks in Small Boxes

We love using small snack boxes like these to pack up a variety of snacks. It also means they can have their own boxes to prevent arguing and making as much mess.

8. Use Sweets (Strategically!)

I try and keep the number of sweets my kids consume to a minimum but on long car journeys, sweets are my secret weapon!

You can drip feed them sweets slowly to keep the moaning at bay, they don’t create any mess and sucking on a sweet can also help with car sickness. We buy cheap packets of these wine gums because they last longer, especially if you suck them instead of chewing them.

Top Tip – Try having a competition to see who can make them last the longest.

9. Bring Wet Wipes and a Rubbish Bag

No need for an explanation on these. We all know kids of all ages can make a big mess with food and sticky hands are guaranteed to get wiped down clothing, or car upholstery.

And a rubbish bag is essential given that kids seem to think the car is a rubbish dumping ground! I learned the hard way after finding moldy apple cores in the car door pockets.

Keep Kids Comfortable (And Encourage Naps)

10. Travel at Nap Times

What better way to pass the time than to sleep, and what bliss for us parents when you turn around and finally realise you have some peace and quiet. If only I could get comfortable in the car, I would definitely take the opportunity to grab some sleep!

We always try and encourage our kids to sleep, promising them a later night if they bank some sleep on the journey.

Try travelling at natural nap times (if they still nap). It makes for a more relaxing journey for us because we don’t have to listen to the moaning, constantly trying to entertain them or worry about travel sickness.

11. Create a Cosy Backseat Den

Top Tip – Don’t forget blankets and comfort teddies to help them drift off.

Entertainment Without Screens

I’ve not yet caved into tablets or in-car DVD players and I’m trying to hold out as long as possible.

I know some parents may say they are a godsend and this is a good option to have after trying some of the other tips first.

12. Listen to Audiobooks (Together)

Audiobooks are an absolute game-changer for long drives with kids. Whether it’s Roald Dahl, Julia Donaldson, or an adventure series for older ones, they pass time quickly—and they’re screen-free.

Plus, once they’re teenagers, they won’t want to talk to us!

It also keeps them entertained without any effort from you. You might not be thankful if your kids are young (how many times can you listen to Goldilocks and the Three Bears!), but as they get a little older, you’ll start getting into them yourself.

13. Create a Road Trip Playlist

Let each member of the family pick a few songs for a special family car journey playlist. We love having a good sing-along together.

14. Family Storytime

Take turns making up silly stories. One person starts, and everyone adds a sentence. Our stories often get sillier and funnier as they go.

15. Enjoy the journey together

I like to use the opportunity to talk about where we are going, what scenery and sights we might pass on the way. The busy, tech world we live in today means we spend less time interacting with our kids, so long car journeys are the perfect opportunity to just talk to each other.

Activities for the Journey

We have one child that is okay with activities that require looking down but the other two, we have to limit as these kind of activities can make them feel sick.

If you’re kids are okay though, try out some of these activities.

16. Activity Books

Sticker by number books are a huge winner with ours (this is our 8-year olds favourite and this is our 12-year olds favourite).

Colouring books and magnetic drawing boards are also a good option if they don’t mind the imperfections from the car motion.

17. Use a Kids’ Travel Tray

A kids’ travel tray can be a total game-changer on long journeys. It gives your child a stable surface for snacks, colouring, playing with toys, or even watching a tablet (if you go that route).

Look for one with pockets for crayons, books, and drinks so everything’s within reach.

Practical Prep Before the Journey

18. Pack the Car the Night Before

Get everything packed up in plenty of time before you go, ideally the night before, especially if getting up and heading off early in the morning.

Ideally, pack the car up ready or at least have everything by the door or somewhere where you can simply load straight into the car before you go. Trust me, this will take A LOT of stress out of setting off.

19. Prepare for Travel Sickness

We always travel with sick bags, spare clothes, wet wipes, and plastic bags – just in case.

Top Tip – I’ve always saved travel-sickness bags from airplanes and boats to keep in the car, but if you’d rather buy 100% leakproof bags, try these.

We also keep travel sickness bands in the car, and they definitely seem to help whether they actually work or are just a placebo.

Plan in Stops to Break up the Journey

20. Plan Scenic Stops

The best stops are those that involve some fun! Locations with parks or playgrounds are a definite winner to let them stretch their legs.

But if service stations are your only option, maybe the promise of a treat will keep them going.

Final Thoughts

Long car journeys with kids are never completely stress-free. But with the right mix of preparation, distraction, and a sense of humour, they can be so much more manageable – and even fun.

These are the tips that have worked for us again and again, whether we’re heading 3 hours on the motorway to visit the family or completing a road trip.

Whatever type of car travel with kids you are planning, we really hope the ese top tips help make the journey easier and more enjoyable for both parents and kids.

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