Family road trip survival checklist

When you’ve got kids, it’s not. The best family road trips are the ones that are well-planned – without drama (and vomit). Where kids are involved, drama is often unavoidable (and vomit come to think of it), but there are some things you can do to be better prepared than most.

Here’s a checklist to keep you safe and sound (potentially sane) on your next family road trip.

Safety has got to be your top priority at any time and tyre treads are critical in this regard. Worn tyres mean your car cannot respond as effectively as it should when it counts – in emergency manouvre. Read more here.

Yes more about tyres – because your life depends on them. Running incorrect tyre pressures again means that small bit of rubber that connects your car to the road cannot do its job properly.  The placard inside the door will tell you the ideal tyre pressure for your car. If in doubt, ask someone for help. Overinflated tyres can be as harmful as underinflated ones. We uncover some tyre myths here.

It sounds like such a simple one (like making the kids go to the toilet before a long trip), but so often even the most conscientious of drivers forget this one. A dirty windscreen that hinders visibility is dangerous and downright annoying. Make it part of your regular under bonnet check.

Nothing turns a road trip sour like hours of freeway crawling due to unexpected delays. Before you leave, check that there are no major road works or unforseen hazards on the route you’re taking. Good old Google Maps and traffic update sites are great for this, real time updates providing alternative routes in the event of last minute traffic disasters.

As part of your route planning, check for safe rest points along the way. These are of particular importance on longer road trips, not only for toilet breaks but to give the driver a chance to refresh, hydrate and reset. Anyone who is used to driving with kids understands the pain of searching for a toilet stop. Most often, it’s simply unsafe to stop on the freeway – even in the emergency lane. Avoid it at all costs.

Do you have a spare that’s in good condition? Do you know how to change one? Or do you have current roadside assistance… the kind that’s helpful 24/7?  These are all questions you should be able to answer before you set off.

Worse case scenario is that you break down/get a flat tyre/or worse and you’re stranded, roadside, while you fix it/wait for help. At a bare minimum, when road tripping, you should always have a bottle of water per person.  Hangry we can deal with. Being dehydrated is a very different problem.

Goes without saying, really. Have you even been to a roadside toilet? Lord, there are some restaurants where I’d highly recommend you BYO loo roll. Parents with toddlers rarely leave the house without wet wipes, but in the event that you’re kids are past that age I’d highly recommend you pack the three-ply.

It was always going to be on the list. Sometimes sickness hits (and it hits fast) and you can’t always pull over safely. Always have at least one (prob two) plastic bag at hand for the ghastly (but more common than you may think) road trip ralph. God forbid sickness hits the other end on your family road trip. You’re on your own.

Related: Five tips for travelling in road-trip convoy

Related: 10 things you’ll only understand if you’ve travelled 200km with a toddler

Related: The five things every parent says to their kids in the car