40 Essential Items for a Three Week Road Trip

The 40 Essential Items to 24 Days on the Road with Your Kids

ie:  The Packing List

9 days from right now, I'll be taking off with four kids (ages 19, 10, 7, and 3, and picking up an 18 year old along the way) on a grand adventure of a road trip.  We'll be visiting 15 states in 21 days and camping in our tent AND in our van!  See the pics below for our setup.  So, here's the conundrum: I have to be able to fit everything from the trunk in the front two seats for sleeping when we aren't tenting it.  Here, I'll show you....

This is the layout of the van.  See the trunk space?  See the front seat space?  Well, the whole list of stuff, minus the air mattress, sleeping bags and pillows need to go from the back.......................

to in between the front seat and the dash.  This includes Annika's car seat.  So I'm posting my list to make sure I didn't forget anything, or maybe even skinny it down!  We've done it for two years running.  Next year, we'll be flying to Alaska and Hawaii, so I'll have a whole NEW set of problems....HAHA!  #camperproblems Please comment and FOLLOW!

1.  Air Mattress
2. Sleeping Bags x4
3. Pillows
4. Cooler with Ice
5. Fresh Food
6. Dehydrated Food
7. WATER
8. 2 pair long pants each
9. 3 pair shorts each
10. 5 pair underwear each
11. 5 t-shirts each
12. 1 sweatshirt/jacket each
13. 1 pair tennis shoes each
14. 1 pair Sandals each
15. 5 pair socks each
16. 1 swim suit each
17. 1 towel each
18. 2 pair jammies each
19. deodorant
20. shampoo
21. conditioner
22. body wash
23. toothbrushes
24. toothpaste
25. face wash
26. moisturizer
27. Sunscreen
28. Bug spray
29. Benadryl/Motrin/tylenol/valium
30. money
31. MOVIES
32. BOOKS
33. Emergency Kit
34. Atlas
35. Computer/Charger
36. Cell phones/charger
37. Tent
38. Tarp
39. Stove
40. Baby Back Pack

Car Camping:

 

Tent Camping:

Days 5-9: The Burg

I'm from a little house on the prairie.  Not the show, an actual little house on an actual prairie.  I love calico, ice cream socials, and green rolling hills.  Galesburg is home to the Birthplace of Carl Sandburg, the Landmark Cafe, a Lincoln vs. Douglass debate site, and two of my favorite bloggers!  

These women know Galesburg and they know travel!  When I post about my silly little US road trip, I dream of going the places these people go.  Katie and I were good friends in kindergarden. We often pretended we were Anne of Green Gables characters walking a path between our houses, young girls with great imaginations.  You'll enjoy here thoughts on life at Nonbillablehours.  

Christy and I were in high school together and I recently accidentally bought some belts from her on E-Bay.  That was a fun invoice to see!  She is also a Galesburg native and suffered through high school volleyball with me at our super-small Christian school.  You'll love her photos and travels at Laneletters.

But I digress....Galesburg.  

Galesburg is where my kids go fishing at Lake Story

Galesburg is where Middle D JC climbs higher than the house in the same tree I climbed when I was young

Galesburg is The Taste Of Galesburg with Turtle Crepes from the Landmark, and Baby JC eats the cherry.

Where my son holds my daughters hand as we walk

and grandparents take time with little folks for waffles in the early mornings.

We made it up to Rock Falls to see my favorite Aunt and Uncle, and my niece with her parents.

Its a sad, dying town since Maytag took its business out and stole jobs from thousands, but it is where my heart is, where my parents are, and one of my children's favorite places to be.  We only make it back a few times a year, but we love Galesburg.  It has been a wonderful break from being on the road, in the car.  We've played, built with legos, played in parks, visited with folks, and enjoyed our time.  Galesburg, I love you.  Days 5-9  are in the books.

Off to Omaha and DENVER!!!!!!!!!!!