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:

Gannon Blogs

Well, season 5 of My little pony comes to Netflix on July 30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It will be the best!!!!!

And, I think this road trip should  be known all around the world, so I encourage everyone who knows about The Jolly Camper to upload videos on any social network  that YOU know of + YouTube so my family can pay off debt fast!  And don't forget Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!!!!!!

What I think about the road trip is that it has been very enjoyable.  I really enjoy it because I'm spending time with my family.  And it's very fun.

My favorite part of the trip so far has been going to my grandparents house and seeing them.  I like to play with things and playing with everyone.  I also like when Grandpa takes me fishing.  I am crocheting too.  They let me eat un-crustable peanut butter and jelly.

My least favorite part is losing my hat in new York city because it was from the Pentagon.  I hope mom will be able to buy me a new one on Amazon.  I was really sad when I lost it in Times Square.

The most challenging part so far is walking (what feels like) 200 miles.  It was very tiring.  Washington DC and New York City were the hardest walking times.  I got to see bike-man outside the White House though.

Next year I'm looking forward to earning money because it will pay our debt off faster.  People need to know about our road trip so we can pay off debt so we can go on more, cooler road trips.

Family road trips are important to me because it's family time. with my everyone but my dad.  My dad doesn't come because he's in Haiti working with orphans.  I'm very proud of my dad.  Plus, it only costs $10 to get into Haiti.  TEN DOLLARS!  THAT'S CHEAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Family Affair

Day 3 started at the Noccalula Campsite right outside Noccalula falls.  You're probably wondering, WHAT exactly, Noccalula ANYTHING is.  To be completely honest, I couldn't even spell Noccalula before today, and to continue being completely honest, I had to check google before posting this.  

The legend of Cherokee Indian Princess Noccalula dates from antiquity in the regions of northeast Alabama, U.S., where the Cherokee nation once thrived. According to legend, Princess Noccalula was the beautiful daughter of a powerful Cherokee chief and was deeply in love with a brave from her own tribe. Despite her wishes to marry this young warrior, she was promised by her father to a Creek Indian chief who had more bounty to offer for her hand. Her lover was banished from the tribe, and Noccalula was forced to ready herself for the arranged marriage. On the day of the wedding she allowed herself to be arrayed in ceremonial attire and obediently but reluctantly attended the marriage feast. In the midst of the merrymaking, Noccalula quietly slipped away and wandered through the forests of her childhood, coming eventually to the beautiful waterfall near her tribal home. Rather than subject herself to a loveless marriage, she jumped from the precipice near the falls and ended her life on the rocks below.

So I took my kids to the Indian Princess Suicide site.  I blame Tammi Murphy for this.  She told me if we got close, we should visit, that it's one of the most beautiful places she's ever been.  We hiked to behind the falls.  I'll let you judge:

First view of the falls from the trail

Right behind the falls in the cliff cave

From the side

A mile hike in.  I am so proud of those kids of mine!

From the beach below the falls.

Not too shabby, right?  THANK YOU, TAMMI!!!!!!  Kayleigh enjoyed hiking for her first time, even though we were hot and sweaty by the time we were done.

We ate a picnic lunch, fed some animals...

and headed two and a half hours east to an Atlanta suburb to see some of the most outstanding people you will ever meet.  They happen to be my cousins.  I am in no way biased.

Lenny, Sue, Ginny, Caylee, and Brandon were impeccable hosts.  Hamburgers for dinner, then swim lessons, real beds, TV, and showers with water pressure.  I really can't say enough about the hospitality of this wonderful family.  We are so blessed!

Off to bed I go!  Tomorrow is a new day :)

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!!!!!!!!!!!