We just returned from our holiday trip back to Minnesota to celebrate Christmas and take care of some work stuff.  It is exactly 1203 miles each way in the car with dogs (they DON’T fly and we wanted to take them.)  We did each leg of the trip in two days.  It was good quality bonding time for us and the dogs.  The weather was awesome, the hotels we found were decent and the Chicago traffic was barely a thing.  I think we are getting good at this road trip stuff.

In my opinion, you need 5 things for an easy, successful road trip.

1. Entertainment – We caught up on Serial and a few other podcasts, listened to part of a Bill Bryson book and had a 3 hour 90’s music singalong with Spotify.

2. Comfortable clothes – Fleece lined leggings and warm socks are requirements for me when traveling by car in the winter.  My husband usually rocks some sweatpants and a comfy hooded sweatshirt.  Who cares what you look like when you have to sit in the car for 10 hours?

3. Health food – We stocked up on juices before we left because otherwise we knew we would stop for sodas and sugar drinks all the way through the Midwest.  The juices were in a small cooler along with carrots, apples and other healthy finger foods.

4. The opposite of Health food – We always share a bag of combos.  Even though we packed mostly healthy stuff, you have to have at least one gross item.

5. More comfort – I packed our U-shaped travel pillows for ourselves, but we quickly discovered that Lola fits right inside of those and they were perfect for her to sleep in.  Everyone was more comfortable when she was comfortable.

What do you need when you travel?  Are you headed anywhere for the holidays?