We have a wedding coming up in the next few weeks and it’s going to require a very long (13 hours!) road trip to get there. Pre-kids, I would be so excited to listen to music or podcasts, talk with the hubby and just stare out the window taking in all the views. But with kids, it’s a whole new world! I thought I would share my roadtrip essentials with you, plus a few tips and tricks to surviving a long drive with kids!

RULE # 1 // CREATE A FLEXIBLE PLAN!!

The first thing you must do is plan! Having a solid, yet flexible, plan helps things run more smoothly! Since we have a 13 hour drive, we are planning out different stops, researching parks or cool attractions along the way and finding safe places to stretch our legs and get some energy out! I usually try to plan stops every 2-3 hours unless the girls are sleeping! Some stops will be 15-30 minutes, while others will be 2 hours!

I think if you go in with a game plan, things will run a lot smoother! Just don’t be too rigid! And definitely don’t forget to have fun!

Now here are some roadtrip essentials and tips you need to survive!

1. Wear something comfortable

This is super important! No one wants to sit in a car for an extended period of time in something restrictive, too tight or just not comfortable! I love wearing a cute romper or jumpsuit or leggings, a cute band tee and an oversized sweater! I usually put the girls in something similar to me, but that can be easily layered! My hubby likes to wear joggers and a tee! Think athleisure wear and you are good to go!

Here are some of my favorite jumpsuits and outfits to stay comfy all road trip long! I’ve included some options for kids and guys too!

You Can Shop My Favorite Women’s Looks Here!

Shop My Favorite Kid’s Looks Here!

Shop My Favorite Men’s Looks Here!

2. Snacks, snacks and more snacks

This is probably the most important part of your roadtrip essentials! My girls get so hungry in the car! They are so busy and active that once they are buckled in and sitting, it’s like they finally realize just how hungry they actually are. When packing snacks, I try to find low sugar options, because we don’t need any extra energy in the car or a sugar crash! I also try to keep clear of anything that would be too sticky so it doesn’t make a mess everywhere!

Some of our favorite snacks are

• blueberries, raspberries, apples and watermelon
• trail mix
• cucumbers with lemon and salt
• vegan jerky (we like this brand)!
• almond butter and jelly sandwiches
• low sugar lollipops (we love this brand..super low sugar)!
• chips/pretzels (we love hippeas)
• freeze dried fruit (blueberries, apples, strawberries)
• fruit and veggie pouches (we love once upon a farm!)
• Ginger Chews! In case anyone gets carsick! I love these!!

We will stop a few times too to get smoothies, salads and something yummy! But having those snacks easily accessible in the car helps keep everyone hangry free!

3. A Backpack filled with Toys/Games and Books

I’ve found it super helpful to pack a bag for each of the kids and put some fun new toys in it, as well as some great travel ones! I just recently got the girls these LCD Board Tablets and they love it! My oldest loves to doodle on them and practice her letters and my youngest likes to color and then push the button to erase it all! It’s one of her favorite things! These little popping toys and these bendy straws are also great! They are fidget toys that my girls love playing with. It’s mindless but keeps them busy while they listen to music or stories!

I also love these sticker scenes, maze books and these mess free coloring pages! They are perfect for travel!

You Can Shop Our Travel Faves Here!

4. Podcasts/audiobooks

Listening to books and stories can help time go by so quickly! My 4 year old loves story podcasts so they are a must have for long car drives! When the kids fall asleep, you can turn on some adult podcasts or audiobooks!

Here are some of our Faves <3

Kids

• Reading Bug Adventures
• Story Time with Phillip and Mommy
• Molly of Denali Podcast
• Earth Rangers
• Story Spectacular Podcast

We also have been loving listening to The Magic Treehouse audiobooks and Curious George Audiobooks! We rent them from our library for free using the Libby App!

Adults

• Live Beautifully Podcast
• Wild + Free Podcast
• The Ikonns Podcast
• The Bossbabe Podcast

5. Other Important Items!

In order to make travel easier and more comfortable, having these items in your car will make everything run smoothly! These are some of my key roadtrip essentials!

• reusable water bottle – it’s important to stay hydrated on the trip! you don’t want to drink too much and have to stop to use the restroom every five minutes, but you definitely want to keep things moving! Here are some of my favorite water bottles 1// Glass Straw Cup, 2// 32 Oz Stainless Steel Water Bottle. and 3// this leopard one!
• pillow and blanket – this is more so for the kids, but it really helps them stay cozy if you have the air on or if outside temps drop!
• kids toilet and lots of baby wipes – this is also a super important one! we always travel with a portable kids toilet so we never have to take them into public bathrooms. with two kids, it is too hard and not always sanitary. it’s easy to clean, you can pull over on a side of the road, and it doesn’t take up too much space! Also bring lots of baby wipes! You can use them for both potty time, messes and to clean hands! I love these bamboo wipes and these water wipes!
• headphones – These are great for kids! We use these all the time!
• mini ipad or amazon kid’s tablet – if all else fails, then give them the ipad or tablet for some limited play or screen time! we try to limit this because we want our kids to use their imaginations and view the scenery! but if things are going south and you need a break, whip it out for a little!

Hopefully this post all about my roadtrip essentials will help make your next one run smoother! Just remember to have low expectations, enjoy the journey, make lots of memories and take lots of photos! Even the hardest trips have fun family memories attached!

As always, thanks for following along! And don’t forget to check out Melissa’s recent post about making your bathroom more sustainable! We always appreciate your support in reading out blog and our posts! Another way you can support us it by purchasing via our links. We make a small commission with each purchase and it means so much to us.

xoxoxo,

Kari

The post Roadtrip Essentials: Everything You Need to Survive a Long Drive with Kids appeared first on sunkissed & grateful.

We have been dreaming of a vacation for so long! We had quite a few busy months recently and wanted to take a little mini trip together to soak up some sun, spend some quality family time, and just unwind, well as much as you can with kids (haha). It was also my hubby’s birthday so I thought a trip to Palm Desert would be the perfect little trip to celebrate him! Here is a little recap of our 36 Hours in Palm Desert!

I used to go all the time to Palm Desert as a kid and loved it! It’s just a 1.5-2 hour trip from San Diego and it feels like you’ve gone to a whole new state! I have so many memories of swimming by the pool, going shopping on El Paseo and riding bikes along the palm tree lined streets! It’s honestly one of my favorite places!

We left San Diego early Sunday morning and it was just starting to drizzle and was in the low 60’s. But once we got to Palm Desert, it was beautiful, sunny and in the 80s and 90s, with a cool breeze! The weather was perfect! I love the desert, especially in the Spring months because the weather is just so beautiful! And those desert sunsets are so majestic with its pink skies framing the mountains.

I thought I would where to stay, what to do, and what to pack for a fun little weekend getaway! I had so many people DM me on Instagram asking questions so I thought this post would be super helpful!

Where to Stay

For this trip, I decided to book the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort in Rancho Mirage! It’s one of my favorite resorts, not only because the hotel and grounds are amazing but it is centrally located just minutes from all the fun things Palm Desert has to offer!

The property itself is just a few miles from Palm Springs, and is surrounded by beautiful palm trees and the backdrop of mountains. It really is so picturesque and they have done such a great job at maintaining the grounds. I was obsessed with the numerous colors of the bougainvillea and how beautiful all of the landscaping was! I wish I took more pictures!!

Splashtopia

The main reason we chose this hotel was for Splashtopia! It’s basically a mini waterpark on-site for both adults and kids. You have a 425-foot lazy river, two 100-foot waterslides, a splash pad, a sandy beach area for kids to play in, and a little splash pad with fountains, sprinklers and different water features! I mean you could literally spend all day here and not leave the hotel! There is also a family pool connected, as well an adult pool near the entrance of the resort.

We went swimming everyday and loved being in the lazy river! It was so fun to float around, take breaks to zoom down the water slide (almost lost my top on that one) and soak up some much needed Vitamin D.

Because of COVID, the jacuzzis, saunas and steam rooms are temporarily closed and pool capacity is limited! We actually got wristbands for each day and because the resort wasn’t too busy when we went we were able to get the wristbands for the 9-1pm sessions and the 2-6pm sessions so it worked out for us!

We had so much fun here and it’s so fun for both kids and adults!

Other Amenities

The resort also has five restaurants on site, including a coffee shop, 27 holes of championship golf, a 24 hour fitness center with Pelotons (you better believe I took advantage of that) and a 20,000 square foot European Spa! It truly has everything you need!

One of my favorite things about the resort was the birds! You could hear them chirping so loudly at night around sunset! It was so beautiful to listen too! I would sit outside on our patio and listen to them! Such a sweet sound!

I highly recommend staying here for a fun-filled weekend!

Things to Do

LIVING DESERT ZOO AND GARDENS: There are so many things to do, but if you are going for just a little weekend getaway, I highly-recommend visiting the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. I’ve gone quite a few times and I just love coming here. You can feed a giraffe, ride camels, visit the different exhibits and enjoy some fun shows! My girls love coming here and they are always adding new attractions! You need to make reservations but it is a fun activity for both kids and adults!

EL PASEO SHOPPING DISTRICT: If you are looking for some great shopping, look no further than the Shops on El Paseo. This is the prime shopping area, nestled right at the base of the Santa Rosa Mountains, where you can shop name brand boutiques, ranging from high end luxury to casual finds! It’s so pretty with the palm tree lined streets and the different art galleries dotting the streets! Definitely a must visit if you want to spend some time shopping!

CABAZON DINOSAUR MUSEUM: This is such a fun, quick little stop to make on the way to Palm Desert or on the way back home! We stopped on our way home and my girls loved it! It was sooooo windy though so we ran inside to the gift shop (located inside the pink dinosaur), took some pics and ran back inside! It was super fun though and if you want more of an experience, there is a dinosaur trail where you can dig for dinosaurs digs and fossils or climb into the mouth of a T. Rex. You can also mine for gold! It’s a fun little pit stop if your kiddos are getting restless! Just be sure to bring a sweater because that part of town can definitely be windy!

One thing I love doing when I go to a new city is trying a local coffee shop! We were just down the street from the Rancho Mirage Koffi location, which has an onsite roasting room, so we made sure to pick up my favorite Honey Vanilla Oat Milk Latte! It was so good and the smell of the freshly roasted coffee is just amazing!

There is so much to see in Palm Springs/Desert Area! From hiking and riding in the sand dunes to visiting art galleries and shopping, you will definitely not run out of activities!

What to Pack

Depending on what you do while you are in Palm Desert, you really don’t need to pack too much! I like to keep it simple, throwing in a couple of bathing suits, cover-ups and easy dresses! Be sure to protect your face from the sun and bring a long a hat or two! I always have my go to Brixton Hat, but am eyeing this one too! You can easily dress an outfit up with a little block heel or espadrille platform! And if you go to the zoo or do something more active, I love this high neck tank (such a great price), this denim romper or these cute paperbag shorts! Pack it all in this weekend bag and you are good to go!

Shop The Looks Below

Hopefully this post helps you plan a fun little getaway! Whether you have 36 Hours in Palm Desert or a whole week, there is so much to do and see! If you haven’t been to the desert, it is definitely a must visit! And please don’t hesitate to message us or leave a comment if you have any questions or need any recommendations! We are happy to help!

And don’t forget to check out our last blog post about the Sephora sale, you can definitely stock up on all your beauty and skincare faves!

Hope you have a great week!

xoxoxo,

kari

Ps. If you make a purchase from one of our links we make a small commission and it means so much to us! Mahalo for the support!

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Rain season has started on our little island. After an entire day of enjoying the showers we decided to search for the last bit of the sunshine and enjoy a Kauai sunset and turtles.

Since Kauai began requiring visitors to complete a mandatory 14 day quarantine, less visitors have been vacationing here. As a result, our wildlife has flourished. Our friends saw 30 turtles come up to Poipu beach at sunset. This is unheard of since that beach is a tourist attraction and filled all the time! So we decided to go see if we could witness the magic of turtles at sunset. 

We enjoyed golden hour at the tide pools and wondered why we hadn’t headed south earlier! (Typically when it’s raining on the island, there is sunshine in Poipu….remember this for the next time you visit!!) After some time at the tide pools we headed to the beach. When we first arrived there was one cute turtle enjoying the sunset alone. By the time we left we counted 12 turtles on the shore. Turtles are such magical creatures, people of all ages enjoy watching them, making turtle watching a perfect family activity!! We found a beautiful Kauai sunset and turtles. It was the best way to end the day!

more Kauai sunset + turtle magic

cute + comfy

This Legoe jumpsuit is one of my favorites. It’s a maternity piece but I’m still constantly reaching for it (am I the only one still wearing maternity clothes 1+ years postpartum?!?!). It’s super comfortable and is easy to slip in and out of for beach days, river adventures, or hikes but is also cute to look put together enough for errands and play dates!! I love adding hats to my outfits. They are functional here in Kauai and add a fun change to my mom-iform. I borrowed the hat I’m wearing from my son, but I don’t think he minds sharing 🙂 One of the pros for being 5’3!

I hope the Kauai sunset and turtles brought you as much joy and peace as they did to me. Have a beautiful day, beautiful friends.

Melissa

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