Are we there yet?
Are you packing and getting ready for a 4th of July long weekend roadtrip with the family? Whether you’re flying to France, traveling to relatives or heading for the beach, check out our newly assembled Trekaroo’s Activities and Games Guide for Traveling with Kids.
These are all based on recommendations from Trekaroo’s community of travel-savvy parents over the last year. We’ve got games that can be played anytime, anywhere and no gameboards required. Some will make your kids think, some will make them laugh and some will turn them into detectives.
Here’s a sneak peak at Activities #24 through 35.
Guessing Games
24. 20 Questions (Ages 2+)
25. Treasure in a Bottle (Ages 2-4)
26. Name that Tune (Ages 3+)
27. Mother Goose’s Mixed Up Words (Ages 3-6)
28. How Far Away is That? (Ages 4+)
29. True or False (Ages 4-7)
Simple Activities with Just a Piece of Paper
30. Print out coloring or activity pages from websites like Education.com or Crayola.com
31. Print out a map of the US and check off each state that you find a license plate for
32. Free Roadtrip Bingo print-outs from MomsMinivan
33. Write a letter to grandma or a friend. Write a journal entry.
34. Travel Scavenger print-outs from Moms Minivan
35. Take a crayon, stick a coin underneath a sheet of paper and make a coin rubbing
The Trekaroo’s Activities and Games Guide for Traveling with Kids also has our favorite toys for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, school-age kids, tweens and teens that you can purchase ahead of time and throw in your Mary Poppins “entertainment” carpet bag. You’ll find books, puzzles, activity kits and more to choose from to keep the kids entertained and happy for your “family vacation”
Be sure to check-out Activity #68 in Trekaroo’s Activities and Games Guide for Traveling with Kids. It’s a great idea that I’d never heard of from happyonvacation.
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Visit Trekaroo’s Travel Store for more of our favorite travel gear, toys, and books for babies to teens!
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Esther Lee is co-founder and CEO of Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
New! Trekaroo Travel Store
The new Trekaroo Travel Store is full of the best travel solutions on the market – clever and easy to tote along. Our travel toys have been road-tested and promise to provide hours of entertainment on the go. Everything has been hand-picked by travel savvy moms and dads.
Our Favorite Travel Gear See all travel gear
Ergo Baby Carrier
The Ergo baby carrier can be used as a front carrier and a back carrier. It folds up small enough to fit in your hand carry and feels comfortable for carry even a toddler for long distances. Love love love our Ergo!
Can’t rave enough about this ultra light travel bed/tent. It’s so much easier to tote around than a travel crib. Throw a sheet over it and you have a dark room. Put it on a bed or a comforter and ditch the air-mattress to reduce weight even more.
Phil and Ted Wriggle Wraper
Turn any chair into a high chair. Maybe not for everyday use, but great for on the go. It sure beats feeding a squirmy baby in your lap.
Our Favorite Toys and Games that Travel Well see all travel games and toys
Magnetic toys are great for travel because it’s much easier to keep track of small pieces. Comes in various themes for boys and girls.
These cubes nest into each other and fit perfectly in a travel bag. Topple free stacking in a moving car or plane.
Are you getting ready to head off on a road trip or family vacation with the kids? Since my son is only 2 years old, I decided to seek out Tracyn Thayer, kid travel toy expert and the owner of Kids Travel Happy, LLC. Here’s a list of the top 10 toys that keep kids (ages 5-10) happy and entertained through a long ride. These toys are designed for girls and boys and all modes of travel.
1. Lap Trays… this isn’t a toy you say? Tracyn believes that the key element to ‘happy travel’ for kids is an appropriate play surface. She recommends the Dream Desk Lap Tray ($17.95) which comes in blue or green. It has a removable fleece beaded bottom (that doubles as a travel pillow!), a cover that slides and allows for storage of pens, pencils, paper and other small gadgets, and 2 recessed areas to keep items from sliding off the tray, as well as a cup holder. The beauty of this? It greatly increases the options for on-the-go play. The Kids Travel Happy website also has a feature where you can see all the toys that fit the dream desk lap tray.
2. Magnetic Poetry: The Adventure Storymaker from Magnetic Poetry Kids ($16.95) is a great way to get your kids’ creative juices flowing. With over 150 magnetic words, they can make-up exciting stories with the adventure-themed words. Parents especially love this toy because it’s one of those undercover teachers – kids won’t even realize they are practicing sentence structure, parts of speech and creative writing while on vacation! To increase the fun, a parent or an older sibling can pick out 10 words that must be included in the story. Since Tracyn likes to leave her fridge at home when traveling with the kids, she recommends getting a Magnetic Board ($3.95). It is the perfect substitute for on-the-go story composition.
3. Activities from Klutz are sure-bets for entertaining kids at home or on-the-go. The Super-Sneaky-Double-Crossing, up, down, round & round Maze Book ($12.95) is a favorite at Kids Travel Happy and has keep kids amused for hours. The mazes are constructed such that the ‘solver’ has to use their finger to trace through the maze (not a pen or marker) making it re-useable by more than one child. There’s a good range of maze difficulties and parents have often joined in o the fun.
4. The Yes & Know Invisible Ink “Magic Pen” activity books ($3.55). Parents will remember these, and kids will have to keep them safe from the ‘big people’. Packed with all kinds of solo activities, as well as fun trivia to share with the family, these books are guaranteed to keep kids ‘revealing’ answers for hours. Games include Hangman, Basketball, football, bull’s eye, tic-tac-toe, and so much more. There are also Car Travel themed activity books for ages 7 to 100!
5. The Zoob Traveler ($17.99) – What is a Zoob you might ask? It’s a totally set of plastic pieces that can snap, click, and pop together to make a robot, a plane or anything else 
your kids imagination takes them. The best part … these creations aren’t just for looking at – they can be moved and played with, making it a multi-faceted play toy! The Zoob Traveler comes with a foam play pad holds the ZOOB pieces to create a sturdy base while on-the-go. The Travel Bag handle adjusts to make a sturdy shoulder strap. There are a total of 40 pieces (5 different types that snap together 20 different ways!) lots of ideas to get your kids started on their building fun.
Here are the last 5 travel toy recommendations for kids age 5-10.
To receive 10% off your next order at Kids Travel Happy, use the discount code TREK10.
Tracyn Thayer is the owner of Kids Travel Happy, LLC and strives to bring kids the most unique and complete collection of UNPLUGGED toys, games, books, gear, and activities for travel. Although she only picked the top 10 travel toys for kids for Trekaroo, Kids Travel Happy sells more than 700 toys for kids of all ages.
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Trekaroo is reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | FL | HI | MA | NY | PA | TX | VA
