Summer Road Trip Must-Haves: the Simple & Natural Family way!

What kind of vacationer are you? Do you like to fly or drive? Do you like the beach, the mountains, or maybe the city? Do you like to adventure through your own country or do you prefer to travel internationally?

Our family loves to do long road trips. We have started a tradition where every two years we go on an extended road trip together. We have gone to Florida’s Atlantic coast and also Gulf Shores. We have traveled to Canada and Niagara Falls and up through the Northeastern states to Acadia National Park and down along the Northeast coast. We have been to Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park and most recently to South Dakota, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

We do all of this traveling with three kids along for the ride and everything that entails. There are occasional arguments, the ever popular “Are we there yet?” and now we’ve gotten to the stage of traveling with teenagers and the attitude that occasionally pops up. But for the most part all 3 of them are very good travelers, probably because they’ve done it since they were little.

I am a planner. I LOVE to plan these family vacations. It truly brings me joy. Enough so that my husband tells me I should start my own trip-planning business! (I’ll stick to planning our vacations; then if someone is unhappy with what I’ve planned it’s my own family).

Along with being a planner I am also a list maker. Anyone else have tablets and post it notes with various lists cluttering your space? For vacation planning I have lists for what we may need during the actual car trip….. things like an atlas (yes we actually have one and always take it on trips with us), cooler, picnic items, car snacks, phone chargers, binoculars, sunglasses, etc. I might have a list of clothing/accessory items and a list for toiletry items. There are just certain things you don’t want to forget!

I thought I would share some of the things that I make sure to pack with us on long road trips. I’m not talking about things like car snacks and sunglasses but some of the “Simple & Natural Family Health” kinds of things. Some of these are things I hope I never need and some of them are things that I usually have with me anyways.

We tend to go on outdoors type vacations that involve a lot of hiking and walking. I try to always fix up a little First Aid Kit. In it I include band-aids of all sizes (you never know who’s going to get a blister), larger sized bandages, an Ace bandage, alcohol pads, tweezers, drawing salve, disposable ice/cold packs and Correct X. If you aren’t familiar with Correct X, it is a multipurpose ointment that helps soothe the skin and enhances its natural return to a healthy state after being distressed. It’s great to put on cuts and scrapes and even works as a chapstick! It protects AND hydrates the skin. This petroleum- and preservative-free ointment absorbs quickly and is gentle and nonirritating, making it ideal for sensitive skin. It’s a great alternative to the store version which has way too many gross ingredients that I don’t want on our skin!
I always have to remember to take our sun protection. There are many benefits to getting direct sunlight on your skin and I think people should try to do so every single day. But some instances, like prolonged sun exposure, higher altitude travel, and higher UV index days you might need some protection for your skin. I have looked long and hard for a natural sunscreen option. Many on the market can actually do more harm than good! I love the doTerra Sun products. They have several options to choose from as well as a fantastic After Sun Spray which we always take with us as well. If you end up getting too much sun this spray will give your skin a cooling feeling while it’s hydrating and nourishing the damaged skin. It’s also great to throw in your bag if you are headed to an outdoor sporting event or pool/beach!
Summer usually means BUGS, and usually lots of them. Packing bug spray is not only important but can also save your sanity if the bugs are particularly bad. This summer’s trip had one particular hike that had mosquitoes that seemed to have been on steroids! They were huge and in very large numbers. It wasn’t a very fun hike. Unfortunately for us they weren’t too bad in the parking lot (and we hadn’t noticed mosquitoes yet on our trip) so we didn’t apply our bug spray before starting on the hike. So not only is it important to have, AND USE, your bug repellant but you should also have a plan for bug bites should you get them. I like to use Terrashield, which is a natural bug repellant. It uses essential oils to repel those mosquitoes. If I think the bugs are going to be especially bad I may add a few drops of other oils like Cedarwood, Arborvitae, and Peppermint which are good for gnats, ticks and other pests as well. There are a few oils like Purify and Lavender that we use for the itch/sting of a bug bite. I made sure to take all of these on our trip!
When you are doing as much hiking and walking as we typically do, sore/tired muscles are inevitable. Not only do muscles get sore but sometimes when they are overworked or strained you can have A LOT of discomfort! I had this exact issue on our vacation. We had been hiking at the Badlands and had climbed a ladder in the rocks. (The lesson I learned that day is, I’m not as young as I used to be and things aren’t always as easy as they look in pictures). When we got back down my legs were shaking and very weak, Over the next several days I had a lot of discomfort in my thigh muscle. Deep Blue Rub was a true “must have” for me. It is a topical cream that you can massage into the muscles/joints to give them a cooling and then warming sensation and to help ease any discomfort. It is great for tired overworked muscles. Athletes and massage therapists love this product!
It’s so important to make sure you stay hydrated, especially if you are in a hot and/or dry climate and will be moving around a lot! Dehydration can have a very negative impact on the body and mind and even on your energy levels. Making sure you are drinking plenty of water is important, but you also need to make sure you are replenishing your electrolytes – especially if you are doing an activity that increases sweating. Products like Gatorade, Prime, and Powerade have way too much sugar and other unhealthy ingredients in them. MetaPWR Recharge is an electrolyte mix that comes in 2 flavors, wild strawberry and lemon-lime, and helps to improve hydration and increase your overall energy. It comes in an easy to use stick that you simply dump into a bottle of water, shake and you are ready to go! It contains no preservatives or artificial ingredients, including no added sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Car sickness or motion sickness can be a real drag if you are spending hours in the car. All 3 of my kids have struggled with this throughout their childhood. Thankfully my boys have mostly outgrown it but my daughter is still struggling. I keep a bottle of Tamer at the ready for all car trips. It’s in an easy to apply roller bottle. She knows to roll it on her tummy, in her belly button and even a small swipe under her nose. This must-have bottle has oils like Spearmint, Japanes Peppermint and Ginger which are all great for soothing an unhappy belly. Even just smelling these oils can have a calming affect on the queasiness, which is why I have her do a quick swipe under the nose. She used this oil several times on our recent trip and had great success each and every time! Digest Zen is another great roller bottle option with similar oils. This is the product I use for myself when I have digestive issues. I keep it close by at all times.

Those are my top 6 items I am always sure to pack with us. If I forget something then that means I will have to buy it at the store while on vacation and typically the options at most stores are neither safe nor healthy. As I said earlier, I’m a planner so I try to be ready for any situation. This means I often take more than we need, but when you need it you want to have it!. We typically travel by car but even if you are traveling by plane you can bring these products with you. Just be mindful of airline policy.

I could give you the whole list of things I bring but I fear i may have lost some of you already. I won’t bore you with things like Helichrysm for when one of the boys gets a nosebleed or Peppermint for head discomfort, TriEase for seasonal issues and Breathe for respiratory support while hiking up mountains.

These products and all those I haven’t listed are just tools – tools that I have in my tool bag for when they are needed. My goal is to be able to handle as many situations as I can with simple and natural alternatives for myself and my family, at home AND while traveling the globe! These natural products are so easy to use, safe and very effective. They check ALL the boxes!

I hope you are able to take a fun trip this summer, whether it’s a long road trip or just a quick trip to an amusement park. Making memories with friends and family is the best!

If you have questions about any of the products I mentioned I would be happy to chat with you! If you saw something you know you too “must have” and would like to order just click here to be directed to my doTerra site.

Happy Summer!