I love getting matching pajamas for the family – how cute are these??

The fog was so cool hovering under the mountains when we got into Montana, the picture doesn’t do it justice cause it was so far away but so pretty!

DETAILS: MATCHING BUFFALO PLAID PAJAMAS (ALSO GOT THESE)

Who else loves road trips!! They can be so fun with the kids, but if you have kids you know they get restless over long periods of time, heck I get restless! Below are 11 fun tips for long family road trips:

1. Travel early morning or late at night. We like to leave really early in the morning so the kids can get a few more hours of sleep during the drive. Nothing makes road trips pass faster than a good nap! We usually try to hit the road by 6am or earlier.

2. Organize a road trip scavenger hunt. There are printable road scavenger hunts on Pinterest of you can create your own specific to your destination. Such a good idea to pass the time while keeping the kids involved!

3. Download new educational apps for the kids. All the distraction of screen time with less guilt. 😉

4. Take lots of pictures. You might think that the destination is where you’ll fill up your photo album, but there are so many great memories on the way too. Keep your phone or camera handy to capture those candid moments!

5. Surprise the kids with something new. Every trip, I bring something new – either a basic new toy or an activity book – pretty much anything from the dollar section. You can pull it out during those long stretches when the kids get bored and it will give them something new and fun to focus on.

6. Stock up on snacks to avoid stops. We always make the kids’ favorite cookies the night before a road trip so the anticipation builds and they get excited to hit the road so they can break into the cookies. 😉

7. Binge watch. For adults, download your favorite series on your devices. Maybe this is old news, but I just found out that you can download movies and shows from Netflix and Amazon Video so now you can binge watch your favorite show even without wifi!

8. Play games. One of our favorite road games is “Would You Rather” (ie. “Would you rather go to the beach or go to the mountains?”) For a fun twist, have everyone guess what each person in the car would pick as they answer the question. So if we are asking Mara, we all guess what her answer would be, then she tells us who was right and whoever has the most right answers at the end of the game wins.

9. Set traditions. If you are road-tripping to a destination you visit often, make traditions for your trip. We drive to Montana every year and there’s a big buffalo statue on the side of the highway that the kids get excited to see every trip. Since it’s become a tradition, the kids start to get excited 30 minutes before we stop and it’s become a highlight of the drive. You could also find a favorite restaurant or a great view to make your own tradition.

10. Be prepared. This is more of a hack, but I always bring a roll of paper towels on road trips. Especially with kids, it’s a guarantee that something will spill on long drives. I also bring a couple ziploc bags. With multiple kids sometimes they end up fighting over who gets to hold the bag of chips or pack of snacks (or is it just my family? haha), so I split everything up evenly into bags for each of them.

11. Get cozy. There’s nothing like being comfortable on a road trip. I’m always in sweats or something comfortable. The kids love getting holiday pajamas – they get them every year – so I surprised them with these matching Family Pajamas and they were so excited. Macy’s has tons of fun prints for the holidays (even something for Mio!) so it was a fun way to get in the holiday spirit on our road trip plus, that much easier to roll out of bed and hit the road. 😛 Below are a few more of my favorite matching Family Pajamas options available only at Macy’s.

XX, Christine

*In collaboration with Macy’s and ShopStyle.