I received product to facilitate this post.  As always, all opinions are my own.

Have you ever taken a long car trip with your family?  My husband and I braved it two summers ago when we headed from Minnesota to Kentucky to visit the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum.  It was about a 13 or 14 hour drive each way.  On the way down, we drove through the night.  But on the way home, we actually took off about noon and then drove straight through again.  The key to getting through a road trip with kids is food and entertainment!

How To Survive A Road Trip With Kids

We may have been a little crazy taking such a long road trip with 5 kids but we sure had a blast.  At the time, the kids were 2, 5, 7, 10, and 12.  It was long and tiring but everyone really did well.  Why?  Because we made sure to plan for food and entertainment.  Because we were on a time limit, we didn’t want to stop at hotels to sleep along the way.  Instead, we drove straight through.

Cheap Meals/Snacks To Keep The Cost Of Fast Food Down

We packed our food for the driving portion.  Once we arrived at our location, we did allow ourselves to eat out once per day.  But for the car trip, we wanted to be as efficient as possible with our time so that meant not stopping….. Even for the drive through.  So here are some cheap meal and snack ideas:

• Sandwiches (Meat, PB & Jelly, Apple Slices & PB, etc.  The possibilities are endless.  Using special buns or croissants will also add new life to any ‘boring’ sandwich!)
• Wraps
• Fresh Fruit (Make sure to prep and place into single serving snack sizes baggies.)
• Veggies (Prepped like the fruit.)
• Chips
• Beef jerky
• Nuts
• Ravioli
• Cheese Sticks
• Saltines & Canned Frosting
• Yogurt or Yogurt Sticks
• Trail Mix
• Cereal (Divided out into snack sized baggies.)
• Nuts
• Granola Bars
• Homemade Fruit Rollups
• Energy Bites
• Peanut Butter or No Bake Cookies
• Rice Krispy Treats
• Dried Cinnamon Apple Slices

Also, don’t forget to pack paper plates or ‘boats’, a roll of paper towels, and a package of wet ones.  Makes serving and cleaning up much easier.

And Then The Entertainment!

We used a variety of things to keep everyone entertained.  Of course, on the way down, the kids slept for a good portion, which was nice.  However, everyone stayed awake for the entire trip home.  So we:

• Read Books Aloud To Everyone
• A Few Rounds Of Eye Spy
• Listened To A Book On CD
• And Played GAMES!

If you’re looking for some great summer games that are sized well for travel, Blue Orange Games has a great new lineup!  That includes:

Dragons Cave

Lured by a precious treasure, you are brave dwarves venturing into the dragon’s cave, gathering gold coins on your way! Pick each step forward carefully! If the dragon predicts your next move on the path, you will move backward and risk losing the coins you haven’t saved in your treasure chest. Bluff your way through the whimsical cave to strike it rich!

Bears In Barrels

These 2 bears stuck inside their honey barrels love to play by wrestling and tumbling and racing! Roll them over so they can continue chasing one another and their fun never ends! This party game is all about dexterity and fun: with one finger, players rush to flip the bear so that it lands right-side up then pass it quick to their neighbor, to avoid losing a honey token. The goal is to not get caught by the other bear!

Beagle or Bagel?

Who knew sleeping dogs and bagels could have such striking similarities? Flip cards fast and be the first to call out “Beagle” or “Bagel” depending on which one is showing the most on the table… after a while you won’t know if you are looking at a furry friend in a ball, or a yummy bread roll! This goofy card game offers 3 ways of playing to challenge your visual perception in fun and unpredictable ways!

Sprint!

You are a tenacious turtle racing against a fearless rabbit… Do you stand a chance? Yes! Guess the right number of cards to take from the pile and the more precise you are, the further you will go on the track. If your guess is way off, the rabbit will speed through to the finish line! 
This small cooperative game is big in suspense and full of surprises!

Sherlock Express – Race To Solve The Mystery!

Help Sherlock find Moriarty’s accomplice! Each turn, observe the 6 suspects, and as alibis get placed down on the table, use your deductive skills to expose the culprit first and win the round! If none of the suspects are guilty, then Sherlock will finally catch his sworn enemy Moriarty.   Sherlock Express is a fast game of deduction where everyone is a suspect… until proven innocent!

Panic Island!

Hurry! The volcano on your island is going to erupt and the inhabitants are counting on you to save them! Work together with your fellow island leaders and Gouga, the island God, to save as many cave dweller, dodos, and eggs possible before 2 minutes are up! Flip 2 cards at a time and remember their location to create the right pairs, don’t get delayed by the wacky action cards, and find the Raft and Paddle to escape safely! This unique cooperative race takes players on a frantic adventure they will only survive with strategic teamwork, and memory!

Dog Rush

This unique party game keeps everyone’s attention!  It’s dog walking time in the park. Oh wait! A rabbit passes by and all the dogs escape their owners to run after him, getting their leashes all tangled up. Quick! Find the end of the leash corresponding to the dog that was chosen at the beginning of the round, pull it from the messy entanglement, and win a treat for your furry friend!

Oh My Gold!

Ahoy sailors! Are you ready to embark on a lively treasure hunt? Roll the lucky keys to open treasure chests and roll coins and diamonds to bank your treasure. Decide cautiously if you want to roll again… you only get one second chance!

Fishing Day

Perfect for the smallest anglers in your life, Fishing Day offers a crazy game of fishing.  More than just a game, Fishing Day is a clever race made of color and shape recognition, deductions, and counting challenges.  Follow the card at play and use your line to catch the correct objects from the water before the yellow duck makes it out. The first player to complete 5 challenges wins the game and becomes the champion of the pond!

Games are seriously the perfect screen-free way to pass the time whether on the road or at home.  And I love how easily these great new Blue Orange games can fit into a backpack and go anywhere you want to go!

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WIN IT!

Blue Orange Games is offering one lucky Emily Reviews reader a prize pack consisting of their three favorite games featured above!  The winner will be able to select three game titles from this list:

Miranda

I’m a city girl turned country by my awesome husband and we have three busy boys and two darling daughters. I love spending time with my family, reading Karen Kingsbury novels, and catching up with friends while our kiddos have play dates. I’m blessed beyond measure and can’t wait to see what God has in store.
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