Planning a summer road trip? What could be better than a family road trip to the beach? But before heading out to enjoy the fun in the sun you need to make sure you have everything you need to make your beach vacation memorable and stress free. When getting to the beach will require a long drive there are a few things you can do to make sure that your family beach day is a complete success!
Choose the right beach for your family.
Depending on your family and their needs some beaches may be better suited for your needs than other. Check out online to find out beaches that have bathroom facilities and wheelchair access if you have smaller kids and will be hauling beach gear on wheels. When the kids where younger we made sure to go to beaches that had bathroom facilities, showers, picnic tables and is possible a place to buy snacks and drinks and maybe even a playground! Now that the kids are older we can venture into more secluded beaches with less amenities with no worries.
If you’re planning a beach road trip through the Gulf Coast, consider exploring Gulf Shores, Alabama. It’s a family-friendly destination known for its beautiful beaches and relaxed atmosphere. For those looking to find the perfect vacation home or even considering a more permanent stay, Engel & Völkers Gulf Shores offers a range of properties to suit your needs.
Another fantastic beach road trip destination is to consider is Myrtle Beach. It’s packed with family attractions, a lively boardwalk, and wide sandy beaches. We’ve had our eye on Crown Reef, which has a built-in waterpark and tons of kid-friendly amenities—making it a great all-in-one option for families looking to relax and have fun without leaving the hotel. North Myrtle Beach also offers a variety of family-friendly accommodations and activities. From beachfront condos to spacious vacation homes, there’s something to suit every family’s needs.
Make sure that your car is running well before you head out.
Make sure to check that your car is in good shape, that the tires are not worn out and have the right pressure, that the breaks are working well and make sure to get an oil change before your road trip if your car needs it!
Pack for a day in the sun.
Don’t forget the beach essentials like sunblock, a light beach blanket, towels, and toys for the kids. Make sure to pack shade. Whether it’s a beach umbrella or a beach shelter, it’s important to have a shaded place for kids and adults to get away from the sun. We sometimes like to bring our dog along on our road trips, so if you are brining your pooch, be sure to pack his or her leash, toys, water, and food as well.
Pack beach friendly food. We usually try to have a beach picnic with easy to eat finger foods, fruit and lots of refreshing drinks. To save spaces in the cooler and so that we don’t have to haul pounds and pounds of ice we freeze many of the drinks and foods we will bring on our beach outing. We fill the cooler with frozen water bottles, frozen grapes and frozen blueberries and frozen yogurt for snacks. The frozen foods and water serve keep other things cool and we don’t need to pack as much ice. Sandwiches and salads are also a great ideas when it comes to planning a beach picnic. Don’t forget to pack snacks for the road trip and make them easily accessible so you don’t have to stop to get drinks and snacks from the trunk along the way.
Plan ahead to keep kids entertained.
We usually bring a few beach toys but these can occupy a lot of space so we also like to organize fun beach games and activities. Of coarse there’s always sand castle building involved but when the kids get tired of that we organize a beach scavenger hunt. You can purchase a shell identification card at beach souvenir shops or print one from the internet and go on a shelling scavenger hunt where you try to get as many different shells as possible and identify them too. You can do the same with shore birds. We have a laminated bird identification card and we try to spot as many shorebirds as we can and take pictures of them too.
When we went to the beach recently the water was very clear so we where able to find critters under water, we where very careful and put them right back in the water but it was great to see sand dollars, sea stars and fighting conchs in their natural environment.
Paula studied architecture and now makes a living as a freelance writer,traveler and amateur photographer.She started her writing & publishing career as the editor of Bebé y Mamá, the first parenting magazine in Guatemala.She is the founder of www.GrowingUpBilingual.com and www.365thingsswfl.com and writes articles in Spanish and English for both magazines and the web on travel,food and bicultural and bilingual parenting .
When she is not on a plane or road trip she likes to create recipes inspired in the flavors of her native Guatemala.
Those are some really awesome shells! I love summer roadtrips, and thanks so much for the heads up about the rollback pricing on Pennzoil at Walmart right now. Great tips here for make that roadtrip a success! #client
We love going to the beach when we can. We live a little far from a lot of beaches, but when we do the first is check the car to make sure it is able to take on the journey. When we get to the beach the kids have so much fun in the water and finding shells. We just have a great time at the water.
You know what’s funny, we ALWAYS start our road trips with a trip to Walmart or Sams Club for an oil change. Great minds think alike! (~_*)
When heading to the beach we pack the kids’ lunches in beach pails from the local dollar store. After they’ve finished eating they’ve got their pails to make sand castles and carry their shells and other beach finds.
I wish the beach were closer to me! I love the ocean. We could take a road trip to the ocean, but it would take about 10 hours…that’s a big road trip!
A beach that I went to this years, didn’t have shells. That is what I missed the most.
Man! It’s been a long time since we’ve went to the beach with our kids! We went to a beach in Virginia. Our kids were having a great time, looking for seashells, making sand castles. We even got to see some dolphins out in the ocean! I still remember our niece crying her eyes out when she got sand in her diaper! These are great tips to remember!
These are some awesome tips, there is nothing like heading off to the beach and spending some time soaking up the sun and just having some good family fun.
PACKING beach friendly food is so important. There is nothing worse than soggy sandwiches full of sand! These are great tips.
I loved collecting seashells as a child. I always like to get an oil change and have the fluids checked before any long trip.
It’s been a while since we had our last beach road trip. I get a little rusty so these tips will truly be very helpful.
We flew to the beach and had a ball. Now the kids want to roadtrip somewhere so I need to find a place for us to go.
A roadtrip to the nearest beach is something I always look forward to in the summer. It has been so much like a tradition in my family. It is a MUST that we go to the beach every year. Thank you for the tips you provided. We are just finishing up on a few planning details before we head out soon. 🙂
I never like heading out without knowing my car is ready to roll safely. No need to delay any plans!
We haven’t gone to the beach this year. These are great pointers . My son love collecting shells too when we go to the beach.
I totally agree. These are great tips. I may say, we do lots of preparation everytime we go for a beach trip (especially my super-mom, she wont’t miss anything).
After seeing this, I really want to go to the beach. In our neck of the woods, we are currently battling a blue-green algae issue (that can cause rashes and other symptoms), so I would have to take a nice road trip to find someplace suitable.
My kids love going to the beach and it’s only 15 minutes away from our place! We always pack a lot of beach friendly foods! Love your tips!
Couldn’t agree more. Indeed checking out first your tires and car when going on a trip especially road trips.