5 things we did to make this road trip from Houston to Breckenridge and back better and easier: 1. *Most important*: Set expectations, for the kids AND for you. When I have an expectation talk with my kids before (ie: this travel day is going to be hard. But you can do hard things, I’ve seen you do many hard things in the past! And it will be worth it when we get there)… and set expectations for yourself. Start and end your day with a thankful heart that you get to do this with your family. Also knowing something will go wrong and mentally be prepared. This changes everything. 2. Beads across the car dashboard to show how far we have come and how far we have left to go (cuts way down on the “Are we there yet?!”s) 3. Many snacks, tiny toys they get to open or pull out every hour, and iPads packed as a backup (for your own nervous system—just knowing they are there helps!) 4. Kids podcasts- we love @brains_on or a Bluey podcast 5. Create a specific playlist for the trip. My favorite songs remind me of the places I was traveling when I listened to them a lot for the first time. I like to do the same for my kids to make the memories even more special. For example, we listen to a lot of @MilkyChance_official and @caamp when we go to Colorado. And listen to @themovementvibe when we got to Florida or the beach travelyourkids familytravel travelwithyourkids familyvacation familyvaca familytrip familytrip2025 familytraveltips familyroadtrip LTKFamily LTKTravel LTKActive