With school starting this week, we decided to head out on one last summer adventure as a family. A road trip up to Bear Lake on the border of Utah and Idaho ended up being the perfect farewell to summer! We found the most amazing Glamping Resort called Conestoga Ranch, that was just what we were looking for, and made it so easy for us to just show up and enjoy our time together.  The kids ran around the ranch and played hide n’ seek, ate s’mores and told stories by the fire, played make believe in the tent, and even got to sleep in a covered wagon one night!  They were in absolute heaven!

Our kids have always been great little road trippers and travelers. Ever since they were young, I have always taken the time to pack each of them a little travel pack to take with us on our travels to keep them occupied and happy. It has always worked like a charm. The key is I never tell them what I am going to put inside, and I don’t allow them to break into the pack until they really start to get antsy during the trip. 

Here are a few of my favorite travel pack essentials I like to pack for my kids:

• Skeeter Nut Free: Usually it isn’t five minutes into the trip before my kids start asking for a snack. Instead of having to haul around all the snacks for everyone, I like to pack them in their travel packs so they have access to a snack when they are ready. My family loves these Skeeter Nut Free snacks. They come in several different flavors, and are the perfect little snack to pack along for a trip. These delicious cookies are also nut-free and produced in a facility without nuts, so you don’t need to worry about traveling with passengers with nut allergies. It wasn’t until recently when my kids started going to school with friends with severe nut allergies that I realized the importance of having good snack options that are both safe and inclusive for everyone. It isn’t enough for them to have snacks that do not contain nuts, but they also have to be produced in facilities that are totally nut-free. Any little speck of tree nut or peanut can send them into Anaphylaxis, and could threaten their life. I had no idea that this was an issue, and I’m so glad that there are companies like Skeeter Nut Free around to help bring awareness and provide good options for safe snacking in my kids’ nut-free classrooms. As a mom who is constantly checking labels, I appreciate that all of their snacks are made from all natural ingredients, free of high fructose corn syrup, made with whole grains, and are free of trans fats. You can find their products through the store locator online or Skeeter Nut Free is also sold at Target and on Amazon!
  

• Crayons / Pens / Markers / Pencils:  My kids love to draw, color, and write about their adventures, so I always make sure to include some writing utensils in their packs.
• Coloring Books / Workbooks / Reading books:  My kids love to color in their coloring books, and I also always include their favorite books to read, and workbooks to brush up on some educational work on the trip.
• Water Bottle:  My kids are always thirsty, so having a refillable water bottle on hand is always helpful, and helps keep them hydrated.
• Hand Sanitizer / Wipes: When traveling you can come across a lot of messy situations, so I always like to pack them some hand sanitizer and wipes for those messy moments to have easy clean up.
• Camera / Binoculars: You never know what kind of interesting things they will come across, so packing a Camera and Binoculars helps to encourage exploration, and adventure!
• Toys: I always pack a few of their favorite small toys to play on-the-go, they love to bring them along, and play pretend with their dinos, dolls, cars, or little animals in tow.

Having their travel packs ready to go before our trips has really helped to keep them occupied and have made them such good little travelers!  It really makes it nice for everyone to have their own pack, so they are all happy campers and ready to explore!

Favorite Adventure Gear Sources:
Yellow Thunderbird Mexican Blanket- Flor De Luz Shop
Norah’s Mexican Embroidered Dress– Flor De Luz Shop
Everest Backpack- Hollar Shop
Swim Zip Swim Suits and Cover Ups
Swim Zip Roundie Circle Towel
Guatemalan Day Bag– Filanthropik Threads
Wooden Airplane– Little Cottonwood

Adventuring is one of our favorite things to do together, and any time we can get out and enjoy nature and explore together, it truly is the best! Spending time together at the Lake, and at our Glamping Resort made for some fun adventures, and a lot of new cherished memories from playing in the magical tent, to roasting s’mores, telling campfire stories, hiking, playing at the lake, and building sand castles.

I’m not sure that I am quite ready to see summer go.  But I will say, I am ready to get back to some kind of a schedule and routine around here, and maybe even a little quiet time for mom if you know what I mean. The kids are so excited to see all their friends again, and meet their new teachers!

And, as always we can’t wait to head out on our next adventure!

This post is sponsored by Skeeter Nut Free Snacks. Safe Nut Free snacks and loved by everyone. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.