3 tips to becoming a road trip warrior

At Mari Vineyards, one of the most beautiful vineyard views you'll get in Michigan. Highly recommend!

Road tripping with an almost 2-year old was fun, but exhausting. (Let's just say there was an incident involving a poop explosion and a dollar store. I'll leave it at that).

We did our homework beforehand and gathered some tips that made the trip a little easier, so I thought I'd share!

1. Daniel Tiger or [insert name of whatever animated show your toddler is obsessed with]. We don't have tv screens built into our cars, so we improvised using an iPad mini strapped to the head rest. There is a reason I am making this item number one. This was a GAME CHANGER.

2. New toys. My husband's aunt had this genius idea: go to the dollar store (or in my case, I went to the dollar section at Target, my homeland) and stock up on TONS of toys. When the kiddo gets cranky from being in the car seat, hand them a new toy. It'll buy you at least 5 or 10 minutes--enough time to reach your next exit for a pit stop. Which leads me to number 3...

3. Cracker Barrel. From what I can tell, there is a Cracker Barrel in just about every town. This was a brilliant pit stop location. Why? You get a clean bathroom, an opportunity to grab food (if you feel so inclined), and an endless toy store for your little one to roam around in and play as they recharge for the next leg of the trip. Plus, crispy edge pancakes. Need I say more?

I hope you'll find these tips handy for your next trip!