I am going to be honest with you: I am the queen of the weekend getaway. My husband and I both travel a lot for work, which means we’ve gotten very good at moving efficiently — and very good at making sure our family trips don’t feel like a logistical nightmare. Because the whole point of a getaway is to actually get away, not to spend the drive stressed and the first night unpacking a suitcase the size of a small country.

I’ve packed myself and two kids for two nights in a single duffel bag. This is not a flex — okay, it is a little bit of a flex — but more importantly, it’s possible, and I’m going to tell you exactly how.

Start With the Right Bag

This is non-negotiable. The right bag changes everything. I am obsessed with the Tobiq travel line and I genuinely cannot shut up about it. I have fit myself and both of my kids — clothes, shoes, everything — for a two-night trip into their duffel bag. ONE bag. No checked luggage chaos, no loading and unloading a mountain of suitcases, no dragging seventeen things through a hotel lobby.

When your bag works, your whole trip feels lighter. Literally and figuratively.

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The Shared Packing List

Before we pack a single thing, my husband and I build a shared packing list in the Notes app. It sounds simple. It is simple. And it is one of the most effective systems we have.

We both have access, we can both see what’s left, we can both delegate — and checking things off the list as we go is genuinely satisfying in a way I don’t feel the need to apologize for. No more ‘I thought you packed it.’ No more arriving at the hotel and realizing nobody packed pajamas. (Both of these have happened. The list fixed both of these.)

Start with the list. Build everything else from there.

The Hotel Room Upgrade Worth Every Penny

If you can swing it — and most of the time it’s not as expensive as you’d think — try to book a hotel room with a separate bedroom. One where the kids’ room has an actual door you can close.

This sounds like a luxury. It is not a luxury. It is survival.

When your kids go to bed at 7:30pm, the choice between sitting in the dark staring at your phone or hanging out in a living room with your husband like actual adults is not a close call. Most major hotel chains have these suite-style rooms, and the price difference is often surprisingly small — especially when you factor in what you’re getting back: your evening.

“Spend your time on the balcony after bedtime rather than in the dark or hanging in the shower. You deserve it.”

The Drive — A Love Story

We could write an entire post on this. Actually, we might. But here’s what I know:

Drive at night or early morning whenever possible.

This is the single biggest game-changer we’ve found. We leave after dinner with the kids in pajamas, blankets, stuffies, and pullups on (just in case — no shame, this is not the moment for pride). Nine times out of ten, they’re asleep within thirty minutes and you drive in peace. Less whining, fewer stops, happier everyone.

For daytime drives: plan your stops before you leave.

Don’t wait until someone is melting down to scramble for a stopping point. Look at the route beforehand and pick two or three spots — a park, a fun gas station, a place with good food. This does two things: it eliminates the panicking of searching while driving, and it gives the kids something to look forward to. ‘We stop at the cool playground in 45 minutes!’ is a sentence that buys you 45 minutes.

Games, games, games.

iPads and coloring activities are always in the car. But we also make up a ton of games: I Spy, guess the animal I’m describing, guess the tune I’m humming. You’d be surprised how long these keep everyone entertained — and how competitive kids get about guessing the animal.

“Give yourself grace on the drives where they’re awake the whole time. It’s not failure. It’s parenting.”

Packing: The Method That Actually Works

Easy outfits that make sense for where you’re going. If you’re visiting family and not doing outdoor activities, leave the bulky stuff home. Two pairs of shoes per kid, double the underwear, a bathing suit, a few pants and shirts, one jacket each. That’s it. They do not need a ton of stuff. You can always do a quick Target or Walmart run wherever you land — that’s what they’re there for, and it’s genuinely fine.

🧸 Limit the toys. A deck of Old Maid, a coloring book, and one or two things they each chose themselves. No more. The novelty of being somewhere new is its own entertainment.

🛒 Buy snacks, formula, and drive necessities before you leave — then wait until you get to town for any extras like diapers, wipes, or groceries. No need to haul it all from home.

🩹 First aid kit in the car. Always. Non-negotiable.

🚽 Travel potty if that’s the stage you’re in. Worth the trunk space.

🔊 A mobile sound machine or a Toniebox. Whatever makes them feel at home at bedtime should come with you. Consistency is everything for sleep on the road.

And then — have fun. Nothing is that serious. Unless you’re camping, we live in 2026, where most things can be replaced or purchased wherever you are. Forget something? There is a store. Something breaks? There is a store. Someone had a blowout and you are out of backup outfits? There. Is. A. Store.

“The trip doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to happen. Go. Your kids will remember it — I promise.”

— Christa, Founder of Mommish