The Art of the One-Night Hotel Stop: Five Kids, One Dog, and Total Exhaustion

Road-tripping with five kids and a dog means perfecting the art of efficiency. On a two-day drive from a Canadian border state to a Mexican border state, we had one overnight stop—just enough time to sleep, regroup, and get back on the road. The goal? Maximum rest, minimal unpacking.

Here’s how we made it work.

Step 1: The One-Bag Rule

For one night, everyone’s clothes fit into a single bag. That’s right—seven people, one bag. It holds exactly what’s needed: jammies, fresh underwear, tomorrow’s clothes. No one is dragging their personal duffel through the hotel lobby. One clothes bag goes in, one bag comes out.

Step 2: The Toothbrush Consolidation Plan

Loose toothbrushes are a disaster waiting to happen. Five kids’ toothbrushes, plus two for the adults—if each person packed their own, we’d end up with missing toothpaste, lost brushes, and someone borrowing a sibling’s in desperation. Solution? A single zippered pouch. Everyone’s toothbrush goes in, along with assorted tubes of toothpaste. Grab it on the way in, throw it back in the bag on the way out.

Step 3: No Personal Backpacks Inside

Backpacks are like black holes—once they enter a hotel room, they scatter their contents across every available surface and under every bed. The rule: kids’ backpacks stay in the car. Morning departure is no time for a frantic search for someone’s sketchbook or National Park badges.

Step 4: The Dog Kennel Stays in the Thule

Poky dog has his own accommodations, but they’re not buried under luggage in the back of the car. His crate stays in the Thule roof box, where we can grab it easily without triggering a full unpacking event. A quick pop of the Thule, a swift setup in the hotel room, and Poky has his own mobile home.

Step 5: Booking on Points—From the Parking Lot

We don’t book hotels in advance for a stop like this. Instead, we have a few hotels in mind, see where we make it to and book a room on points while sitting in the parking lot. The ideal set up? A two-bedroom suite with a pullout couch. This guarantees beds for everyone (and prevents sibling wars over who has to share). Booking last-minute means we aren’t stuck stopping too early or driving too late.

Step 6: The 4:30 AM Espresso Ritual

The Minipresso hand press is sacred. Hotel coffee is a crime against humanity, so at 4:30 AM, while the kids are still buried in blankets, the Minipresso is in action. A double espresso shot fuels the hotel exit, ensuring we’re back on the road before the sun even thinks about rising.

Step 7: The 5:00 AM Extraction Mission

Extracting five sleeping kids from a hotel room at 5 AM is nothing short of a miracle. Shoes get slipped onto unconscious children, who somehow remain asleep through the process. The youngest get carried out, while the rest stumble-walk like exhausted zombies. Or, as in this trip, it took multiple trips to haul 80% of them out while they clung to sleep with impressive determination.

Step 8: Reality Check—This Is Absolutely Exhausting

Let’s be honest: this whole process is brutal. It’s smooth, it’s efficient, but it’s also utterly draining. By the time we reach our destination, we’re completely wiped out. The kids bounce back faster, but the adults? We need a full 24-hour recovery period just to function again. There’s no way around it—traveling this way works, but it takes a toll.

But hey, we made it. And we’ll probably do it again.