Summer is the height of the infamous road trip, I think. Great weather; the kids are out of school and it is a nice way spend family time. Are you looking to take a road trip with your family this summer? Do you want that trip to be fun, exciting and stress free? If so, I have a few tips to share with you today that will help you to make that road trip a fun family memory instead of a nightmare.
1. Sit down and plan out your traveling route ahead of time. Estimate how long it will take for you to get from point A to point B. In addition, map out ahead of time where you can purchase food, get gasoline and restrooms along the way. Make a list of these before you hit the road because when your child starts whining that they are hungry, need to go to the bathroom, etc. You can easily look at your list and find a place quickly to solve the issue at hand.
2. Make a trip activity bag for your children to take along in the car. This activity bag should contain a few travel games, coloring books, sticker books, activity pads, small toys, etc. If you are going to be on the road for several hours, give them a new item from the bag every 30-45 minutes to play with but don’t give them the entire bag at the beginning of your road trip.
3. If you have a DVD player in your car go out and purchase 2-3 new DVD’s so that your children can watch them while you are traveling. Kids are more apt to watch new movies that they haven’t seen before than something they have already viewed 40 times.
4. Pack paper bag lunches and snacks for the trip. These should be finger foods that aren’t too messy and don’t require any preparation. The last thing you need to deal with is something that has spilled in the back seat of the car.
5. Pack a medication bag just in case your child gets sick while you are on the road. This bag should have a thermometer, aspirin, diarrhea medication, nausea medication and any must have medication that your child would need.
6. Pack travel pillows and small nap blankets in the back seat with your child. Children will sleep longer and rest better if they are comfortable while sleeping in the car. A less fussy child is always a good thing!
7. In a small bag, pack an extra set of comfortable clothing items for your child to wear should an accident occur while you are on the road. If you will be traveling during the night, pajamas should be kept handy. The last thing you want to do is dig through your luggage along side of the road.
8. Take frequent breaks, especially if you child has not traveled in a car for long periods of time before. It can get boring and by taking frequent breaks so they can stretch their legs and even change places in the car can help with the boredom of sitting in one place for a long time. It helps the parents too!
Taking a road trip with small children can be a pleasant experience is you take the time to plan ahead. You want your family vacation to be a memorable experience for years to come.
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These are great tips. We are now at the point where we are traveling with our grandkids. This was a great refresher!
I remember having coloring books when we traveled. I think those are still good ideas. Visit your local dollar store as well as the library to get things for the trip.
Good timing. I’m going camping with my grand kids soon. An activity bag with a few new items is great for keeping kids entertained. If you don’t want to buy new, check out your library for books, DVDs, and CDs. Plan ahead with snacks, napkins, wet wipes, and band aids.
Thanks for all the good tips for trips with young kids. Really good ideas to follow. Kids get antzy being on the road so anything to keep them busy and occupied sure does help. Taking breaks so they ( and you) can stretch a bit helps too.
These are all great tips, especially about not giving the child the entire bag. You can also sing songs, play I Spy games.