It is getting to be summer. For my family growing up summer meant taking a road trip somewhere fun. Though it may sound like a nightmare, there are many advantages to taking road trips especially when you have children. You can save money if you plan the trip correctly, you also get to avoid sitting for 5 hours on a plane with a screaming child. There is also something very American about driving across the country and stopping at the "Mummy Alien" or whatever else you find along the way.
I am a huge believer in no personal electronics on a road trip. The point of sitting in a car together is to connect and bond. It may be easier on you if you let your kids have their own little world, but when your children are grown you're going to wish you had spent more time connecting and talking instead of taking the easy route of electronics. Besides our parents didn't let us use things like that or watch movies in cars and we all turned out perfectly fine.
Plan your trip wisely. Do not try to rush to your destination, enjoy the journey. Remember that at every gas stop, your entire family is going to need to get out and potty and stretch. If you have a young one that is in the middle of potty training, bring his or her potty and some wipes with you. That way if you have to make an emergency stop in the middle of nowhere, they at least have a potty to sit on while they go to the bathroom. Plan for stops at the world's largest whatever and anything else cool you see on the way. I would also suggest planning on stopping at your motel or hotel for the night by 6 or 7 pm. Then you have time to let your kids run around, play in the pool and explore your stop for the night. You should also plan one long stop during the day so you can find a park and the kids can run around and play for an hour or so. Letting children get their wiggles out at a park or a road side stop, means less wiggles during the car ride.
Activities
Have lots of activities for your children to do in the car. You can get some audio books from your local library that your whole family will enjoy. You can also burn a few cds, if you can't stand listening to wheels on the bus one more time you might want to consider burning some pg songs that you like to listen to on the cds. Play games like finding the alphabet first or I spy. Have quiet activities they can do as well like books, coloring books, etch-a-sketch, dolls, action figures, ect. Buy a couple surprises and have them stashed away for when times get super rough and they need a new activity. Bring a map and let your kids follow the route on the map. If they are young you can plot out the map for them and show them where they are and where they are going, if they are older have them plot out where they are. A road trip is a good way to to learn how to use and read a map.
Food
This may be the most important part of the trip. Have some cut raw veggies available, home made granola bars, sandwiches, tube yogurt, goldfishies, water, and whatever else your family eats. If you are planning on saving money, you might consider having picnics for breakfast and lunches. You can pack the picnics at the motel the night before, buying fresh food at a local store or bringing a loaf of bread and jar of peanut butter on the trip. Then you can all look forward to having dinner somewhere special. My family had a rule that you can't eat somewhere you can eat at home. This meant no nation wide chains and we got to experience local favorites. Whatever you do, don't limit yourselves to burgers and fries. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say eating fast food makes grumpy. Whatever you do avoid feeding your children lots of sugary foods. There is nothing worse than making them super hyper and then locking them in a car for hours on end. Having lots of yummy, healthy snacks is a way to make the trip much easier on yourself and kids.
Enjoy your trip. The road trip is about spending time together and seeing something you might not otherwise see. Don't get frustrated or stressed before the trip, the driving is the fun part of the experience. Hopefully it is something you will love doing with your kids and make it a regular part of vacations.
I am a huge believer in no personal electronics on a road trip. The point of sitting in a car together is to connect and bond. It may be easier on you if you let your kids have their own little world, but when your children are grown you're going to wish you had spent more time connecting and talking instead of taking the easy route of electronics. Besides our parents didn't let us use things like that or watch movies in cars and we all turned out perfectly fine.
Planning
Plan your trip wisely. Do not try to rush to your destination, enjoy the journey. Remember that at every gas stop, your entire family is going to need to get out and potty and stretch. If you have a young one that is in the middle of potty training, bring his or her potty and some wipes with you. That way if you have to make an emergency stop in the middle of nowhere, they at least have a potty to sit on while they go to the bathroom. Plan for stops at the world's largest whatever and anything else cool you see on the way. I would also suggest planning on stopping at your motel or hotel for the night by 6 or 7 pm. Then you have time to let your kids run around, play in the pool and explore your stop for the night. You should also plan one long stop during the day so you can find a park and the kids can run around and play for an hour or so. Letting children get their wiggles out at a park or a road side stop, means less wiggles during the car ride.
Activities
Have lots of activities for your children to do in the car. You can get some audio books from your local library that your whole family will enjoy. You can also burn a few cds, if you can't stand listening to wheels on the bus one more time you might want to consider burning some pg songs that you like to listen to on the cds. Play games like finding the alphabet first or I spy. Have quiet activities they can do as well like books, coloring books, etch-a-sketch, dolls, action figures, ect. Buy a couple surprises and have them stashed away for when times get super rough and they need a new activity. Bring a map and let your kids follow the route on the map. If they are young you can plot out the map for them and show them where they are and where they are going, if they are older have them plot out where they are. A road trip is a good way to to learn how to use and read a map.
Food
This may be the most important part of the trip. Have some cut raw veggies available, home made granola bars, sandwiches, tube yogurt, goldfishies, water, and whatever else your family eats. If you are planning on saving money, you might consider having picnics for breakfast and lunches. You can pack the picnics at the motel the night before, buying fresh food at a local store or bringing a loaf of bread and jar of peanut butter on the trip. Then you can all look forward to having dinner somewhere special. My family had a rule that you can't eat somewhere you can eat at home. This meant no nation wide chains and we got to experience local favorites. Whatever you do, don't limit yourselves to burgers and fries. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say eating fast food makes grumpy. Whatever you do avoid feeding your children lots of sugary foods. There is nothing worse than making them super hyper and then locking them in a car for hours on end. Having lots of yummy, healthy snacks is a way to make the trip much easier on yourself and kids.
Enjoy your trip. The road trip is about spending time together and seeing something you might not otherwise see. Don't get frustrated or stressed before the trip, the driving is the fun part of the experience. Hopefully it is something you will love doing with your kids and make it a regular part of vacations.
