Car trips are perhaps the quintessential family vacation. Here's tips on making them enjoyable.
Time Required: Ongoing
Here's How:
- Pace: allow enough time for rest stops. Two hours of car time, then a break, makes a good pattern.
- Pack: a special backpack or bag for each child, with crayons, books, toys, activity sets, stickers, handheld games.
- Pack: some new wrapped surprises for little kids. But don't give out all the loot at once!
- Print out some simple games to play in the car -- see link at right.
- Play: a story for the whole family on the car stereo system; or bring individual players for your kids.
- Play pint-sized board-games. Clue, Sorry, Trouble... are oldies but goodies.
- Playrooms: Burger King and MacDonalds have great playrooms on major highways. Let the kids burn off energy while you order their food "to go" to eat later in the car.
- Playgrounds: every school and most parks have them! Little limbs need to shake, rattle, and roll.
- Picnics: buy the fixins' at a deli or grocery store, find somewhere scenic where the kids can run around. You save money, too.
- Potties: it's worth bringing a training pottie, if your child has need-to-go-NOW emergencies.
- Sleepy Time: kids fall asleep easily in the car, and a snooze can be a great way to let the miles fly by. Just be sure to allow lots of wakie-wakie time. Rousing a child from deep sleep because "we're there now" is tough.
- Rush: is a four-letter word when you Travel With Kids!
Tips:
- A tray-- or a "travel desk" suspended from the back of the front seat-- is handy, for any back-seat activity.
- Pack LOTS of snacks, such as fruit leathers, crackers, juice packs, treats. Bring plastic cups; bandaids, a dishtowel; frisbee and ball for rest-stops; and baby-wipes no matter how old your kids are.
- Once you have a couple of kids, costs for quenching a thirst can add up fast. Bring a small cooler, or insulated bag, for cold drinks. Buy giant-sized drinks; use plastic cups to share them out.
