If you’ve ever driven your kids more than two hours, or maybe two minutes, away from home, then you know that looking at the scenery doesn’t exactly pass the time peacefully. Kids just don’t seem to appreciate the view of the highway the way they used to.
Since our family has logged more than 20,000 miles together in a vehicle, we have a little experience in this arena. And, crazy enough, we’ve done it without a DVD player!
Don’t fret. You can do it, too. The benefits of travelling with kids are worth a little hassle.
General Tips
Check out my post on general tips on surviving travel with kids. In addition, keep these things in mind:
Timing: Travelling with kids is not for the hurry-up-and-get-there parent. Admission: I am totally a hurry-up-and-get-there kind of person. But as a parent, I have to add in time to let kids run around, take extra potty breaks, and eat. The best strategy I’ve found to help combat my natural inclination to just keep going, is to plan on the additional time from the beginning. If we’re taking a trip that would take my husband and I 8 hours, for example, I plan on 9 ½ when the kids are along. If we have one less potty stop and make it there in 9 hours and 15 minutes, I’m a happy camper, rather than being miffed that it took an extra hour and fifteen.
Google is your friend. When I’m traveling with the kids sans husband, it helps my sanity if the kids can run around a park midway through our trip. Look at a map beforehand & choose a stopping point, then Google your way to a playground near the exit. If you can’t find one, pick a different stopping point. This can be a great place to eat lunch, too. You can either pick up something before you stop, or pack a lunch to take along.
Driving a Turnpike?
Some turnpikes, like Ohio, have very helpful websites. Ohio’s includes a great Ohio turnpike map. You can find the mile markers for each rest area, which restaurants they have there (no more wondering – if we wait, will there be a Starbucks at the next stop?), and whether any of the stops are currently closed. I also use these websites to identify possible stopping areas for parks, or places to stay for the night.
In the Car
As for the hours you’ll be spending in the car, the best tip I can give you is to plan ahead. Spend an hour getting ready for your long car trip and you’ll reap tremendous dividends. Here are a few ideas we’ve found extremely helpful:
Ages 2 & Under
Stock up on thing to hand your baby! This doesn’t mean you have to break the bank at Target, although a few new plastic toys might be a good idea. It can be anything safe to chew on:
- wooden spoons and/or blocks
- BPA free plastic containers
- mixing bowl
- mid-sized ball (too big to fit into the mouth)
- rattles, plastic keys, etc.
Older Kids
Kids ages 3 and up will have varied interests and abilities, of course, but you can usually find success with some of the following:
- Fun workbooks
- Maze books and word searches
- Stickers galore, Sticker books
- Magnetic games (like checkers, chess, backgammon)
- Card games (can be hard to keep organized)
- Few favorite small toys from home (play dinosaurs, cars, etc)
- New toy or two (etch-a-sketch, doodle pro, magic eight ball, Find It!)
- Brain Quest cards (by age)
- Travel Bingo (printable or purchased)
- Audio books (check your library; at ours you can download them for free)
- A blank notebook and “art kit” filled with crayons, colored pens & pencils, stickers, etc.
- License Plate Game
- Books (check out a few from the library before you go, but keep a list, and keep track, or you might end up buying them!)
Snacks
I’m not a big fan of snacking, or of using food to combat boredom. I am, however, a reasonable person who occasionally needs some pretzels and a diet pepsi to keep from being bored out of my mind on the highway. Also, would you really expect kids to get through a 9-hour trip without a few treats? If so, it’ll probably be the last long car trip you attempt!
Even big kids will go for a ziplock bag of Cheerios when the alternative is chewing on an eraser. In addition, I usually pack some pretzels, apples, a new pack of gum and a new box of Tic Tacs for each child, and, if I’m feeling hungry generous, some cookies. It’s also a good idea to keep a small cooler of water within reach. I never pack juice because a) it’s empty calories and b) it’s a big mess if kids spill it in the car. We use cups with built-in straws & can refill them from the cold water in the cooler. Because, really, who wants warm water? That’s just gross.
Time to get packing. Bon Voyage!
