On the Road Again
The feeling of giddy anticipation consumes my thoughts and beckons me away from a full nights rest on the evening before a trip. Growing up, family vacations to exotic destinations were not common, however they were always filled with special memories and included two things: a visit to extended family and road trips.
My siblings laugh about it now. How did we travel for hundreds of miles without wearing a seat belt? My parents would lower the middle seat in our Chevrolet suburban and with foam rubber cut appropriately to cushion the rectangular center, we would play games, recline and watch movies from our television plugged into the lighter for power. Oh, the memories!
Fast forward and my husband and I began our family in New York City, 1,400 miles away from our extended family in Texas and Colorado. We clocked many airline miles in those early years with one or two children in tow, but eventually as a growing family of six, driving became our preferred means of transportation.
I heard every side comment imaginable, and admit perhaps we were a bit crazy, but for our family driving meant less stress for this mom of four and included an added bonus of taking in the scenery along the way. We have driven from NYC to Colorado, from NYC to Texas, Texas to Florida and from Colorado to Texas more times than I can count. Each route covered different states and required different strategies for survival and safety.
As I think back to the hours on the road, I am asked frequently how we make it work. So, I put together a list of my top tips and tricks for traveling with children.
I hope it helps add hours of fun to your summer road trips this year!
STEP 1: DETERMINE THE ROUTE
Decide on your route based on what your overall mission is along the way.
Do you want to get to the desired destination as soon as possible?
Do you want to stop and visit friends along the way as an added bonus and to help save on the cost of a hotel?
Are there places of interest along the way that correspond to something the kids have studied that year in school? This is the time to think strategically and to make extra memories along the way.
Tips + Tricks
Use an app like Waze to help direct you around unexpected delays, road closures, police sightings or accidents along your route. This has been a life saver.
The earlier the departure time the better. We love to get up early (sometimes 3 or 4am) to hit the road. The kids fall back to sleep and we are several hours down the road before we stop for breakfast. It always helps the day go by faster. Disclaimer: If you know your children will NOT go back to sleep or if you struggle with falling asleep while you drive - then don’t try this one.
Get an old school paper map from AAA or print off a google map with your intended route for each child to get a visual of the journey ahead. Make two copies if you want them to have it going back as well! I would trace with a highlighter the route and they loved following along. It also gives them a visual of “how much longer” without always asking.
As you pass through the state, have your child(ren) highlight or color in the state as you go so you can celebrate progress! If you want just a plain black and white map of the USA - HERE IS A MAP that is fun to color and trace.
In the years with toddlers and babies who couldn’t read a map, I hung up a string of twine from one passenger door to the other (on the hooks) and placed PAPER CUT OUTS of each state we were going to pass through fastened by paper clips to the twine.
Then I had a cut out of a car and as we moved through a state, closer to our destination, I would move the car accordingly. Again - it’s another visual that really helped our younger ones. You could have them take turns of moving the car.
Once you enter into a new state, read about that state and give interesting facts. Sometimes I would check out library books or buy books about the states we were going through and we would focus on one state at a time. My kids love reading through this ATLAS even now on road trips!
HERE are some Geography apps that I recently discovered from my friend on Instagram. Check them out and download to add some fun along your journey.
WHAT TO AVOID: If at all possible, make sure you are not passing through a large city during rush hour on a week day. If there is anything that ruins the joy of a car ride, it’s sitting in traffic! Don’t be afraid to take back roads. We have found some gems along our routes by exploring some side roads.
STEP 2: FILL THE BACKPACKS
What can my kids do to pass the time? Yes, of course the easy answer is screen time and there is absolutely no shame in that game. However, we have found that if we spread out movie/iPad time with other activities in between, it helps the time pass by more quickly and gives the kids something to look forward to in the mean time.
PERSONAL ITEM: Each of my children want a personal blanket and a small car or neck pillow for those longer trips. That helps with comfort and alleviates the various complaints of temperature in the car.
BOOKS - each child gets to bring 1-3 of their favorite books to read or look at during the trip. THESE READERS are great if you want them to listen to a book but you don’t want to do the reading! For any age, use Audible or other iPlay books from the library to listen to audio books on the road. I love them because everyone gets to enjoy a good story along the way.
NOTEBOOK/PEN: Blank journals and a pen/pencil can go a long way to help spur on creativity during the trip. My oldest loves writing down each state license plate we pass to see if she can get as close to all 50 states as possible. My younger ones enjoy “drawing” pics of something they see or writing a story. Tic-Tac-Toe or Hangman (a terrible name) are fun games to keep in a journal.
With toddlers, the last thing you need is an unsupervised craft, so I really like these for some risk and mess free fun.
WATER WOW books. Just make sure you have a bottle of water to replenish the pen. Any mess free marker set or water based activity is great in the car.
BOOGIE BOARDS - fun for all ages. Doodle, draw, write and then erase!
MAGNET BOARDS - travel size and great sensory activity.
MAGNET ACTIVITIES - great for some quiet and creative fun.
4. GAMES: (just a few of our favorites)
License Plate Game - mark off the state of each license plate you pass.
BINGO - Print off FREE BINGO CARDS for everyone in the car and mark the spaces off as you pass one.
Alphabet Game - Find words starting with each letter of the alphabet on any stationary sign along the road. For X we usually say any word that contains an 'X’, since words starting with X are few and far between.
Counting Game - If we are really desperate, we try and count something as we go. Train cars, cows, how many “red” trucks we pass in a certain number of miles before a stop - you name it. Each person make a guess on how many of that item or animal you will see in a designated period of time or distance and then see whose guess is closest. Get creative based on what part of the country you are traveling in that day.
Add-on Game - The first person says, “I’m going on a trip and I’m going to bring an ____(item starting with an A)”. Then the next person says “I’m going on a trip and I’m going to bring (repeat the same A item) and a ____.” (something that starts with a B) Each person has to repeat all of the items from the beginning and then add on their item for the turn. Work your way around the car and go through each letter of the alphabet. See how far you can get!
Name That Tune - Music games are always a hit. We like to put a Disney music station on and as the song begins, the first person to guess the movie it’s from gets a point. The person who wins gets to choose the next stop for a meal or for a treat. For a real challenge, have them also say what the song title is along with the movie.
WHAT TO AVOID: Take my word for it, avoid any slime product, silly putty, play doh or similar substance. Ask me how I know.
STEP 3: PREPARE THE PROVISIONS
MOVIES - I like to surprise the kids with one or two new movies to watch in the car. I go to Half-price books and find some great deals. If they have their individual tablets, think of one new movie you might want to introduce them to for something fun.
SNACKS - I try to always have fresh fruit to balance out the common junk food stops along the way. An apple, a carrot or grapes are some that keep well and help our tummies. Of course younger children need items you don’t have to worry about them chocking on so THESE FRESH FOOD TEETHERS are great to put a veggie or fruit in and let them chew on something.
TREATS - I like to have a treat item or two on hand. Lollipops and mints are a great option both for car sick kids and for something that will last a little while. Spread them out along your journey. On our way home from a trip, we like to stop for ice cream the last hour of the day to celebrate that we made it! The kids always look forward to this.
DRINKS - WATER, WATER WATER. We only allow water for the car to avoid unnecessary sticky spills and situations, and to help eliminate frequent bathroom breaks. Most drinks like juice and lemonade, while giving your children the wiggles because of their increased sugar levels also will mean more stops to go potty. Stick with water.
WHAT TO AVOID: I’ll say it again - avoid a lot of sugary items. While it feels mean and you want to give your kids something to look forward to, save the sugary drinks and snacks for when you arrive to your final destination.
While this list is not exhaustive, it does contain some of our rules of the road.
Now, it’s YOUR TURN!
What do you like to do on road trips?
As always, feel free to take an idea and leave one for someone else stopping by on their journey! May your travels be safe and memory-filled this summer.
