7 Tips for a Successful Family Road Trip
If you are planning a road trip with your family, that’s a great way to save money and see the country at the same time. If you plan it well, everyone can enjoy it without the kids constantly asking, “Are we there yet?”
Whether you are planning a trip that is just a day or you’re going several days, a road trip can be a lot of fun for everyone involved. Below are some tips that you can make the road trip a memorable one for everyone in your vehicle.
#1 Contain the Cargo
Use your vehicle’s designated space so that you’re keeping most of the bags out of the area where you and your passengers are sitting if possible. Since road trips often mean more than one day of traveling, it’s a good idea to have overnight bags that hold one or two outfits so that you don’t have to unpack and repack your car every time you stop at a hotel. Make sure that the overnight bags are within easy reach and you’ll have a lot less unpacking to do before you reach your destination.
#2 Arrange Activities
Even though chances are that you have phones, tablets, and even things like DVD players in your car, there’s time to take a break from the digital age. Bring things like crayons, paper and ink books (you know the ones that you have to actually turn the pages in), paper for drawing and old-fashioned games like Hang Man.
#3 Have Surprises in Store
Especially with little children, it’s good to have some surprises in store, particularly when you are on a long trip. So you want to pack some goodies that they don’t know about and give them to your children during different times during your trip.
#4 Feed Them
As a parent, you know that kids are always hungry or thirsty or tired. Make sure that you are packing snacks in small servings, along with bottles of water or juice boxes so that they can have their snacks with them. It’s a good idea to choose things that aren’t going to stick to your car’s carpet or seats and won’t stain. This is going to help your children stay happy and when you have snacks at the ready you don’t have to worry about buying them on the road.
#5 Manage Messes
When you are traveling in a vehicle for a long period of time, it’s a good idea to be prepared for anything. So you want to have a bag for holding trash and make sure that it’s easily accessible so that mess can be easily corralled to keep your car free of clutter. Packing wet wipes is a good idea too, so that it’s easy to refresh your family when needed. You also want to have some extra bags with you in case someone gets sick or someone needs to stop suddenly to use the bathroom.
#6 Prepare for Motion Sickness
Motion sickness can be a problem for adults and children alike. Dramamine© is a good choice when you are looking for a way to keep it at bay. Another good option is the motion sickness bands that you can find in any store. The advantage of the bands is that they don’t come with any type of side effects like medication does and they can be used over and over again.
#7 Look for Landmarks
A great way that you can keep the children busy is to look for landmarks. Make it a game – you can do an ‘I Spy’ sort of game or do the alphabet game where they look for letters on different signs in order. Another popular game is to look for different state license plates – great for a road trip!
Conclusion
These are the things that you can do to make sure that everyone enjoys your road trip and that kids don’t get bored. Road trips are a lot of fun and can be exciting if you plan it right.
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