Road trips are always a fun way of bonding with your family member. In fact, these road trips are the most common way for an average American to spend his/her vacations. However, road trips can sometimes become exhausting, especially if you are traveling with kids. They can either turn into a nightmare or can be a fun-filled experience for you, depending on how you plan. It's a challenge to keep on entertaining the younger audience, but if you are fully prepared and have everything you need then your journey could even turn out to be better than your destination. Few hacks can keep you sane and your kids happy throughout your journey. Just follow these tips and have a less stressful, comfortable, and enjoyable experience with your family.
Choose a suitable car
Before you start preparing for your trip think about the car you are going to drive. Since you are traveling with kids, so to have a pleasant trip make sure that the car is comfortable and have enough cargo space. For a long trip, you all must feel relaxed and a smaller car is going to restrict you. Also, there must be sufficient leg space for you to stretch out easily. In addition to these features, the car must have safety car gadgets like GPS, Dashcam, Night Vision System, etc to ensure a safe and secure vacation.
Take short breaks
Get out of the car and cool off. It's better that you let your kids get some exercise. Once the kids burn off their energy outside, they are likely to fall asleep during your ride. While planning your trip you must map out all your rest stops. Look for interesting spots like museums, parks, lakes, waterfalls, etc to get them excited. Or if you find nothing else then stop your car at any roadside park and have a quick picnic.
Pack healthy and not-so-messy food
Try to find a healthy alternative of fast food, as eating junk food on your stopovers will not only make the kids grumpy but you will also end up feeling lethargic and cranky. Instead, keep boiled eggs, sliced fresh fruits, dry fruits, nuts, frozen yogurt, cookies, etc. or you can also make some sandwiches for the picnic. Though, make sure these fast food replacements shouldn't make a mess in your car.
Be prepared for emergencies
Your car should always have an emergency kit, especially when you are planning a road trip with kids. It's better to be safe than sorry, so make a roadside emergency pack with extra food supplies, toiletries, blanket, extra diapers, and clothes. Along with these items, carry a first aid box including ice-sprays, band-aids, pain medicine, mosquito repellent, and sunscreen.
Don't forget toys and tools for kids
To avoid backseat fights and noises always carry crafty supplies to keep the kids busy for hours. You can carry a pen, paper, crayons, beads and get crafty with them to fight the backseat boredom. There are other popular games you can pack like travel bingo, UNO, travel scavenger hunt, or Mad Libs. Some kids love drawing so don't forget activity and coloring books for your little artists.
Think of classic car games
Road trips are a great way to bond with your family, so try not to spoil it with phones and social media. Instead, look at this time on the road as an opportunity to spend some quality time with your kids. These children crave for their parent's attention so keep your devices aside and play classic car games like "guess the person" where you can ask 10 questions and get 3 guesses, or you can also play "I Spy" where you give clues about something you see and the other person has to guess. And if you get tired of these games then you can always turn on some music and have a crazy fun concert with your kids.Use tech gear for entertainment
Keep a tablet, MP3 player or a DVD player to entertain your kids along the way. Keep multiple DVDs of your children's favorite movies along with Audiobooks. These movies and stories can turn the boring trip into an imaginary ride. Moreover, there are multiple travel games and Apps that can keep the kids busy for hours.
Take steps to stay safe
When you are traveling with kids, there are few precautionary measures you should take to save yourself from troubles. As soon as you get inside the car, the first thing you should do is to safely put the kids in their respective seats. Don't forget to buckle up their seatbelt. Furthermore, to stay safe, avoid driving at night, and take proper rest while you can. Fatigued driving can not only harm you but can also put your family in severe danger. Another important safety measure you should take is to try not to use your phone while driving, as we all know, talking on the phone while driving can be dangerous.
Just follow these hacks and you will see the time on the road will easily pass out, and you will have so many memories that you will cherish for the rest of your life.
