You guys know I consider myself to be somewhat of a road trip expert. Growing up in a family of six in the 1980s, airfare costs were prohibitive so we drove everywhere. Almost every summer, we hit the road to spend two weeks with my family in Michigan. We drove to Florida several times and to DC a many, many times. As an adult, I've made the drive to Michigan approximately 15 times, 4 of those with the girls. And don't forget how we drove to Orlando twice. Pre-kids, my friends and I drove all around (NY, NJ, IN, OH, DC, PA) for concerts and to hang out with friends. So, yes, I'm quite familiar with long distance driving.
1. Make sure your vehicle is ready for a road trip. When was the last time the oil was changed? What about a full check-up? I try not to obsess over "what if" scenarios but I do make sure our van is ready to hit the road.
2. Do you know where you're going? We all rely on our phones but what if you drive into an area with no service. I actually prefer paper maps for the big picture and then use my phone for more detailed driving, like when I get off the highway. I pretty much know what to expect driving south on 95 and on the drive west to Michigan, but for new destinations, I look at a map in advance to see what my route will be.
3. Pack a phone charger that will work in your vehicle!
4. Snacks broken down into single servings ahead of time are much easier to deal with.
5. Be practical when packing food. For example, if you're bringing a cooler with perishables and you stop overnight at a hotel, you're going to have to empty the cooler and refill it in the morning.
6. If your kids are frequent bathroom users, you may want to limit how much they drink on the road. Stopping for a bathroom break every hour on the hour can easily add hours onto your trip. Ask me how I know this.
7. Be practical when it comes to entertainment for the kids. Packing a huge bag of new toys/books/crayons/paper, etc may seem like a good idea but your car/minivan/SUV is going to fill up fast and you're going to end up with stuff everywhere. Ask me how I know this.
8. PORTABLE DVD PLAYERS. We're the parents who limit screen time (we still do!) but those rules get thrown out on road trips. The girls are prone to motion sickness, which severely limits their entertainment choices while driving, and watching movies/shows has been the easiest/best thing. If your kids get motion sick, don't expect them to be content with activities which require reading and looking down/focusing for long periods of time.
9. The girls do take breaks from watching movies/shows so I like to have one or two things they can do. We have this license plate game (this license plate book looks cute for younger kids who don't suffer from motion sickness) and we have this travel bingo game.
10. We've had success using Dramamine for Kids to combat motion sickness. The key is to give it to them before you travel. Don't wait until they don't feel.
11. Items to pack: Small bags for trash (or if the kids get sick), paper towels, Clorox wipes, skin-safe wipes, Kleenex.
12. When we plan to stay overnight at a hotel, I use what we call "the hotel bag." Instead of having to unload all the suitcases for the night, I pack a separate bag with our pajamas, clothes for the next day and toiletries. This saves time and keeps the hotel room from getting cluttered.
13. Make it fun for kids by printing out a map of where you'll be driving and have them mark off different areas as you pass through.
14. I know some people, especially those with younger kids prefer to embark on road trips at the kids' bed times so the kids are asleep for all or most of the drive. I personally don't like this because when am I going to sleep? When I was 25 with no kids? Yeah, sure, I made drives like this. After having kids and experiencing years of sleep deprivation? No, it doesn't work for me. Know your tolerance and stay safe.
Happy travels!!
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1 comment:
Great tips! We just did a week in Michigan, and have done quite a few long road trips as a family already. This was my main mode of transport for trips as kids too. Totally agree to not overpack food/toys - I did that once and never again. Great idea about the hotel bag!! We're still figuring out the right balance of moving around to new spots vs staying put for an entire week when we road trip, and figuring out just how far we can go in one day - this trip we did MN to Traverse City MI in one day which would have been 10 hours but turned into 13 with stops and 1.5 hours of backtracking because I left my purse at a park in Escanaba, MI. So dumb.
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