Road Trip Tips
• Try eating while you drive, stopping to play.
• If you’d rather stop to eat, go somewhere fun for the kids (like a Chuck E. Cheese or a McDonald’s with a play center).
• Provide a steady stream of snacks to the kids as you drive.
• Pack a few "forbidden" snacks.
• Make stops at roadside diversions, such as a fresh fruit stand, a playground or freeway rest stop.
• Pack rest stop toys, such as an inflatable beach ball and bubbles.
• Play a sing-along CD of children’s music (or pop music, for older kids).
• Play a lullaby CD or other calming music to induce kids' naps.
• Time the journey to take place during nap time. Or avoid nap time if you have a child who refuses to nap while buckled in.
• Pack a travel potty for little ones who can’t hold their bladder until the next rest stop or who can’t hover over soiled toilet seats.
• Play travel games. Visit MomsMinivan.com for 101 games and ideas for road travel with children.
• Put kids in their pajamas and depart after dinner so the kids sleep while you drive.
• Save the DVDs, television, Gameboys and iPods as a reward for good behavior for use as you near your destination.
• Don't forget the bucket! You never know when car sickness will strike and if it does, you need to be prepared.
For more information on this topic see:
• A Road Trip with Children Experiment: Eat While You Drive. Stop to Play.
• Mother Knows Best: An Old School Road Trip
• Road Trip Resources
Have we missed something? Let us know if there is a travel tip you particularly love and why so we can add it to our list!
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