Road trips are a fun option for travel fanatics, and travelling with your family is one of the best experiences to share together. All the memories and good times go a long way in enhancing the bonds between each other. This said however, there is a need to get adequately prepared for the journey and have all the necessary stuff you’ll need.
Here are 7 top tips to make road travel both fun and convenient for you and your children…
Carry all the snacks
As the old saying goes, “a hungry man is an angry man”, and it is important to keep your children full to prevent them from getting cranky! Invest in healthy snacks though. A good idea for this is fruit, crackers or healthy cereal bars. Pack lots, and a variety of different flavours and textures. Snacks will prevent your children from getting irritable during the journey, and will make it a bit fun for them. Most kids love snacks, right?
Make it comfy and calm
Travelling in a car for such a long distance may not be conventional, but the thrill and experience is worthwhile. To make sure the journey is enjoyable and comfortable, pack cushions and neck pillows. Get good quality car seats for the children, and remember to carry their favourite blankets and soft toys to keep them warm, comfy and calm.
Plan loo breaks
Toilet breaks along the way will definitely be a part of the journey. If not scheduled well, it can lead to delays due to the interruptions during the journey. You also don’t want to have to listen to a child repeatedly telling you they need the toilet 😉 You should try to go all at once at a certain stop so it will reduce on the stops. With older children, this may be achievable but with the younger ones, it can be a hustle!
To save time, if you’re travelling with a child who has a nappy, set up a little nappy station in the car (we use the boot). It saves having to hunt down changing facilities in rest stops in the dark or cold.
Make the journey fun
You can come up with a games to keep the kids jolly throughout the journey. You can ask them to look around as you travel and identify hills, valleys, and other physical features. This can be both educational and fun at the same time, and passes the time. As well as providing the usual in-car DVD players, tablets and books, it’s good to plan activities for each leg of the journey, especially if you’ve got older children who don’t sleep much. Here are some more games you can play in the car.
Break up the journey
Travelling can be very exhausting. Both the driver and children may get tired and emotional! If your budget allows, you can break up the journey. Plan a sleep at a hotel and ensure you all get enough. Also, take the time to unwind and have a nice meal. Why not treat yourself to a spa massage, a swim, and freshen up.
Create physical barriers
Kids get cheeky sometimes and tease each other. To prevent them from picking on each other from time to time, you can put up a physical barrier between them. Stack a couple of pillows between them, or use something purpose made if you’re serious about the separation!
Offer rewards for silence
We all know it sometimes gets a little bit loud with kids. It is normal (and understandable on a long journey) for them to act up when bored, but sometimes we all need some silence. In these cases, it is fun to give rewards for silence. You can bribe them use promises of their favourite sweets or snacks as a reward.
Driving abroad with kids definitely has its challenges. It is also a really thrilling and memorable experience. The good times foster closer bonds and everyone gets to have fun. It is really important to prepare adequately for the trip. This ensures you bring everything you need for a comfortable journey, and the trip is a resounding success.
About Lucy:
Hello! I’m Lucy, I write over at Real Parent. I’m a mum of 3 keeping it real. Join me for hints, tips, rants and lols as I wing it through parenthood.
I’m a Blogger in the UK who helps parents to feel more normal by sharing the reality of parenting. You’ll find real, authentic talk about postnatal mental health, childhood allergies, pregnancy, breastfeeding and lots more. My posts will make you cry, laugh, and feel like you’re not alone.
Lots of great tips. We are used to super long car journeys from our time abroad (We drove 12 hours back to Bavaria for half term!). We couldn’t survive without podcasts 😂
These sound like some great tips. I have never driven outside of the UK I would totally be way too anxious I think to even try it.
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Your tips are very good ones, it can often be difficult when there is a long car trip involved. Being comfortable is key. The pillows are a very great idea, having them as barriers is funny, but I see that having more than one child that this will help immensely. 🙂
I’m still learning to drive, so the idea of driving abroad makes me feel quite nervous at the moment. It would be especially confusing if the car was a left-hand drive.
Great tips, we’ve done a fair amount driving abroad with the children – always good to recap.