More and more families are choosing to forego the airport security lineups and take road trips on their family outings, just like you might have done as a kid. Along with increased savings and more chance to explore parts of your country that you have never seen, road trips have disadvantages. The infamous line “Are we there yet?” might echo in your backseat, and squabbles can quickly arise. Road trips can actually be fun for your whole family if you prepare properly, though!
Consider the individual needs of your family members. If most of your family travels well in the morning, but hates driving at night, try to leave in the early morning, and vice versa if your family likes evening driving but doesn’t like waking up early.
Pack carefully, and use checklists to make sure you don’t forget anything. Along with the usual travel supplies, make sure you include snacks bagged in individual ziploc baggies, a cooler with bottled water, fruit juice, and other drinks, and activities. Some good car activities include coloring books, sticker books, travel game books, sudoku or other puzzle books, and for teens or older children, travel journals.
If you’re not traveling anywhere scenic, a portable DVD player and new movie can be a great investment. Get a headphone splitter and headphones for the each child, and they’ll be absorbed in the movie. The time will seem to pass so much faster! If you don’t like bringing movies on a family road trip, books and personal CD players, or even handheld gaming consoles can also help the time go faster.
Digital cameras are cheap nowadays; purchase one for each child and adult, mark them with everyone’s names to avoid mix-ups, and have fun learning to use them together before the trip. While you’re traveling, stop in towns and historic viewing spots and everyone can capture memories for their own scrapbooks or photo albums at home.
Another important thing to pack is hand sanitizer or sanitizing wet wipes. After road trip stops, everyone can wash their hands to help avoid that icky unclean feeling. More importantly, hand washing will keep everyone healthy and free from germs and bacteria.
Stop by the grocery stores in the towns you pass through to get healthy and cheap snacks, rather than fast food. Dried fruit, snack mix, string cheese, fruit, and bottled water will keep everyone energetic and happy.
Perhaps most importantly, make sure you’re traveling to a fun destination for everyone! If the destination isn’t going to be much fun, the trip there isn’t going to be fun, either. Some towns and areas offer lots for kids but not adults, and vice-versa. Also, try to book hotel rooms in advance if possible to avoid exhaustion and family feuds at the end of a long, tiring day of driving.
Road trips can be more than drudgery and family fights; they can actually be fun and memorable parts of the trip, rather than just something to be endured before the fun starts. Prepare carefully and enjoy your next family road trip!
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Tags: Disney Road Trip, Family Road Trip Tips, Family Road Trip Vacations, Packing Family Road Trip, Road Trip Adventure, Road Trip Grand Canyon, Road Trip Memories, Road Trip Vacation Ideas