Ten Road Trip Tips

Posted on May 27, 2009 
Filed Under Fathering, Life, Parenting, Personal

With summer travel season upon us, some thoughts about road trips with youngsters. This was prompted by a conversation today with a co-worker, who survived, sort of, a drive to Chicago with three little ones.

Here are some quick tip for parents who want to survive a long time in the minivan with toddlers (or even with teens!):

1. Pack lots of snacks. Dry cereal, juice boxes, nuts, whole grain breads. Avoid the straight sugar highly processed stuff…don’t want to wire the kiddos up and then force them to sit still in their car seat for 10 hours.

2. Take lots of favorite toys. One at a time, space them out over the course of the trip. Every few hours, open something and you’ll have happy children (well, at least you’ll have them occupied, for a bit).

3. Take books and magazines. Little eyes will want to interact with something they like, take a variety of things. Nothing irreplaceable, though. No library items, as replacing one of those books when the water bottle leaked on it is pretty expensive.

4. Pack “travel gifts,” some little items from the dollar store that can be pulled out and unwrapped, then enjoyed for a time. Space these out, not all at once.

5. Pack wipees and extra napkins/paper towels. Then pack even more. Messes will occur. Spills will happen. Be prepared.

6. Pack an old bath towel. In case someone gets REALLY sick. Trust me. We were just coming through Amarillo one year…

7. Pack a plastic bucket. Good for all sorts of roadside emergencies., Use your imagination…

8. Take audio books. We always hit the library and stock up on some good literature. We’ve enjoyed a wide range of goodies, from Hank The Cowdog to Back of the North Wind.

9. Did I mention to stop often? Ignore the urge to press onward to the point of breaking (c’mon, Dad, lighten up!). Instead, plan to pull into a rest stop, preferably one with grass or a playground, every two or three hours. Let the kids walk or run around. Keep it short, 10-20 minutes is all we’ve ever needed, provided we stop often enough.

10. Eat meals in the car, not a restaurant. Why pay big bucks to sit some more without going anywhere? That can be a miserable experience. Eat in the auto…drive-through fast food, handmade sandwiches, or even a take-out pizza (we’ve done it, and it works nicely). The point is to avoid making the kids sit quietly while you try to eat at some restaurant…better to occupy them on the road as the miles click away.

There are more things I’ve learned about making the best of road trips, but these should be good starting points for newer parents.

I’d also welcome your suggestions. What have you found that works on road trips?

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