With more of us getting vaccinated and focusing on a slightly more normal summer, you may think a good old-fashioned road trip is in order. It is also possible that while you were incarcerated for a year, you forgot how to survive after being trapped in a vehicle with young children for several hours. Whether you’re traveling to the beach or a national park, or visiting a family in another state, the journey of a road trip is almost as important as the destination.
Prepare to leave
As someone who has been on many road trips as a parent – and as the parent who is usually responsible for making sure we are ready – it is important to me to point out that your planning the trip and packing all of your things are efficient and effective requirements both critical and time consuming. I start packing a week before we leave for our week long beach vacation because of all of the clothes, linens, food, and beach necessities I have to remember. (And I still forgot my swimsuit for a year.)
However, there are a few ways that we can streamline the process, involve the rest of the family, and make it easier to find what you need both during the journey and when you arrive. Here’s how – with links to more information and advice on each tip:
Assign one person to each task
There are plenty of things to do when it’s time to plan a trip, from booking the Airbnb to planning the route to taking care of the pets and charging all of the electronics required. Assign each task to someone – usually split it up between you and your partner, but also involve the children when they are old enough to manage it.
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Send baby items to your destination
If you have young children you will be at your destination for a considerable amount of time, and it is logistically possible that by shipping diapers or formulas in advance you can save valuable trunk space that quickly fills up with all of the equipment they need, while you’re gone This is a blast if you’re visiting a family, but some hotels also accept packages for guests in advance – just give them a call to make sure and give them a hint.
Wrap up those items that you may not have thought of
You will likely remember the basics (unless you are me, apparently without a swimsuit on the beach), but there are a few things you may not think of that can make your experience a little easier, including baby wipes (though they have potties), a kid’s water bottle, non-sticky snacks, and large ziploc bags.
Use a visual packing list to help your child pack their own bag
From a young age, I hired my son to pack a bag of things to keep himself entertained on the trip (and then helped him repack when he inevitably picked toys he’d never played with, a book that he didn’t particularly like how and a stuffed animal from the bottom of his toy container). You can also teach them to pack their own suitcases with the help of a visual packing list. (They have yet to double-check, of course, but it is good practice for them to hone a skill they may need later.)
Pack the things in laundry baskets
Packing clothes or other items in a laundry basket is my favorite road trip hack. It’s perfect for items that you need while traveling or on your arrival that you don’t have to dig out of the depths of a suitcase. And once you’re set up, a laundry basket is the natural place for any used clothing or bedding that builds up during your vacation. When you get home the dirty things can go straight to the laundry room.
Be ready for car sickness
Have I ever told you about the time my puppy and child took turns vomiting on a seven hour drive to visit my family in Ohio? Ah, memories. It was the first (but not the last) time my son got auto sickness and I wasn’t prepared for it. Learn from my mistake. Be prepared for the possibility.
Food on the way
Eating is usually an important activity on a road trip. Everyone is bored, so they want to have a snack to pass the time. You will likely need to stop for at least one meal, but you don’t want to extend the adventure any longer than necessary.
You probably already know that you need to wrap lots (and lots) of snacks for everyone – and wrap more than you think you need because you need more than you think. But there are a few other tricks you can use to try to make dining on a road trip a little more enjoyable.
Delight them with this homemade travel snack
If your child gets hungry for a snack just minutes after setting off on a trip, hand them a small bag full of Cheerios that they will devour far too quickly. Or you could surprise them with a homemade Cheerios or Froot Loop necklace – and pull the experience out. Just lace up an O-shaped granola, tie it in a knot at the ends, and let them carry their snack. (You’ll likely need to vacuum the car when you get home, but it’s worth it.)
Keep road trip meals in a shower trolley
Also, if you know you are driving through a driveway for a quick meal on the go, you are probably wondering how to deal with this situation without someone spilling ketchup on the front of their shirt and dropping all of the french fries on the floor. The answer, of course, is a shower trolley.
(You can also use a shower trolley to store your snacks. They prevent chips or crackers from smashing, while also making it easy for you to see all of your options. Shower trays are very versatile.)
Have ice cream for dinner
If you are not near your destination yet and at some point in the late afternoon you get grumpy, explain that you will stop having ice cream for dinner. This 1) is faster than a break for a full meal, 2) will be very exciting for them, and 3) is just an illusion – you can give them a “big snack” (their actual dinner) when you get there, wherever You are going.
They entertain
That’s the big thing, isn’t it? Children are we there already? isn’t just a pop culture cliché, it’s one thing they all do and it’s very annoying. (My son’s personal twist was asking how many minutes left? When we pulled back from the house and drove many hundreds of minutes ahead of us.)
Once they’re old enough to bury their face in an iPad or smartphone for hours, life becomes a lot easier. But while they’re little parents need to be prepared to entertain them so they don’t all melt together in the car. Here’s what you can do:
Introduce them to “Backpack Time”
Between their snack times and the screen time you allow them, they can have “backpack time”. You just grab an old backpack for any kid and fill it with a variety of fun activities including coloring books and crayons, wriggling toys, action figures, window clips to decorate the window, spiral notebooks and stickers. It’s all stuff they probably already own but have overlooked or forgotten long enough that when presented to them in a new way, it suddenly gets exciting again.
Introduce them to podcasts
If your kids have never been exposed to podcasts, now is the time to do so. There are lots of great podcasts out there for kids of all ages, and finding a pair they like can take a huge chunk of the time.
Surprise her with a new toy every hour
A backpack full of things is ideal for entertaining many children on long journeys. However, if your kid is the type to blow through everything in that backpack for the first 20 minutes before declaring they’re bored, then spreading the fun is a better tactic for you.
I’m not suggesting that you buy hundreds of dollars’ worth of new toys in hopes of keeping them happy on a long drive, but you could buy some new activity books or sticker sets at a dollar store and get involved some of their favorite books and travel games or toys. If you are the custodian of the activities, you can help them speed up their entertainment throughout the trip.
