We all sometimes like going on road trips with our family, but as we know, these trips can be be boring for the kids if they are too long.
It’s our role as parents to keep our kids entertained along the way in order to avoid any hassle. Although road trips may seem a bit more difficult having children in the back seat, there are many advantages that you can get from going with your own car, even when you bring your kids:
* You have the freedom to fill up your car with everything (and this is very important especially when you have your kid with you) as there are no restrictions on the weight of your luggage.
* You can always discover a lot more new destinations, whether you visit different beaches or small towns along your way.
* Get more hours of interaction between you and your kid, singing together or trying out new games. It’s a good way to bond and communicate with him.
* When going on a road trip, there’s no strict schedule you need to follow. You can just leave whenever you’re ready!
- Learning to sit quietly in the car for longer periods of time helps teach children to be patient.
We want to provide you with some ideas that can help you organize a fun and safe road trip for you and your children. These nice little tricks will ensure you have a great vacation!
Useful tricks for long road trips with children
- One week before starting, make a list of all the things and supplies you will need on the road and write it down. This will help you make sure you don’t forget anything. When preparing your luggage (preferably two days before departure), check for each item on the list and make sure it was added.
- Even if you have a GBS in your car or on your mobile, it is always best to also bring a paper map. Because even electronic systems may sometimes fail. In addition, the map will be a means of playing and interactive learning with your kids
- For long distance trips, it is recommended to split the journey into two and stop somewhere at night. If your kids find it more difficult to stay up so much during the day, try to plan the trip for the night. Or you could, perhaps, leave at 03:00 AM, after your kids have gotten a few hours of sleep.
- Snacks are extremely useful in this type of trips to keep your kids busy. Although we know that kids prefer to eat chocolate, candy and other sweets, a good practice is to get some healthy snacks on your trip, such as dried fruits, peanuts, nuts, apple chips, grapes, cheese slices, sandwiches, cornflakes, cakes and biscuits.
- Another great trick that we’ve discovered is keeping all snacks in a plastic basket and not in bags. This will also make food easily accessible for your kids in the back seat, and you’ll prevent it from rotting.
- Also use a plastic box to store all toys and children’s books and place them on the back seat of the car. Or, you can keep it with you in the front and store all the things you need for your children (water, pencils, toys, books, napkins and snacks). This will make it much easier for you if you need to reach any of them.
- Long road trips with kids could make it harder to keep your car clean, so place a blanket on the back seat to make it easier to clean when you get home.
- It is preferable to make short stops every 2-3 hours at least for 15-20 minutes, even if this will increase the length of the trip. From time to time, you can stop at a gas station and buy some new things for your kid, like a book or a game, to keep him entertained.
- Avoid eating meat that you’ve brought from home, as it might not be healthy to store for long periods of times. Here are some other ideas: pasta with vegetables and cheese, rice with vegetables, baked potatoes, salads, sandwiches, or yogurt.
Make sure to keep these tricks in mind when planning your journey. We hope you get the best road trips together with your family!
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