I have been traveling with kids since I was a 13-year-old babysitter, going on roadtrips with a van full of three, then four, then five little kids. I tagged along to help their mom, who had the BEST ideas of how to not only survive such a roadtrip, but to make each trip a truly memorable experience.
Fast forward (23 years, omg how has it been that long ago?!) to today. We have been taking roadtrips with our kids since Elijah was six weeks old, and while some have been memorable in a not-so-good way (usually related to car issues), most of them have been quite enjoyable. Here are some of my tips:
1. Make sure the vehicle has plenty of room. If you have more than four people, get a van. If you must, rent one. Totally worth the cost. Have every kid bring their own pillow and a blanket. For summer trips, I use beach towels for blankets...works very well.
2. Make sure you have a AAA card and your insurance card before you leave your driveway. Peace of mind goes a long way. You just never know when you might have a roadside emergency...
3. Take a nap in the late afternoon (hire a babysitter if you have to). Leave in the evening and drive while the kiddos sleep. You might be a little tired the next day, but the ease of driving in the night without a screaming baby in the backseat will be well worth it. We travel at night for any trip over 8 hours in length, whenever possible.
4. Research the best rest areas on your route, and use them to your advantage. We always bring a ball, some bubbles, a change of clothes in an accessible bag and change for snacks, then plan where the nicest rest areas are located. The state of Tennessee has the CLEANEST rest areas we have ever seen, and a beautiful lawn to let the kids run around in, getting good and tired. You can google "interstate rest areas" and click on the state to see where they are. Whenever in a rest area, though, BE CAREFUL. We try to only visit those that have a security guard on premises, especially at night.
5. Have a positive attitude! This is part of the adventure, and a big part of the memories you are making together as a family! Get some books on CD (Junie B. Jones, Magic Treehouse, Harry Potter) that you will all enjoy listening to. Visit www.momsminivan.com and print out some cool pages to keep little minds occupied during those long hours. Make an itinerary, but be flexible whenever possible.
And when all else fails, drink a Red Bull, pass around the Benadryl and Dramamine to the kiddos, and set the cruise at 90mph. You'll be there in no time :)
3 comments:
Great tips. Especially the benadryl..LOL Hope you guys have a great 4th
You have no idea how helpful these tips are. I sent the link for this post to Neil. Thank you so much!
Love the picture of the kids with the broken down car!
I have to admit, I'm a little freaked out about the rest stops now, though. Add to my list of phobias: rest stops at night.
I've tried to get Shane to do the drive-through-the-night thing, but he has yet to agree to it. That's what we used to do when I was a kid, but he just doesn't want to do it for some reason!
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