Most of our family vacations involve driving south on I-95 to visit family in Florida. My children have spent many, many hours in the car going to Grandma’s house. Early Monday morning we head out to visit family in Texas. We haven’t made the Florida to Texas drive in many years, but I do remember that I-10 is long…..While not every trip has been a breeze, there are some things we do to help make those hours on the road a bit easier.
Plan Trips Around Your Best Driving Times
Are you a morning person or a night owl? Don’t try and start your trip at 4 am if you usually don’t wake until 9 am. And don’t plan on driving all night if you normally go to bed at 8pm. While we try to plan trips around our children’s schedule, the most important person is the driver.
Make a List/ Check it Twice
A few days before our trip I usually create a list of all the things we need to pack and all the things we need to load in the car. As we are loading the car I check the items off the list. The times I don’t make a list I always forget something.
Plan the Seating Arrangements Before You Get on the Road
If you have two children who don’t get along inside the house, chances are they will not get along during a 12 hour road trip. If you have a choice, seat children with a buddy. In our house that almost always means older kids sit with a younger one.
Pack Goodie Bags for the Kids
Hit the Dollar Store before your trip and make goodie bags for each of your children. We bring things like stickers, notebooks, pencils, books, small toys and treats. Target sells travel versions of classic games, so if your children are older this might be a fun option too.
Bring Chargers and Extra Batteries
iPods, Gameboys, Leapsters, and other electronic toys are much more effective if they work! Pack spare batteries and make sure you have all the chargers in the car before you leave.
Make Music and Movies a Family Decision
We have a portable DVD player we bring on long trips. Each child helps select the movies. During the trip they take turns picking the movies to watch. This reduces arguments and keeps everyone happy on the road.
Use Coupons and Stock Up on all Those Prepackaged Items You Normally Wouldn’t Buy
Snack packs and juice boxes are great for the road. My kids think they are getting a treat and it is less expensive than buying them a Happy Meal on the road.
Make the Most of Your Stops
For many years we would stop at restaurants for lunch and then wonder why our children suddenly couldn’t behave at a restaurant. After sitting in the car for several hours the last thing my children wanted to do was sit still at a restaurant!
We now bring almost all our food with us in the car and stop at rest areas along the way. I pack a frisbee or soccer ball and they run around for 30 or 40 minutes while mom and dad eat lunch at the picnic tables. Once they are tired and worn out we put them back in the car and they eat their lunch on the road.
Invest in Some Travel Luxuries
Two things I never travel without are the electric cooler
and power inverter
. While there was an initial investment it has made our road trips so much easier. My electric cooler has its own inverter so we can take it from car to hotel room on the extra long trips.
Don’t Forget the Classics
Remember the days before iPods, portable DVD players, and hand held video games? Audio books are a great way to pass the time and are something the whole family can enjoy. My kids love the Jonathan Park
series and the Jim Weiss Audio Books
. These CDs are interesting enough to keep mom and dad’s attention too. There are also the classic road trip games such as License-Plate Bingo, I Spy, or The Alphabet Game.
Enjoy the Road
For most families the road trip is a means to an end. It isn’t about enjoying your time in the car, it is about getting to your destination as fast as possible! If you can, enjoy your journey. Point out landmarks, stop along the way. Have a conversation with your kids. Sing songs, tell jokes, and remember to laugh. Some our best road trip memories were made because we took the extra time to stop and enjoy the road.
A Few Travel Resources
How to Prepare for Your Next Vacation: A day by day guide to help you get ready for your next trip.
Car Travel Activities for Kids: You can never have too many ideas for activities in the car. If you don’t use them on this trip, save them for next year.
Bren says
First, I’d like to say thank you for all the time you put into your blog it has been an amazing blessing. Unfortunately, for my first comment on a blog ever, I’m going to ask for help. I am going on a road trip with my hubby and four children, I’m debating getting the same koolatron you have or a 18quart compact koolatron? If you find yours more than large enough for your family I’m sure my family can make it work too. Thanks again, for all your realistic and sensible help.
TheHappyHousewife says
It depends on what you plan on using it for. When we travel we take drinks, yogurt, and fruit. It is full, but it works. If I was taking more than that I would need a bigger size.
Toni
FamilyTravelMom says
thanks for these easy-to-follow tips from a laymans POV. It gives me perspective – although, you know we think alot alike.
btw, thanks for the blog mention on preparing for a trip…
Lana says
Ah I-10! Long and boring!
katena says
Great ideas. We just took a cross country trip from FL to WA thanks to the army relocating us. It was a hard trip but nice. I was very surprised at my boys and they were awesome. We did a lost of these tips. We also find a hotel with a pool and wear them out. I have a ??? we sometimes have to get a double room. How do yall find hotel rooms. If we find a suite it accomadates us all. But some hotel are just not family friendly or size friendly in our case. We are a family of 8. Love to have some tips and I,m not going to lie as others have suggested. Keep the tips coming
TheHappyHousewife says
We get two hotel rooms. When we had 5 kids (one was a baby) we would get a suite, but now it is just easier to get two adjoining rooms. My husband travels a lot and almost always stays in the same hotel chain so we accumulate rewards, our vacation nights are usually free.
Pary Moppins says
It may not be feasible in every state but stopping at the state line tourist information bureaus are always a nice reprieve for us. We take a picture by the sign that says what state we are in, get a cup of coffee (which most bureaus here in the south seem to have available), use the, ah-hem, facilities and stretch our legs. When we’ve traveled with our dogs too, these little stops have been wonderful since they usually have a nice little parcel of land close by for kiddos and puppies to romp and play ball.
And finally, Welcome to Texas Y’all!
Gwen T says
As part of our ministry with Wycliffe, we have been traveling a majority of the time for the past 3 months. Needless to say, with 9 people in 1 van for thousands of miles, we’ve found a lot of things that work (and don’t work) in the van! I wholeheartedly agree with having olders sit with youngers; we also love Jonathan Park and Jim Weiss – we also get lots of classics downloaded for free off of Librivox.org.
Long trips are really concentrated character development, aren’t they??! Both for parents and for kids! It’s a great opportunity to work on issues that may get overlooked when we’re all spread out around the house or yard – but in a van NOTHING can get overlooked! 🙂
It’s a wonderful memory-making time. Rather than dreading the long hours in the van, we look forward to it because it really has become a blessing for our entire family (except when the baby’s screaming but that’s a whole ‘nother issue!)
One new thing I’m bringing on this trip is Bible Pictionary – I’m bringing the cards as well as one of the many half-used notebooks around the house and we’ll try a revised version of Pictionary in the van.
Later this week, we’re leaving for nearly 3 non-stop weeks on the road – we have presentations in IA, KS, MO and Texas!! The Lord knows I need to work on my patience and loving spirit – I’m sure this will provide many opportunities…..
TheHappyHousewife says
You are so right! This trip has gone pretty well, except for the baby, who HATES to be in her carseat. We all are working on our character when we are in the car with a crying baby! 🙂
Barb says
Back in September we just drove from Maryland to Alaska and did most of these tips. The whole family really enjoyed the trip and the best part was that it was just the four of us. Have a fun trip!
Blessings!
Serenity says
Love the tips! Thanks!
PS: My kiddos love to listen to Adventures in Odyssey on road trips (my husband and I love them too 🙂