Now that school is out it’s time to begin planning your first family summer vacation. Since traveling can sometimes be a costly expense, my family and I often take mini road trips to explore areas near our hometown. Road trips can be a great way to spend time with the kids and it also allows you to see a lot of new things along the way. However, if you’re going to be traveling with the kids, you’re going to want to make sure that you’ve done everything possible to minimize the whining, crying, and the ever popular phrase, “are we there yet?”
So to help you guys out, I came up with a few choice tips that should make your road trip this summer a lot less stressful.
1. Choose Your Destination Wisely
There are a lot of people who enjoy the open roads and would like to go on cross country road trips. While this might be ideal if it were just you and your significant other, this is not going to be as easy when you have kids in the back seat – especially if they’re younger. Therefore, you’ll want to choose your destination wisely. When the kids were younger, we actually explored our own state and just had several pit stops along the way. Now that they’re a bit older, we can travel further. Map out how far away from home you’d like to drive and select a few attractions along the way for pit stops. Driving too long with young kids can be a pain in the neck to say the least.
2. Get the Car Checked
If you plan on taking your own car for the road trip, then I advise you to get it checked out before hitting the road. There is nothing worse than being on the side of the road stranded on a hot summer day with kids. Take your car to your mechanic and explain you’re about to take a trip. They should complete things like changing the fluids in the car, pressure in the tires, and evaluate any other problems that might prevent you from traveling safely.
3. Pack Entertainment
Whether you’re traveling an hour away from home or several hours, you want to make sure that each of your children can be properly entertained while sitting in the car. Boredom is the key culprit to sibling fights, temper tantrums, and much more. If you’re going to allow them to use electronics such as tablets or smartphones then make sure they’re fully charged (and maybe even invest in a solar charger). Pack plenty of games and entertaining movies to keep them occupied for a while. If you don’t want to make as many pit stops, packing a few summer time snacks is also appropriate.
4. Create a Great Playlist
Unless you’re keen on singing “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall”, then it is important that you have a playlist ready to go. When traveling in certain areas, radio reception can be difficult. However, by creating an ultimate playlist you can keep everyone calm and entertained as you drive. Craveonline.com, a travel site provides information on places to visit both in the US and beyond, gives a great suggestion on a road trip playlist you can create.
It’s that simple, ladies. If you plan out your road trip accordingly, you’re sure to have a much easier time once you hit the road. Of course there will be a few nuisances along the way, but hey, that’s what life is all about. So choose your destination according to your children’s attention span, make sure the car is in order, pack lots of entertainment, and ensure you have a killer playlist for the road. Other than that, enjoy yourselves and all the experiences you’re going to encounter with your family.
