Let’s face it – once you have kids, you can expect that your travel experiences are going to change. Say goodbye to the days when you could power through a road trip without a single stop, or change your plans at the last second – your entire aim will be based around keeping your youngsters happy at all times.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that travelling with your kids has to be a bad experience though – in fact, it can be a wonderful way to bond with the people who matter most in your lives. So long as you have a plan in place to keep kids entertained, then you should be fine.
Bring Books and Magazines
If you’re hoping to keep the kids quiet when you’re driving, books and magazines can be a great option. Find out what your kids most prefer to read, and stock up before the journey so that they have something to flick through when you need to focus on the road.
Use Your Tech
Whether it’s a portable DVD player, or a tablet that you’ve stocked full of cartoons and offline games, technology is a fantastic way to keep kids entertained during long journeys. Everything from your smartphone, to an e-reader can be used to keep youngsters busy so long as you give them a selection of different options to choose from. Just make sure that the entertainment can be accessed without an internet connection, as Wi-Fi isn’t available everywhere you go.
Visit the Dollar Store
If you’ve got younger children, toys from the dollar store can be a great way to keep them busy for hours at a time. Stock up on cheap and simple items, from toys and games to word-search books and coloring in resources, and you’ll have what it takes to keep kids entertained hour after hour. For an extra treat, wrap each different item up so that every hour your child can unveil a brand new reason to stay smiling.
Document the Trip
If you’re going to be focusing on the road, then the chances are you won’t have a lot of time to take pictures of landmarks on the way to your destination, or record thoughts about the trip. With that in mind, hand the job over to your children, and let them know they’re in charge of creating a memory scrapbook for you to go through as a family when you return home. Give everyone their own disposable camera, and some paper for notes, and wait to be amazed by what they come up with.
Stretch Your Legs
Nobody likes sitting down for too long – particularly if you’re a child with a lot of extra energy to burn. Make sure that every couple of hours you take the time to pull in off the road and enjoy a break from being behind the wheel. Even if this means taking a travel umbrella with you to avoid the rain, you’ll find that a couple of scheduled stops can work wonders when it comes to keeping the children happy.
