We are a road trip family. With family living out of town and the cost of plane tickets being so high these days, we have learned to embrace road trips. And sometimes long ones. We’ve had some memorable moments when travelling, most that make me chuckle in hindsight, but in the moment they weren’t so comical. Road trips with young children do not have to be misery!
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After our most recent trip to Mississippi to visit The Teacher’s family, I noted that the kids did really well travelling. I won’t take the credit, because I know very well that it could have been a fluke. I certainly hope that it will continue though!
We are not experts at long road trips, but there are some things that we’ve learned over the years and miles of driving. I hope some of these may be helpful to you and your sanity as you travel with young children.
1. Stop every 2-3 hours
My oldest children are potty trained, but our middle child can still sometimes have accidents, so we plan stops every 2-3 hours. Rather than waiting for the kids to tell us they need to use the bathroom, we stop routinely and make them try to go. It prevents accidents and is a good excuse to let the kids stretch their legs and walk around for a few minutes. We kill two birds with one stone.
2. Choose your meal stops strategically
When stopping for meals, be intentional about where you stop. We do our best to pick a restaurant that has a play area (We love Chick-fil-A!) or we will choose a rest stop where there is space to walk and run around. If you bring a packed lunch, utilizing rest stops can be a great way to save money too.
3. Keep a DVD player on hand
Don’t be ashamed to pull out technology to help get you through a long road trip. (This RCA model has worked fine for us.*) I try to wait as long as I can, but sometimes it’s a necessity to keep young children happy and content. Don’t feel any shame about that, my friends! Pick a few of their favorite movies and let them enjoy the ride.
4. Play car games
This works better with kids that are at least 3 years old. Playing games like Eye Spy or The Alphabet Game can help keep them occupied for a little while. It can make for some good family time as well.
5. Pack snacks
Since we already stop every 2-3 hours anyway, we don’t make specific stops just for snacks or drinks. We pack those in a bag that is easily accessible and pull them out as needed. I don’t like using food or snacks as a distraction, but it can be helpful. Choose snacks that are easy to eat on the go and are not messy, such as fruit or pretzels. Squirt bottles are nice, but we limit the amount of liquids in order to avoid more potty breaks. 🙂
6. Implement quiet hours
You can’t force your children to sleep or nap while in the car, but setting quiet hours is a nice way to encourage it. Turn off any movies or devices and let them know that they are expected to be quiet and rest. We choose our quiet hours during normal nap times or night time hours. Even if they don’t sleep like they would have at home, this will give them the opportunity. You may be surprised!
7. Avoid 11-7 if possible
Avoiding the really late night/early morning hours works best for our young children. We have done it and it can work, but some of our kids do not sleep well in their car seats, so they wake up on and off and can become very cranky (which isn’t fun for anyone). If possible, we try to avoid those times, but this might not apply to you if your kids can sleep comfortably in the car.
8. Keep a spare set of clothes for each child
You never know what messes or accidents may happen when on the road with young children, so a spare set of clothes for each child is a must! We keep a Ziploc bag* for each child and keep it in an accessible spot, so that we don’t have to open suitcases.
9. Guard sleep schedules before and after a trip
I am a big proponent of kids getting adequate sleep before and after a trip. Most kids are more flexible and adaptable when they are well rested leading up to and after a trip. Once we arrive at our destination, we do our best to get back on schedule so they can recover from the physical toll of the trip.
10. Practice makes perfect
As with most things in life, your children will probably get better at long road trips the more often they take them. No one likes being stuck in a car for a long time, but it gets better the more they do it!
While I didn’t include them in my list, don’t forget that extra patience and flexibility can’t hurt either. Emerson has been quoted as saying, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” I think this can also apply to long road trips with young children.
Take a deep breath, and try to enjoy the ride.
Thanks for this post. Getting ready to embark on a ten day road trip. I like the idea of quiet hours during normal nap time. Also hadn't thought of bringing a change of clothes for older kids, but it's a great idea!
Oh wow, ten days is quite the trip! Good luck to you – you should be an expert by the time it's all done! 🙂