Traveling By Car With Your Family
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Planning on taking a long trip by car with your family? Don't groan. It can be pleasant, fun even. Make sure you know where you're going; customized route directions are great. Extra maps are... |
Planning on taking a long trip by car with your family? Don’t groan. It can be pleasant, fun even. Make sure you know where you’re going; customized route directions are great. Extra maps are also good to have just in case you need to work out an alternate route while you’re in the car. When you’re traveling with kids, make sure you plan enough pit stops along the way. To help you stay organized, make a packing list. That way with all the other last minute things that pop up, you won’t forget your toothbrush or the video camera.
Here are some tips on what to keep in your car when you’ve got little ones:
* An emergency set of clothes to change into is a must for the under 5 group. This is especially important if you have kids that are potty training or still in diapers.
* Extra diapers and wipes. Sometimes you feel that your diaper bag must have a hole in the bottom of it.
* Extra clean bottles and formula.
* Bring a potty for those long trips. Yes, you hope to find a rest area but anybody with potty trainers knows, you can’t always wait for them. So bring your own. Just in case.
* Bring a bag of toys that will keep them entertained. Rotate this set often so that they don’t get bored with them.
* Plan your trip time based on how your kids are. If they’ll sleep well in the car, then plan to take off right before their normal nap time. If they refuse to go down in a moving vehicle, you’re best to take off in the morning or right after a nap. Otherwise melt-downs will ensue.
Here are some tips to help keep your older kids occupied during longer trips:
* DVD players in the car will get you a little peace and quiet if you don’t mind hearing the movie or cartoon playing in the background.
* Game Boys are also a good diversion for long trips.
* Find games that are meant especially for car travel. Magnetic chess boards are an example of this.
* Sticker albums are a good way to keep kids occupied for a short while.
* Buy mini reading lights for the kids in the back seat. That way they can read during evening hours. The mini reading lights won’t bother the driver’s night vision.
Here are some travel games to help pass the time:
* Family Fact or Fiction. For older kids and adults. This is a fun way to see how good your family is at lying. When it’s your turn, you need to come up with two truths and a lie about yourself (i.e. When I was a kid, I hid under the bed at the department store and got locked in. My parents thought I had been kidnapped. My childhood nickname was Egg Head. I’ve read all the plays that Shakespeare’s ever written.) If you’re still wondering about my example, I’ll tell you truth; none of them are true for me! Anyways, you can decide to either keep score or just let the winner keep going until somebody figures him or her out and then it’s their turn.
* Twenty Questions. A classic. You think of something and everybody else has 20 questions to guess what it is. Limit the category to keep it fun. Little ones like animals, foods, and cartoon characters.
* If I were a … This is a variation of the Twenty Questions. You pick somebody; you can decide as a group whether to go with book characters, band members, political figures, etc. Then you make statements like “If I were a vegetable, I’d be an eggplant.” “If I were a musician, I’d play jazz.” This sounds incredibly hard but surprisingly enough; people can guess the right answer! Even if everybody can’t guess it right, it’s fun to go back over your descriptions.
Recommended Reading
- Why Nascar Racing Is A Great Family Friendly Event
- 5 Ways to Utilize Auto Navigation Systems and GPS Technology While Traveling
- Tips For Attending Nascar Races With Children
- Fun Activities For Car Shows
- How To Make A Nascar Race A Fun Adventure At Home
