Entertaining Kids During Long Road Trip
When you are traveling with kids putting on movie seem like the obvious solution, but even if you turn your back seat into a movie theater, that is usually not enough for long car trips. So be prepared and pack all helpful things you can get to help you out. It is also good idea to create a personalized road plan in advance with stops added.
Here are some ideas:
- Bring kid-friendly audio books, tablets with variety of kid-friendly games.
- Pack travel size magnetic drawing boards and/or a pad and pencil for Tic-Tac-Toe, Mad Libs and Hangman.
- Before trip, let your kids pack art bins with crayons, stickers, little toys and some healthy snacks and let them be creative during your trip.
- Give kids some non expensive camera, travel journals and scrapbooks to record their trips, and collect postcards along the way.
- Try to encourage kids to look out the window for entertainment, learning and sense of adventure.
- Some funny car games are good idea and still popular with most kids. Try Eye Spy, License Plate Bingo, Landmark Scavenger Hunt and Count the Cows.
- Travel size of some classic board games like Scrabble, Checkers, Battleship, Magnetic Chess, Ludo, Connect, and other games your kids love that are available in travel versions are good entertainment.
- Never underestimate the power of good music and car karaoke, so plan for it.
- Take with you a surprise bag of toys and keep it handy.
- Don't forget to schedule lots of "stretch and go crazy" stops at parks, scenic lookouts and roadside attractions.
Note: When is time to pack your car for road trip, make sure items in the back of the vehicle don't block visibility and are stored safely so they do not become dangerous projectiles in the event of an abrupt stop.
Summer is wonderful time to take a road trip with your kids. Perhaps you have fond recollections of road trips taken as a child. With a little planning, your road trip will be safe, entertaining and memorable.
Take time to explore the fun aspects of being with your kids. If your children are old enough, involve them in the vacation planning and packing process and choose a family friendly destination.
Never let your memories be greater than your dreams.
:: It's Good to Know ::
Pushing a limit during your holiday drive could endanger lives. We recommend a daily driving maximum of 800 kilometers (500 miles), with at least 15 minutes brakes every two hours.
Your car's maintenance is always important, but hot weather driving poses special problems. A routine maintenance check before your road trip can go a long way toward ensuring your family fun will not be cut short.
Make sure your tires are properly inflated. Under inflated tires are safety hazard and can reduce fuel economy. Check your owner's manual to find out how much tire pressure your car needs.
If you plan to drive at night, make sure your windshield is clean inside and out. It is very important to keep your headlights clean. Dim your high beams for approaching traffic and vehicles ahead of you. Never look directly into oncoming headlights; look instead at the right side of the road to stay on course.
BLISTERS - If blisters are keeping you from hitting another attraction you didn't want to miss, relief may be as close as the hotel mini bar. Compresses made from tea bags or milk can help ease blister pain and swelling. Just saturate a washcloth with cool milk or chilled steeped tea bag and apply directly on a blister for 15 minutes. Milk's proteins help speed healing, and the tannins in the teas help shrink swollen tissue. They can also soothe your sunburn or insect bites.
"The universe is a sort of book, whose first page one has read when one has seen only one’s own country."
~ Fougeret de Monbron
