The past year has seen us embark on three road trips taking us to to France, Italy and Sweden. Two of those were with our four-year-old daughter AND a tiny baby. Yes, we are a little crazy! While our packed schedule meant at times we were barely unpacking before we moved onto the next place, road trips present many advantages. Firstly, there is the freedom to go where you want, when you want without being confined to timetables or flight times. Secondly, there’s the ability to load up the car with whatever you want – including all the baby equipment (which can be a lot) – without worrying about baggage allowance. If you are considering taking road trips with kids, here’s a five tips to make them a little bit easier.
Plan stops
Make sure you schedule in set stops throughout the road trip to allow you to stretch your legs and for the children run around. We like to pack up home-made sandwiches for a ‘picnic’ along the way. If we are less organised, we will stop somewhere for lunch or at an attraction along the way to break the journey up. Being cooped up in a car can drive children a little bit mad so a change of scenery and a run around works wonders. Carwow has a really cool road trip planner tool which lets you search other people’s tried and tested routes to help you plan.
Be prepared for unplanned stops
For those unexpected toilet breaks, make sure you have some essentials to hand: spare clothing, toilet roll, wipes, extra nappies and a portable change mat!
Snacks, snacks, snacks
In addition to taking sandwiches, you will need to pack plenty of snacks to munch on. They can be a life saver if the little ones are starting to moan. I am always amazed at how much they can snack on and great to pull out a few treats when they start to get fed up (for the adults too)! For older children, lollipops always go down well and certainly keep them quiet for a bit but having some healthy options like fruits, oat bars and nuts will help keep everyone full, satisfied and alert. Don’t forget to pack plenty of drinks too.
Entertainment
Load up the iPad with movies, TV shows and games. Use headphones and buy a case to go on the back of the passenger/driver seat. Pack games that can be played together as well. We like good old-fashioned ‘eye spy’ and our daughter also enjoys playing ‘spot the red car’ – Keeps her amused for a few minutes. Make sure you have your CDs, an iPod or phone loaded up with some music you and your children want to listen to as well. We have a mix of Disney tunes, chill out tracks and pop music to keep us going.
Book a parking space
We try to book accommodation which has parking but it is not always possible. Did you know you can rent your parking space at the destination in advance so all you have to do is pull in, get out of the car, and go explore the sights. This is also handy if stopping off somewhere for a few hours…the last thing you want is a parking ticket (which has happened to us before)!
*collaborative post
That’s such a good idea about renting parking – bane of my life sometimes!
Cathy (Mummytravels) recently posted…City Tripping #52 – Wander Mum’s giveaways
I know! Can be a nightmare.