9 Success Strategies for Road Trips with Kids
Summer is here!! You know what that means- the time has finally arrived to hit the road for some fun in the sun family adventures.
GUEST POST!
I am Kileigh Knott, the mom behind The Road Knott Taken. Our family strives to inspire other families to adventure everyday. By sharing a few road tripping pointers learned over the years we hope your summer plans are full of more memories than meltdowns.
1. Keep your total time in the car between 4-6 hours a day, MAX!
During one of our first road trips as a family of 4, I thought I was being so proactive by planning "little day trips" covering around 300 miles of road, imagining it taking us around 5ish hours. Umm...not even close.
After our first long day in the car it was quite obvious that we were going to have to readjust our plan going forward. In reality we discovered that for every two hours drive time it was essential to calculate at least one extra hour for miscellaneous tasks like stopping to use the restroom, pulling over to unbuckle a seat belt in order to reach a toy or book that was just out of reach, soothe a crying or yelling kiddo, trying to potty, stretching our legs, getting a snack, or using the bathroom yet again.
2. Stock up on little surprises and treats.
Dollar Store can come in handy here. If I can sneak away without the kids before our trip I like to go shopping alone to pick out some fun little toys, activities, and snacks conducive to road-tripping.
The older kiddos have actually begun to come with me on these little trips. Picking out their own goodies with the knowledge they don't actually get their treats until the trip gives them a little more build up for the adventure ahead. Knowing exactly what fun items they have coming their way once they are buckled in and we are driving seems to get them moving and motivated to get loaded up a little easier.
We have a cooler centrally located in the car full of snacks and drinks. The older kiddos can reach or ask for something as they get hungry. I also keep a treat bag in the front seat full of things like fruit snacks and cookies for desperate times. You know, all the stuff they constantly ask for but don't usually get because, well, it's crap. In times when the little ones are going above and beyond being extra patient while sitting in their car seats for hours at a time, I have no problem breaking out the treats. Plus it helps with our sanity in the front seat. WIN WIN!!
Of course I put in the healthy stuff like oranges, apples or bananas. Hint: Put the fruit, especially bananas in a ziplock bag just in case they happen to get smashed. At least that mess will be contained and you can simply throw the plastic bag away while everything else stays clean as a whistle. Some other great on-the-go options this crew likes are almond bars and popcorn.
You can read my full post about packing for a road trip- including a downloadable cheat sheet- here.
Snacks and little surprises help keep everyone happy!
3. Finding a hotel with a pool and elevator is worth every penny.
We LOVE a nightly routine of checking into a hotel room, eating dinner, swimming, showering, and going to bed. Swimming is such an awesome way for little ones to burn off energy. Bonus points if you can find a hotel with a water slide. The kids need an outlet to get some physical activity, and usually where there is a pool there is a hot tub for Levi and I to relax our old bones from sitting in the car for so long. And who am I kidding, adults love water slides, too.
Also a side note, completely worth stating: Not all hotels have elevators. I was quite shocked I would even have to ask about an elevator, but lesson learned. We once found ourselves booked at a hotel without an elevator and the only room available was far from the first floor entrance. Levi, as always, was a trooper and lugged all of our luggage, Henry's little potty, the cooler, toys, and blankets up the flights of stairs. We now check for that amenity before booking a property.
Hotel pools are KEY for burning energy after a day of driving!
4. Having a plan but being okay to break it is key.
Being my planning self, I typically have a spreadsheet with each day of the journey planned out meticulously. I fine tune all the details and figure out down to the hour exactly where we need to be and what we should be doing to make the most of our time. I have had to let go of this rigid structure, or at least the idea that it was set in stone.
It is imperative to have a bare bones plan for getting where we need to go, but sticking to it just isn't always realistic. Each night after putting the kiddos to bed Levi and I work together to adjust our route to accommodate the day's changes. I can only imagine trying to stick to the initial plans would make us nuts. I learned that a solid plan and destination is great but you have to be pretty laid back and flexible as the day unfolds or you can stress yourself out and ruin the day pretty quickly.
Have a plan and be prepared to revise as needed.
5. Bring a fully charged tablet with pre-downloaded Netflix movies.
Seems like another no brainer, but how many times have you gone to put on a show for the kiddos only to hear that beep of it trying to turn on with no power? I physically put the tablets on the charger the night before and during a trip no matter how old the kiddos. It is worth it to me.
Netflix is great to download movies for the car, when you have no internet. Each kid can choose the movie they personally want to watch for the day and we can download a new one at the hotel each night. Or my kids like to watch movies 101 times in a row so once they pick a movie, it's pretty much all they watch for the entirety of the trip.
6. Money for a souvenir.
I don’t know about you, but my kids used to constantly ask to buy any little toy or treat that looked awesome to them at that moment. Finally, I determined it was best during a trip for them to each get to pick out one very special item to buy and take home with them.
Once they complete their purchase- whatever they decide upon- that's it. No whining or asking for something else. They choose anything from a 25 cent toy machine, dinosaur, kinder egg, or even a snuggly animal for their one souvenir. This “rule” really helped them think about what it was they really wanted and make an informed decision before just wanting and asking for everything in sight.
I like to give them actual money for them to pay cash at the register. It helps them visualize and comprehend how much their item costs. Even sneak in a little math lesson on the change they should receive. When I pay using a card it doesn’t have the effect of using actual money. The appreciation and concept aren’t quite there for them yet that a card has to have money to work.
Give children power over the souvenirs- this teaches life lessons and cuts down on whining.
7. Plan for a podcast or concert time.
What is your favorite podcast? I personally love the true crime stuff, but obviously not when the kiddos are in the car! A family friendly podcast we love right now is Reading Bug Adventure. It is about a 2 hour podcast that takes kiddos on an imaginative journey through an event, place, or time in history. Super well done at engaging both our 5 year old and 8 year old.
And of course a road trip is not complete without a concert. So letting everyone take turns picking songs to sing obnoxiously loud alongside the completely wrong lyrics is a perfect outlet when the troops are getting restless.
8. Let everyone pick out one thing to do or see along the way.
Getting buy in is KEY. You know the saying if momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy? Well, in our family it's more like if my oldest daughter isn't happy, everyone is freaking miserable. So it is imperative we get these little ones to buy into the trip.
Get excited, feel included, look forward to at least some aspect of each day. We ask them what they want to do. Give them ideas, let them look online with us for places to see, tell them fun options of things to do along the way. We really chat with them and hear their opinion on what would be fun for them. When it comes time for their activity of choice the pride and excitement they exude is priceless.
Let children help plan and research fun activities for road-trip stops.
9. Pack smarter, not harder.
I am a less is more type. Less outfits packed means less dirty clothes, less options to choose from in the morning, less to lug around, you get the picture. Yes there is a fine line between just enough and not packing enough. I like to walk that line! One outfit per day for everyone rolled, not folded, with socks and underwear. Depending on how many days we will be on the road I will pack an extra outfit, maybe two for emergencies.
Everyone gets one bag for the car full of all their personal fun stuff they want access to while driving. Books, tablets, toys, they get to pack this bag with things they want.
I also pack an empty laundry bin and several garbage bags. Laundry bins are super easy to throw in everyone's car bags to carry inside the hotel or offer a central storage place in the car instead of strewn all over. Garbage bags are handy for so many things, like wet bathing suits, cleaning out the car, and of course throwing in the dirty clothes keeping them away from clean clothes in the luggage. Eventually we hit a point where we can consolidate our clothing from a kids suitcase and an adults suitcase to a clean and a dirty suitcase. Makes for super easy unpacking when you get home.
Pack smarter, not harder.