When we first had Leonie, the thought of flying with her terrified me (for so many reasons). But since we love to travel, we decided to do a family road trip instead. It seemed much less stressful, and I knew that if she was upset we could always stop and get out of the car: not something you can do on a plane. Since then, we have taken a lot of family road trips and so I wanted to share my three tips to help you survive a family road trip!
Naturally, to increase your chances of having a successful road trip, you need to give some thought to the kind of journey you want to take and then make the best possible preparations for it. Plus, you will want to make sure you have a reliable vehicle (like one from Edmunds) to get you to your destination and back, safely.
Map Your Route
Before leaving, you want to select where you are going and how long it will take you to get there. Make sure to account for stops – a baby can only be in a car seat for a maximum two hours at a time so be sure to account for that.
We like finding fun things to do or places to eat so that we know where we can make breaks. But I am a planner, and if that isn’t your style, you can also just pick your final destination and leave the rest open. It’s entirely up to you, but I find that at least planning it in some way helps make the trip much more enjoyable for me.
Plenty Of Activities And Snacks
My kids need activities and snacks to help keep them entertained during a long road trip. I try to get some new books or things that they can safely do from their car seats to keep them occupied. Because my kids are still so young, we always stop for snack breaks.
We have found some really cool public playgrounds to stop and picnic at, which also breaks up the drive and tires them out. Decide what works best for your family road trip: I promise it will be a lot more pleasurable if you are prepared with the necessary snacks and activities.
Related Post: The Ultimate Road Trip Plan
Plan around Naps
If you have young kids who still take naps, it can be super beneficial to plan around their nap times (if possible!) We like leaving the house when my youngest is about ready for his morning nap. That way I know that he will likely sleep until the first stop.
This might not always be possible, or maybe your kids don’t nap anymore. However, one of the best pieces of advice that I got when we first started traveling with kids was to try and have an idea of the kid’s schedules but travel days are a “do whatever you need to to survive.” So if that means your little one takes more naps then normal, that’s great. Or if you need more screen time then normal, that is great too. Whatever works for your family to have a successful family road trip – do it!
And above all, know that things will happen and not always go as planned but that is part of the experience! I hope these three tips to help you survive a family road trip will come in handy for you and your family. Happy travels!
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