Seeing as you’re reading this post, you have already made the insane decision to travel with your littles to some destination and hope your sanity remains intact.
Just kidding.
There can be so much good that can come from traveling as a family, that of, making memories, seeing amazing places and learning and growing as a family unit.
By no means am I a travel expert or an expert parent, but I have had some success in having an enjoyable road trip experience with young children.
Earlier this year my husband and I decided to travel to Corpus Christi, TX to see the coast with our son and daughter. From our house it was roughly a 15 hour drive. We broke it up in two and drove 6 hours to see family and stay the night and then drove the greater part the next day.
For the car portion of the vacation we did the following things to help make it fun as well as being prepared for things that might come up LITERALLY along the way.
- Pack a large reusable bag (they have cute prints and functional sizes at TJ Maxx) full of your kids’ favorite toys. I packed a mix of books, puzzles, dolls etc. It was comforting for my daughter to have those toys with her on a long car ride as well as vital for her to feel comfortable and at home once we got to our airbnb. As soon as we pulled out toys she was familiar with she felt at ease and safe.
- Invest in no mess coloring books. They are a little more spendy but worth not having to clean the marker or crayon off your back seat. We have a mix of ones with no mess markers, scratch off pads with a wood utensil that create a pretty picture and ones with water brushes that create a picture when the page gets wet. We found ours at Walmart and Amazon.
- Plan on eating meals at parks and not in restaurants. For our first couple of road trips in the car with our daughter we would stop to eat for lunch and wonder why she was being so naughty and getting up and walking around the restaurant. We soon put it together and realized she was sick of being in the car just like we were and needed to stretch her legs and run around. We now pack our lunch with finger foods that toddlers can eat on the go such as sandwiches, fruits, vegetables, granola bars etc. When it is getting close to lunch time we use our maps app and find the nearest park or pull-off such as a rest area with grass.
- Don’t be afraid to make extra stops, even if it means not getting there in the time frame you wanted. Stop at a few parks, every time you stop to get gas or go to the bathroom get little ones out of their car seats to stretch. In our experience the kids seem to be happier once we get to the destination when they have had more stops and fresh air.
- While wipes can clean up the chunky contents of lost bodily fluids along the way, they don’t always take up the smell. Bring a small travel size spray bottle full of distilled vinegar as well as a baggie of baking soda to soak up the smell of vomit. We also carry small rolls of black mini trash bags for the car that are perfect for trash, wipes used for clean ups, smelly diapers or soiled clothes. We order them from Amazon.
- Pack your kiddos’ clothes for the next day in the diaper bag- that way you don’t have to dig for them through the luggage in the back. If we leave early in the morning we generally keep the kiddos in their pjs and then mid-morning on one of our stops, we pull out the clothes and get them ready for the day.
- Try to leave early in the morning where they can sleep a few more hours on the road or plan to be traveling during nap time. This way all their hours in the car aren’t wakeful hours.
For the portion of the trip spent in the airbnb or elsewhere here are a few suggestions.
- Plan to stay somewhere you have your own space and room.
While it is amazing to spend time with family and stay with them, we have found that having our own space away from the excitement of family and fun is vital for kids to effectively de-stimulate and have a healthy sleep schedule.
Whether this means having your own hotel room or separate bedroom at a family member’s house or staying at a different place entirely, it ensures your kids can wind down and rest which will dictate how the next day will be. In our experience having our own space allowed us to carry out our kiddos nap and bedtime routines where they still felt happy and rested.
- Don’t over plan your vacation.
While there can be a list of exciting excursions and sites to see, keep in mind the kiddos’ short attention spans and how easily they tire.
Plan one thing a day that you really want to see and then play the rest by ear, understanding that if you don’t get to go to a certain museum or something like the USS Lexington this trip its ok.
We made seeing the aquarium our priority and spent a few hours there in the morning and then spent the rest of the day playing at the beach and doing things at the airbnb.
- Airbnb’s are more comfortable for families. If able, stay at an airbnb instead of a hotel.
They feel more homey by having amenities like laundry, separate bedrooms, fully stocked kitchens allowing you to stay in and cook, and a full living area where the kids can play or watch TV.
- Skip the nice restaurants and prestigious places and save them for the couples only and anniversary trips.
While it is a nice thought to want to take your kids to an amazing dinner on a fancy boat, don’t do it. In our experience they are much happier eating mac and cheese back at the airbnb watching Peppa pig.
On our last night in Corpus we decided to eat at a place right on the water and thought our kids would enjoy it, little did we know. Our daughter spent the better part of the meal squealing, crying or fussing when we would move her fork to the wrong place, not hand her shredded cheese fast enough or for the simple fact that she is 2 and thinks she can.
Our kids did not enjoy the quiet, seated environment of a fancy restaurant for good reason, and therefore we couldn’t relax and enjoy it either.
The only part of the night that brought relief was when the well-behaved children at the table next to us started to fuss. My husband and I were both silently rejoicing that our kids were not the only ones being naughty.
RECAP
Packing a bag of favorite toys and no-mess coloring books, stopping at parks for meals, taking extra stops, bringing supplies for unexpected messes, packing clothes ahead of time, and planning to leave your house at a time that will allow them to sleep some of the trip can make a smoother ride in the car.
Ensuring your family has their own space for resting, not over-planning the must sees on your vacation, staying at an airbnb and planning to skip the fancy restaurants and places when you have little ones with you can help make your road trip one for the books!
I would love to hear your thoughts on what helps your little ones on road trips!
Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Disclaimer: Use all general, life and parenting advice herein at your own risk.