If you leave early (or late) this Halloween for your road trip, you just might find yourself stuck in horrendous traffic conditions. I am sure no one needs to tell you not to do that. Yet even without heavy traffic as a consideration, long road trips can take its toll on both the children and the parents. The classic “Are we there yet?” can rub your nerves raw after several hours. I posted some tips on how to handle this a week ago.
Here is another idea that can alleviate the boredom inside the car and even make the trip more exciting that it normally is – an in-car scavenger hunt. This is actually an age-old trick. I remember when we were kids and we went on our annual trip to the city (we lived a couple of hours south of “the big city”) with our cousins. Imagine a van full of kids – with ages ranging from 5 to 15. I am sure it was near as it could get to road trip hell for our parents. Anyhow, my dad would tell us, “Ok, the person who gets to spot the most number of blue cars will get a prize.” Of course, us kids would be all alert and on the lookout. The thing to spot would be different from time to time but the aim was the same – keep us kids busy so we wouldn’t bug them. I am sure many other kids have similar memories.
Things may be a bit different today but I am sure this will still do the trick for younger kids. To make things more exciting, think up of some other things to hunt for. Here are several ideas:
-A dog inside a car
-A vehicle sporting a flag
-A specific make of a car (very good for car buffs)
-A vehicle with other children in it.
The possibilities are endless – only your creativity will limit your options.