Going on a road trip may seem like an adventure but bringing kids with you, more often than not, makes it tricky. I should know. In my twenty years, I must have endured God knows how many of these family vacations. Still, this doesn’t mean that road trips have to be stressful. With the right frame of mind and these tips, road trips can be more than a little pleasant for everyone involved.
Prepare your car for the road trip.
This is very important. Although there are tow trucks available, no one wants to end their vacation even before they’ve had a chance to enjoy it! Besides, the inconvenience includes repair fees, phone calls, additional charges… Make sure that your car is in top shape. Change the oil or replace your front brakes. Do what the situation calls for. Perhaps, a better idea would be to send your car to a trusted repair shop a week before the actual trip in order to make any necessary adjustments.
Prepare backseat activities for the kids.
Kids are, by nature, restless. Strapping them in seatbelts inside a car for hours won’t do anybody any good. If you take the time to prepare fun activities for your kids, it will save you a good deal of shouting and spare you from a massive headache. This is also helpful when it comes to siblings. Keeping each child preoccupied with his or her own work will prevent fighting, shouting and other kid stuff complications.
Prevention is better than cure.
Motion sickness is a major problem. To avoid this, distract your kids with fun car games. Have them look outside the window so that their eyes don’t stay focused inside the car. Strong-smelling foods are huge factors in motion sickness. Fresh air and frequent stops also help prevent the feeling of queasiness.