We recently returned from a week vacation in Southern California and it was great. We ended the trip with a 7 hour car ride through the traffic of Los Angeles (how do they handle it?) It was nice to get home with time to unpack and rest before the school week starts.
You might be surprised to learn that a 9 year old, 6 year old and 3 year old made it 7 hours in the car with only 1 stop for lunch and no portable DVD player. They were awesome and made me think that I could probably do this again sometime…..in the future.
As I drove I listened to a few of my favorite motivational podcasters Pat Flynn, Cliff Ravenscraft and Michael Stelzner and got some great ideas for moving forward with my platform. I also thought about the many trips we have taken over the years… some great… some good and … some could have been better. For me, if you are going to road trip with kids here are some considerations:
1- Individual water bottles- we like to give the kids plenty to drink but not so much we have to stop every 45 minutes. We can regulate their water intake by giving them individual water bottles that are smaller and then refill as necessary
2- GPS- Most of the trips we take are to places we have been many times. I am pretty good with roads and directions and after a time or 2 I can make it without the assistance of a GPS device- but we still turn it on. It gives the kids a reference point and no need to ask how much longer we have. (Quick safety suggestion- do not put your home address into your gps, pick someplace near your home. This way if your car is stolen the thief cannot go directly to your house. Also, though this isn’t a trip safety article, when away from your hotel during the day take off your hotel parking tags. If you are at the mall or at a restaurant you do not want a passersby to immediately know you are from out of town.)
3- Snacks- This could be a no brainer for any of you who have travelled with kids. They eat continuously, mostly because they are bored. We have purchased individual bento boxes that they fill up in the morning with their favorite snacks and they can eat at their own pace. We have one child that finishes hers before we get out of the parking lot and another who will bring a nearly full box home.
4- Treats- Different from snacks- treats are candies and ice cream. We try to limit the number of stops and time our potty breaks with gas needs as much as possible. I also like to grab the kids a treat at the stop to reward their patience and semi-quiet travel skills.
5- Presents- (we do not do this but have some friends that swear by it.) They wrap 3 gifts per child (little things like coloring books and goldfish crackers) and then at predetermined times give the kids a chance to open the new gift and enjoy the surprise for the next little while.
6- Early to Rise- The same friends that swear by the presents also turned me onto the early departure road trip. This is one that I do use and love. When possible we get to bed early and then leave around 2am with the kids still asleep. I can usually get 4+ hours of silent driving before the kids start to wake up and want breakfast. As an added benefit, not many drivers are on the road between 2am and 6am. Caution: get to bed early the night before and never drive drowsy.
7- Alternate Drivers- If this is possible on your road trips have any and all adults over 21 drive a portion of the trip. The variety helps everyone calm down. It is also safer to give each tired driver a chance to rest.
8- Stretch Breaks- At every stop along our trip the whole crew needs to get out and stretch. I am often tempted to skip this step as it entails finding socks and shoes and unbuckling etc. but I am always glad when we get that stretch and when everyone jumps back in we travel smoother and more in control
9- Podcasts- this is personal. I love podcasts and always look for any excuse to put one on. It gets me in the zone and the trip flies by. I move the speaker balance to front left (or right) so only I get the full volume and not disrupt the whole car.
I have to admit that I have had some bad trips over the years but this most recent one was not on that list. The kids were great, the traffic fairly light and we made it home uneventfully (the way we like it). And because of that…we might just road trip it again in the next couple of months.