Hacks, Preparation, And Placation: Surviving A Long Road Trip With Your Family

When you are planning any trip that lasts a few weeks there’s a lot to take into account. Plan a trip with your family and this is when it gets a bit complex! Any epic trip with a family is a combination of hacks, preparation, and placation. What are the key things to remember when you go on a long trip with your family?

Space Out The Breaks

It’s crucial to have some physical space for yourself. When you are traveling across the country you’ve got to schedule inappropriate downtime. Booking a hotel can be very expensive but what you can do is book yourself into camping sites. If you’ve got a camper van it’s a purpose-built roof for everybody to sleep under but you all need to get out and stretch your legs and the children need to go and play somewhere! Purchasing an item like a camper carport can be a simple addition to your vehicle so you can relax in the sunshine without getting burnt and the children can go off and enjoy themselves! Going to camping sites can be a cheap way to get some proper rest. Also, remember that when you are on the road that you don’t push through for the sake of getting to your location earlier. If you’re feeling tired, pull over and take a break!

Keeping The Children Occupied

When children get bored, they get vocal! Making sure that your kids are placated so you can focus on the road is crucial. You still need to have regular stops but no more than you really need. This means that if you have plenty of drinks and snacks in the car this will save you money and by separating them into individually packed lunch boxes for the kids there’s less fiddling involved. Also, think about keeping the children occupied with certain toys. It’s entirely up to you whether you give them a tablet or a mini video games console but if you’re trying to stay away from screen time there are plenty of little games you can play with the kids. “I Spy” is an obvious one but for younger children, you could play “Count The Cows” or even see how long you can all stay quiet for!

Prepare For The Unexpected

Long road trips can mean bouts of car sickness. If one of your children feels sick it can be stressful, not to mention messy. Have ziplock bags with paper towels ready and saltine crackers to minimize sickness. And in terms of the journey, you may run into traffic or roadworks. As simple as it sounds you’ll have to listen out for local bulletins and make sure that if you use your smartphone as a GPS that it’s updated to the latest version and is fully charged.

Long road trips for the family can also be very stressful. Think about preparing as much as humanly possible so you are calm. You’ve got to focus on the road and when you are doing a very long road trip you’ve got to make sure that you are fighting fit! It’s easier said than done when there are children in the back but think about making sure that you are focused and ready!