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Summer Road Trip Tips: Plan Ahead
Jun 10 2008 by Emily Hansen
6/10/08
Preparation Needed for the Car and the Kids
In the last installment of MotherProof.com’s road trip series, I told you why I believe the road trip is still a viable option for fun family vacations. This installment outlines some planning steps, from prepping the car to prepping the kids.
I can tell you from experience that planning is crucial to the success of a road trip. One of the most memorable (or miserable) road trips of my youth happened over a holiday break in a “conversion van” equipped with every amenity of the time. Our van broke down in Las Vegas, which was not exactly a family destination in 1978. My dad was resourceful enough to find a rental panel van for the remainder of the trip to southern California. Imagine, if you will, four kids piled on top of gear in the back of a van with no seat belts — yikes!
I hope no MotherProof.com reader ever has to go through that sort of experience. Hence, the first thing on my road trip prep checklist is car maintenance. The three basic Cs (check tires, check fluids and check oil) are the minimum prep steps for any trip. Having properly inflated tires will definitely improve your gas mileage (and your car’s safety), and you never know when you’ll need extra juice to clean the bugs off your windshield. Maybe it’s because I was scarred for life by a shady, dark-alley, late-night van swap in Vegas, but when prepping my car for a family road trip, I take it in for a full safety check with a mechanic before I hit the road.
One of my favorite parts of a road trip is appreciatively viewing the passing landscape. Unfortunately, my kids seem to ”appreciate” this in much shorter stretches than I do, so I like to make sure we’re armed with a bevy of car-boredom-busters. Have your kids help brainstorm car-appropriate activities. Don’t forget classics like MadLibs or a simple joke book, and be prepared to come up with on-the-fly activities, such as the “how-many-Twizzlers-does-it-take-to-form-the-letter-F” game. Playing the alphabet road-sign game, highway bingo and drawing the landscape on a sketchpad (or Magnadoodle or Crayola Color Wonder pad) will be some of the things kids remember best from the trip.
When you run out of paper (and the kids run out of patience), it’s time to move on to technology for entertainment. Many parents have their favorite arsenal of multimedia car sitters — oh how we love our DVD players. However, I contend that leaving those tools for the crankiest moments of the trip will benefit road-tripping kids in the long run. Set limits in advance; let the kids know they will be limited to a movie per day (or whatever you feel is appropriate).
Another important prep step is talking about music choices. This may seem straightforward, but never underestimate a kid’s passion for Raffi when they’ve been in the car for more than an hour. If at all possible, get each kid their own music player (MP3 or even an ancient CD player) so they can have some control over their own selections and you have control over your sanity. Also agree that you will have some time listening together. Parents share some of their music and kiddos get to share some of theirs. Think of it as a captive music appreciation course. National Public Radio’s music website features a wide range of interesting music that will appeal to young and old. For a fresh look at kid’s music, you might try the Barenaked Ladies' Snacktime CD or just about anything from They Might Be Giants.
In the next MotherProof.com Road Trip Segment: Road food and potty breaks, hooray!
