Road Trip Survival Guide for Parents

The thought of going on a road trip can be exciting and terrifying in equal measures. For anyone with young children, the terrifying thoughts often threaten to outweigh the excitement, as fears of travel sickness, lack of air-conditioning and constant cries of ‘are we nearly there yet?’ fill your imagination.

However, the prospect of the exploring a different area, the thrill of the open road and the opportunity to sample strange and exotic roadside cuisine is irresistible, and shouldn’t be missed just because you have children.

Even if you don’t have your own vehicle, you can take advantage of the fantastic rental deals available through the many reputable car hire companies and enjoy life on the open road.

All that’s required is a little bit of forward planning and organization.  Here are our top five tips for surviving a road trip with children in tow:

Safety First

Before you hit the road, carry out a few simple but essential safety checks on your vehicle.  These include checking your child’s car seat is properly secured – as many as 70% of car seats aren’t installed correctly.

It’s also a good idea to pack safety essentials, including a good supply of fresh clean water, a flashlight and a first aid kit.  Make sure your road assistance plan is up to date and charge your cell phone before you set off.

Plan Ahead

Pack a bag filled with essentials for the journey.  This should include some low sugar snacks such as fruit or bread sticks, plenty of Bebi Drinks – the ultimate in liquid travel refreshments and several bags that can be used for rubbish and/or sick and a large pack of baby wipes.

You should also plan your journey well ahead of schedule, try to limit your driving time to a maximum of four hours a day of you have a baby on board and no more than six to eight hours if you have young children.  You may want to consider stopping every two hours to stretch your legs and break up the journey.

In Car Entertainment

Having an arsenal of fun and interactive car games and activities at your disposal will help relieve boredom and consequently mitigate the risk of arguments and squabbles.  In addition to the usual car-friendly games of eye spy and the number plate game, you might want to consider these activities for entertaining kids on a road trip:

• Play your child’s favourite audio book on tape, CD or iPod.  If your children have differing tastes, consider individual players with headphones
• Invest in some ‘paint with water’ activity books, that can be completed using moistened cotton wool pads stored in plastic bags
• Keep babies happy with soft fabric toys and colourful books
• Older children enjoy following the route on a map – laminate the maps to prevent damage from sticky fingers, and let them draw their journey using white board pens that can be rubbed off
• Encourage children to keep a travel journal where they can write about the fun places they have visited, stick in tickets and promotional leaflets and stick in photos as a reminder of their trip

Consider Travelling at Night

There are families I know who wouldn’t consider driving further than two hours unless it was in the dead of night when their children are asleep.  Whilst I wouldn’t necessarily recommend pulling an all nighter, setting off when your children are quiet and sleepy allows you to get some quiet miles behind you.