A road trip with kids can really go one of two ways — it can be a fun-filled where you make loads of memories, or it can be stressful and totally test your patience from beginning to end. So how can you make sure you get the first kind and not the second? The key is to plan things out, and with that in mind here are some things you can do — read on to find out more.
Plan Stops In Advance
Kids don’t do well with just driving for hours at a time, not to mention the fact that it’s not ideal for the driver either — it can even be dangerous if you’re tired or distracted (and bored kids can be very distracting). So that’s why it’s a good idea to map out your rest stops before you even leave home, that way, you’ll know you can change things up once in a while and get a much-needed break.
Every couple of hours, aim to stop somewhere interesting like a park, a roadside attraction, an unusual museum, and so on — even a nice picnic spot will do. Let the kids run around a bit and do something different and the rest of the journey will be a lot easier, plus you’ll have more fun overall. And don’t forget, if you need to rest properly, make sure you look for things like short term rentals Kansas City or wherever you happen to be, and that’ll help hugely.
Pack The Right Snacks
It’s amazing how much help a well-stocked snack bag can be so it’s definitely something you’ll want to take with you on your adventure. It’s best to avoid sugary treats because the last thing you want is for your kids to have a load of extra energy and nowhere to go with it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have some tasty things with you that they’ll love and that will keep them occupied for a while.
Some of the things you could include are crackers, pretzels, rice cakes, cheese sticks, grapes, apple slices, granola bars, and, of course, refillable water bottles because hydration is just as important as food, especially on a long journey.
Expect The Unexpected
Not everything on your road trip is going to go to plan. You’ll come up against traffic, things will get spilled in the car, attractions you’d planned on going to will be closed, and so on. On the other hand, you’ll also find other attractions you didn’t even know about, and you might get to know one another a bit more too — so if something unexpected happens, try to roll with it as much as possible.
In the end, the key to a stress-free trip isn’t to avoid mistakes, problems, and chaos at all costs — although definitely try to do that a bit! It’s to go with the flow and not get too caught up in how it’s all meant to be. When you can do that, you’ll all enjoy yourselves a lot more.