If you are going to be setting off on a road trip any time soon, then you’re going to need to ensure that you are planning for this. The last thing that you want is anyone to be bored and start complaining about this the whole way to wherever you’re going. This is especially true if you are going to be in the car for a long long time.
The good news is that we’re going to be taking a look at some of the things that you should take with you, or things that you should do while you’re in the car. This should make it easier than you think to get through those hours. Keep reading down below if you are interested to find out more about entertainment and fun during road trips!
Play Family Games
The first thing that we’re going to recommend is that you play family games together. Now, this is one of those things that some drivers hate because they feel as though it alters their concentration. If this is the case for you, then you need to make this clear before you get in the car so that everyone knows there won’t be any games like this.
However, if it doesn’t bother you then there’s no reason you cannot join in and play these fun games with your family. This is going to include things like I spy, 21 questions and other family favorites. They are all games that do not require any kind of equipment other than your mind! Thanks to this, everyone can get involved, no matter what they are doing. Just ensure that you are not taking your concentration off of the road if you’re the driver, as this is unsafe. The last thing you want is to be unsafe for the sake of a game.
Have Your Own Devices
For the other people in the vehicle who are not driving, when there is a quiet lull, things can get very boring. As such, the best thing that you can do is to make sure that everyone has a device that they can do something they enjoy. We’re not suggesting that you all sit on your devices the entire time, but there’s nothing wrong with watching something, playing a game of mahjong, texting your friends or whatever for a little while. As long as it’s not the only solution you’ve come up with, you’re all good.
Depending on what the signal is going to be like where you’re going and on the route there, it might be worth downloading some stuff for you to do. You can download episodes of TV shows or movies from streamers like netflix so that things can still be watched even while offline. This way, nobody is unable to do what they want to, and they have something that they can do.
Stop For Meals
We know that in order to save time it’s tempting to eat on the move. Just head through a drive thru, get what you want and get straight back on the road. While it might be okay every now and then, you can’t do this for every long meal on a road trip, that’s not fair.
You need to be stopping for meals. Whether you have grabbed them from a drive thru, packed them yourself, or you want to go and sit in a restaurant, you’ve got to stop. Find somewhere nice to eat, or at least just stop the car so that you’re getting a chance to actually enjoy your food. This is beneficial to the driver, and to the rest of the people in the car. Driving and eating, or trying to eat while the car is in motion is not always an easy task, and it can make the journey uncomfortable. Stopping won’t take too long, and it doesn’t set you back too much, just make sure you allow for this in your plans.
Go Walking Every Now And Then
When you’re in the car for a while, it’s normal for your legs to get a bit irritated. Some people find that they become super uncomfortable, some people find that their legs even start to hurt. It might be the case that someone else in your car is having this issue and you’re alright, but this doesn’t mean that you should ignore their needs. It’s worth taking regular breaks to ensure that everyone is comfortable and that nobody is feeling like their needs aren’t being met.
Getting out of the car and walking around for a bit might be a lovely way to break up the drive. You can also make this a little more fun by playing a game of tag or something. It might seem silly, but it helps you to keep active while you’re on a long trip, and it will help to keep everyone feeling good. The ideal amount to stop would be every 2-3 hours maximum, take a break and don’t let yourself get too tired.
Read Together
Sometimes you don’t want the whole ride to be spent on devices and you get bored of doing games, so it’s a good idea to start reading together. You can either all take your own individual books to the space, or you can take one book that you all might be interested in. The person in the front can read to the entire car, or you can all read individually depending on what is going to work best for your travel companions.
This one might not appeal to everyone as we know that not all people enjoy reading. However, we would say that it’s a good time to give it a try, seeing as you’ve not got that much else to do in the time that you’re in the car. At least this way, you’ll know if you’re just easily distracted by life or if reading just isn’t for you.
Create An Awesome Playlist
One of the things that’s needed for a road trip is an awesome playlist! It doesn’t matter who makes it, as long as they include something for everyone. It needs to have the classics, it needs to have songs that you know each person in the car loves, and it needs to have ones that you can sing to together.
If you’re worried about missing things out, you can ask for everyone to send you a list of all the different songs they would like on the list. They all need to be included along with the ones that you have selected to create the ultimate road trip playlist. The longer that the list is, the better as you don’t want it turning off halfway through the drive. While it might not seem like it’s going to be too important, we can assure you that tunes are definitely a massive part of the trip itself.
It might even be worth getting everyone to make their own playlist. That way, everyone can take turns and you all get to play what you like, making it fair to everyone.
We hope that you have found this article helpful and now see how you can make your next road trip fun for everyone. It doesn’t have to be a pain in the behind to make it happen either, you just need to think carefully about what everyone enjoys. There are going to be times where you want some quiet time, and others where you don’t mind everyone being chatty, so make sure that you’ve got something for all possibilities.
Feature photo: Image Location – CC0 License