A famous writer once said that there are only two ways to travel in general, one is first-class and the second one is with children. Most everyone agrees that if you have small children, taking long road trips can really be taxing for both the adults and the little tykes. However, there are some things that you can do to make the miles move a little faster, and even make the drive fun. All you need is proper planning, pacing, and a little luck helps too. Please review these basic guidelines to ensure your road trip with your children will be a pleasant experience .
Do you need to rent a vehicle?
Remember that you will be rolling together in such a small space for an extended time. Still, some cars are simply better suited for a family journey than others. If your car isn't one of them, consider renting a car that is. If you rent something bigger like a minivan, the comfort level you gain might be worth it, in addition to avoiding putting too much mileage on your own vehicle. Just remember to bring your own child safety seats. If you have the budget, an RV would be ideal. Even with the higher cost, it might balance it off if you can use it for lodging and dining, hence, you save a small fortune on hotels and restaurants.
Don't forget to bring the entertainment.
There is no better way to break the monotony of the miles for all passengers than to introduce some in-car entertainment. Music and movies are must-haves, along with books, crayons and drawing pads. Consider packing portable gaming systems, music players and DVD players with headphone sets. Frequent road trippers may want to invest in DVD systems that can be mounted to the interior roof or in the headrests of certain car makes and models. It does not have to be all electronics, so don't forget the classic games like car bingo or even etch-a-sketch. Consider versions with magnetic or stay-in-place pieces. Also look into soft, safe travel trays and footrests, so that your kids have a surface on which they can play and eat their snacks. For the snacks, pack healthy ones and plenty of them, prepared in single-serving containers, along with water and juice boxes in a cooler. Baby wipes are must plus a change of clothes just in case of any spills. And so that your car doesn't become a wastebasket on wheels, remember to bring a litter bag. These bags can also serve as a barf bag in case someone gets car sick.
Be flexible.
A road trip should never turn into endurance training for kids. Stop often to stretch little limbs, get fresh air and, of course, use the facilities. For the bathroom breaks, would be good to bring some toilet-seat toppers for health reasons. Might also be handy to bring a portable potty for those emergencies and a rest room is not available. Make sure you get an early head start to avoid traffic and possible construction delays if any. Trying to stick to your at-home routine as much as possible may help young children adjust to temporary life on the road. That means nap times should be on the usual times and this should influence when you take a break at hotels to get some sleep. To help your children snooze in the car, remember to bring a sun shade for the window and a favorite blanket, or pillow. For the hotel stop overs, that night light they are used to from home, would also be good.
If you follow these basic tips and everyone is stress-free and happy, you will find that you can forget all about first-class and remember why traveling with kids makes any trip worthwhile.
Author Resource:
Cyrill is a retired teacher living in the middle of the Las Vegas desert. In an effort to relieve boredom, while at the same time make some money on the side, he has started setting up a varied collection of sites such as this store for weber gas grills and this one if you are looking for a phil and teds double stroller .
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