This Holiday, 10 Tips to Make Long Car Rides More Pleasant for You and Kids
1. Consider renting a more luxurious car or SUV for the trip.
Companies like Enterprise and Hertz, for example, offer special weekend rental rates (with unlimited miles). This allows you to travel in a more luxurious and comfortable vehicle, plus avoid putting extra wear-and-tear and additional mileage on your own vehicle.
2. As you plan your driving route and itinerary, pre-plan fun stops every two to three hours.
Visits to a playground (where the kids can run around and burn off energy), local kid-friendly tourist attractions, or even a McDonald’s where your kids can get a Happy Meal, will all break up the trip and give your kids something fun to look forward to on the way to your destination. Many elementary schools, parks and McDonald’s locations along highways, for example, have kid-friendly playgrounds. You can find local tourist attractions and fun things to do along your route by visiting the Rand McNally website (www.randmcnally.com/rmc/road/rtgHome.jsp).
3. Provide each child with their own iPod (MP3 player).
Or try a Game Boy (handheld video game system), so they can listen to their choice of music or play their favorite video games using headphones. This eliminates the argument over what music should play on the car’s main radio. Plus, many kids can be kept occupied for hours at a time playing a challenging video game.
4. If your vehicle isn’t equipped with a DVD player, consider buying or renting a portable DVD player.
Stock up on several movies that your kids will enjoy watching. A few recent, family-friendly DVD releases include: High School Musical 2, Hairspray, Shrek the Third, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, Ratatouille, Surf’s Up, Spider-Man 3 and Transformers.
5. Play interactive games with your kids, such word games, 20 Questions” or I Spy.”
The Mom’s Minivan website (www.momsminivan.com/printables.html) offers free downloadable and printable Roadside Bingo cards which can be a fun activity for kids during long car trips.
Pace their consumption to avoid the need for constant rest area stops. Knowing where the rest stops are along the way can also help. And if you have young children, it doesn’t hurt to keep a roll of toilet paper and some wipes in the car just in case –particularly when you are driving through long rural stretches where a restroom may not be available when you need one.7. Pack a bag filled with drawing materials.
One or two of each child’s favorite toys (that are car-friendly), plus books and other activities will help in the car. Bring a lap desk, if necessary, so a flat writing surface is available at your child’s seat. You can give them the playthings all at once or dole them out over a period of time so they don’t get bored with all of them at once.
8. Print out colorful maps of your route and have your older kids help you navigate.
Also keep track of where you’ve been by marking it on the map.
9. Drive at night (after your kids’ bedtime).
They’ll hopefully sleep in the car for the majority of the journey. Bring along pillows, blankets and your kids’ favorite teddy bears.
10. Give your kids an inexpensive digital camera and a notebook.
They can create a scrapbook of their journey as it’s happening. They can write about the stops you make and what they see during the drive, plus incorporate drawings and later print outs of the digital photos.
Long car trips can be tough on everyone. Try to create situations where tension and conflicts are at a minimum by taking steps in advance to avoid common and recurring arguments, like who sits where in the car, or what radio station everyone will listen to.Also, make sure everyone is wearing comfortable clothing and that the vehicle is stocked with activities, games, books, DVDs, CDs and magazines suitable for everyone.
To avoid potential car-related problems (which will increase tension and the duration of the trip), have the vehicle checked out by a mechanic prior to departing on a long journey. Check your vehicle’s tire pressure, oil and other fluids, plus fill up with gas. And if you’re the only adult in the car, bring a charged cell phone and a plug-in for the car, let someone know your route and check in with friends or family along the way.
You can pre-calculate what your cost of fuel will be using a free online fuel calculator, like the one found at the Road Trip America website (www.roadtripamerica.com/). Using the web, you can also find the lowest gas prices in any geographic area using the MapQuest Gas Prices website (http://gasprices.mapquest.com/index.jsp).
According to Robert L. Darbelnet, President and CEO of AAA Our advice for travelers this holiday season is to do your homework before you fill your tank for your excursion. Travelers can use the free www.Fuelcostcalculator.com website to get an estimate of how much money they will be spending on gas during their trip. Also, AAA.com now provides the locations and prices for more than 100,000 gas stations in the U.S., so long distance travelers can know in advance where to find the cheapest fuel along their route.
