Planning a road trip isn’t as simple as herding your family into the RV and setting off; you need to plan weeks and sometimes months in advance, to ensure your travels are comfortable, memorable, and ultimately successful. Use these tips to plan a perfect road trip this summer.
Know Their Limits
Don’t dive into a staycation road trip before too soon; it might seem like a good idea for a trip this summer, but unless you and your family are prepared, you run the risk of heading home early due to a lack of interest or stamina for a long journey on the road. Make sure the family’s ready.
So how can you tell that you and your kids are ready to take to the road this summer? For one thing, you can monitor how they handle local trips in the car and what their attention span is like, but you can also take them on longer trips on the weekends as a dry run and test capacities.
Build up Momentum
The best way to find out whether your family is ready for a long road trip this summer is to build momentum with shorter trips in the local areas and longer trips on the weekend. These trips give you the chance to test their capacities and other aspects of distance travel with a family.
There are many factors to consider when planning a road trip; one of them is your family’s energy levels and entertainment requirements. Taking dry runs on the weekends helps you to find your road trip rhythms that will benefit you during the summer. Check out Kampafam blog.
Create Expectations
Everyone likes a frame of reference, and children are no different; they like to know what the destination is and how long it will take to get there; they also like to know what entertainment they have along the way and whether or not they can stop for some food or a bathroom break.
Children have smaller capacities and expectations than adults, so even a shortish trip can feel longish to them, feel free to indulge them when they ask there are we the are we there yet questions and keep them informed all the way – it helps them calculate their time and comfort.
Plan the Route
Planning the route is one of the best things you can do when organizing a road trip with your family; not only do you plan the destinations and the overnight stops, you also plan the comfort breaks and food stops. Use a combination of smartphone app and conventional map.
Planning your family road trip in advance takes a lot of guesswork out of the holiday and reduces your stress as a parent. It also reduces the stress on children even if they don’t realize it or appreciate it. Driving at night is also helpful, allowing the children to sleep as you progress.
Be Prepared
As a parent, you know you need to be prepared for anything, but it’s even more important on the road when you might not have access to your normal supplies. Make an extensive list of everything you think you’ll need and stock up ahead of time, so you’re not caught out on holiday.
Things that will come in handy on the road with small children include diapers, baby wipes, travel cups, painkillers, first aid equipment, maps, towels, and extra clothes. However, every family is different and has its own requirements, so plan ahead and be prepared for anything.
Pack Activities
Giving your children some agency over the trip is a great way to get them excited about the holiday and take some of the organizational stress off your hands. Give each of your children a special tote bag and ask them to pack some activities to take with them on the road trip holiday.
If your children are still quite young, you can expect them to put all kinds of things in the bag or fill it right up with toys. This is not what you want, so try to explain to them that they can only take five items each, so they have to choose. This helps to make their activities more valuable.
Prepare Yourself
It can be easy to overlook yourself when planning a road trip for the family, but unless you are comfortable and happy as well, the road trip might not be a success. Remember to prepare your comfort zone for the road so that you have entertainment and supplies to create a happy trip.
You know yourself best, but some things that work for most people on long road trips are audiobooks and podcasts, snacks, comfortable clothing for long drives, and plenty of water and chewing gum. It also helps to plan ahead of time to reduce stress and unexpected events.
Prepare the Vehicle
Even if you have an RV that you use for road trips, you still need to prepare it by checking the oil, the tires, the brakes, and the water. It’s important that you have a sound mechanical vehicle for your holiday so take it to the garage a week before you leave and make sure you have all your supplies packed as well. A long road trip needs to be as enjoyable and comfortable as possible.
Play Games
Modern RVs and cars often have screens in them that can keep your children entertained for hours while you drive. That said, nothing ever replaces the fun of a traditional game like eye spy or charades. There are plenty of traditional games you can play on the road, so carry out some research first and breathe new life into the old favorites. Also, consider playing their audiobooks.
Bring Snacks
Children get hungry at inconvenient times, especially when they are bored on the road, bring plenty of snacks to keep them busy and entertained but remember to control their calorie intake as well. Consider healthier snacks like carrot sticks and hummus for them to graze on.