FOLLOW US

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • About
    • PRs Work With Us
  • MEDIA
  • DIRECTORS CUT
  • Contact Us
Joleisa logo
  • Frugal living
  • Eat for less
  • Start a blog
  • Recommendations

How to Keep the kids on a long road trip

This post may contain affiliate links

School’s out. Kids are home. Trust me, I get it!

It’s a longish holiday period. The kids are not in school so they are your full-time responsibility! Well, one of the many things you can do is to take them on a long road trip.

Here in the UK we are now allowed to drive for trips with family members

I’ll tell you how to avoid the pitfalls and make it a happy, memorable experience for all. Check out this post for ideas of other activities you can do with the children when they are not at school.

For overseas trips and other fun travel ideas, I love to check out the girls at Inside Our Suitcase.

I won’t go through the plethora of things you can do with the lovelies, but I want to share with you how to plan and carry out a long road trip. So here we go.



The first thing to do is to ensure that you plan properly. Start off by choosing a scenic route. There must be some eye candy (of the kids’ type) out the window to look at.

Tick that off your planning list. Good.

Next, ensure that there are suitable convenient rest stops along the way. The little ones get tired easily as you know and they will also need to refresh themselves, use the toilet and stretch their legs.

Also, you might want to buy them a little treat at one of the stops. For you, it also breaks up the monotony of the trip and gives you a chance to also take a break.

Pack suitable snacks and drinks. If, like me, you hate to have a messy car, then make plans for that too. I like to have this cute rubbish receptacle which is convenient to have at the back of the front seats so the little ones can put their rubbish in and avoid turning the car into a tip. That is just one of my pet peeves. I hate a messy car. Do you?

In addition, while we want to keep the little darlings hydrated, we certainly don’t want juice spilled in the car.  So be sure that they have suitable juice bottles. I like these ones, depending on the child’s age of course or these. The important thing is that they are spill-proof.

If they are having water, get the water which is readily available in the sport top bottles. Ensure you have water for yourself as well. The trend these days is to have fruit infused water in a bottle. For that, I would recommend THESE and if you like strawberries, they make a refreshing, low calorie flavored water. There are other options to infuse such as mint, cucumber, etc.

Now this long road trip might be to see the grandparents or to the airport or wherever. But do you know, some of us plan road trips with no destination in mind? That’s part of the intrigue.

We sometimes head out and then decide on the trip, where we are actually going to stop. If you decide to do that, then ensure you have packed a picnic and some form of activity before you board the car for the return trip.

Now, what is that one thing that most parents hate on a road trip especially if there is more than one child? You guessed it right! The squabbling. There are a number of things you can do to avoid that.

Play songs that are known and loved so that everyone is singing along to these. If they are into Disney you can play those or there are some really old traditional ones which kids just love. Play them. Be sure that the playlist is long enough. But we do know that at some point, they will become bored with those.



Go to your next carefully planned activity. Most kids these days have an iPad or tablet of some sort. They can watch movies or documentaries whilst they travel. What we do to make sure the devices are kept safe is to use an extendable mount that fits on the headrest of the driver or front passenger seat. They are really affordable and you mount them there for the convenience of the kids. Trust me, you will have some period of peace and quiet as they occupy and entertain themselves. The mounts can be turned 360 degrees too, so it’s quite convenient.

Now if you have just one child, lucky you! He/she can just sit there and enjoy whatever they want on the tablet. Others may squabble with their sibling about what to watch. To solve this problem, you might want to put the tablets on both headrests and they can use these headphones that are noise limiting so they can listen without disturbing the others. Some children may be able to watch something they all love without squabbling, in which case they can watch and listen without the use of headphones. If however, you want to listen to the car radio or your own choice of music, then you can let them use headphones.

If the trip continues and they get bored with singing and watching movies, then they might fall asleep. Good news, I know. Well prior to the trip, pack blankets in the back seat with them so that they can cozy up during the journey as it might get a bit windy. Leave the window down a bit to let in the fresh air, especially for your sake (to keep you awake during the journey).

If they then wake up and you still have not got to your destination then this is a good time for another comfort stop. Once everyone is refreshed, get back in the car ready for the last leg of the journey (hopefully). One old-time family favorite is a good old board game. I’m sure you know the types. Well, guess what, some are now available as ‘travel’ board games. They are magnetic and this makes it easy to play the games without the pieces moving or getting lost. This is a great invention. So be it chess or checkers or various others, these can be played whilst on a journey. It’s one of our favourites especially when we take long haul flights.

You will want to capture some of the beautiful scenery or anything else that you pass on the way. Get your camera out and get the kids interested by letting them have a go at shooting some of the scenery. There are kids cameras available now too, which are lightweight, easy to carry around and require very little manipulation.

Of course, we want to make as much of life as educational as possible for our children. Here is where your intuitiveness comes in. You can invent games, like brain teasers, counting games etcetera to get them thinking. Life is a big learning platform and we must use every opportunity for young ones to be engaged in learning. One thing to remember is that it must be as fun as possible. When children have fun learning, then that is a win-win on all sides.

Having a picnic on the trip or at the very end of the trip is one way to make long-lasting happy memories for all the family. Pack food and drinks that are healthy as well as those that are occasional treats. Be sure to store food well in suitable containers and at suitable temperatures, after all, we wouldn’t want anyone to get ill on the trip or afterward. So remember to keep hot foods hot, cold foods chilled and try to avoid any pitfalls of traveling with food. I would recommend this picnic basket and this divided container.

When you do get to your destination (if you did have one in mind), enjoy and from now on, I bet you will be looking forward to long road trips with your kids in tow. Remember to take care of the environment and let us all try to be as sustainable as possible in all our affairs.



One last thing, be sure to let me know how you get on with your epic road trip adventures. And to keep the educational aspect alive, you can let the little ones write up about their adventures, photos and all.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • WhatsApp
  • LinkedIn
  • More
  • Print
  • Email

Related

Filed Under: Frugal

About Joleisa

« How not to throw money away
Simple frugal tips on maintaining your car »

Comments

  1. Dhraysblog says

    May 28, 2017 at 12:15 pm

    I dont have kids yet and im probably not gonna have one till perhaps the next 3-4 years, but your tips are useful even to me as an adult as i just returned from a field trip and im sure if i had read your post earlier i would have had a better experience.

    Reply
  2. Kim Miller says

    May 28, 2017 at 3:46 pm

    We got the kids books on tape, books to read and played lots of games.

    Reply
  3. Dominique says

    May 31, 2017 at 2:35 am

    Great ideas! I always loved song games in the car when I was a kid. Magnetic board games were really handy too 🙂

    Reply
    • Joleisa says

      May 31, 2017 at 5:35 am

      It a far different world from the days when all we did was count white or yellow cars that passed by!

      Reply
  4. Vanessa says

    August 27, 2017 at 9:24 pm

    It’s such a nightmare to keep kids busy during a long trip. Thanks for all these tips.

    Reply
  5. Heather says

    February 19, 2018 at 4:20 pm

    Great tips! We’re planning a big family trip with my young nieces and nephew so definitely going to share with my sister to keep us sane. 🙂

    Reply
  6. Jamie Stauffer says

    February 19, 2018 at 4:57 pm

    Thanks for these tips! We avoid long car trips when we can, but we will use these tips the next time we’re stuck in the car for a long period of time!

    Reply
  7. Andy says

    February 19, 2018 at 6:57 pm

    I like your tip using headphones. This makes the trip pleasant for everyone 😉

    Reply
    • Joleisa says

      March 3, 2018 at 8:52 pm

      It sure does.

      Reply
  8. Tara says

    February 19, 2018 at 8:19 pm

    Such a great collection of tips! We are moving and driving from DC to Los Angeles this summer with my 6 and 3 yr old and will definitely be needing some of these. Getting kid cameras are first on my list.

    Reply
    • Joleisa says

      March 3, 2018 at 8:51 pm

      You should document it, Such a great thing to do with kids. And I am sure they will love looking back at the memories.

      Reply
  9. Angie says

    February 19, 2018 at 11:53 pm

    I think a long road trip with kids would be really rough time, so thanks for the tips! We’ll likely have to do this at some point in the future.

    Reply
  10. Diana says

    February 20, 2018 at 2:23 am

    We did a long road trip with our daughter when she was 9 months and it wasn’t too bad. I definitely second the idea of bringing a picnic! Having our own made stops quicker and easier, plus healthier!

    Reply
    • Joleisa says

      March 3, 2018 at 8:49 pm

      You’re a pro by now, Diana

      Reply
  11. Marissa Zurfluh says

    February 20, 2018 at 10:06 pm

    This is a life saving post. Kids can be the worst on some long trips!

    Reply
    • Joleisa says

      March 3, 2018 at 8:45 pm

      We just need to remember to take care of them and their needs

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hey guys and gals!

Hi, we're Jo and Leisa, twin sisters and authors of Joleisa.com. Originally from the sandy beaches of Jamaica we now reside in England where we followed our calling to teach. But sometimes that call changes and our new passion is writing. We're here to give the ups and downs of it all with our lifestyle tips and tricks to help you avoid the sour lemons that can get in our way of frugal budgeting, intentional living and happiness. Join us and learn more about how we found the simplest ways to achieve easy living. Read More…

AS SEEN ON CHANNEL 5’S

We are Sociable

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Recent Posts

  • The Best Pumpkin Dragon Drink for This Season
  • The Best Word to sum up This Week is Bust
  • Looking Back to Find so Much
  • Hopeful is my Word of the Week
  • This Week it’s all About Tik Tok

MOST POPULAR POSTS

Why we left teaching

  • Be your own boss
  • Set up a blog
  • Making money from your blog
  • Using Pinterest to help your blog
  • Fixing sleep problems
  • Frugal family fun at half term
  • Having to plan a funeral!
  • Let’s show you how we save money on food
  • Our time on Channel 5’s Shop Smart, Save Money
HIBS100 Index of Home and Interior Blogs HIBS100

Copyright © 2023 · Tasteful theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2023 ·Tasteful Theme · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress · Log in

YOUR PRIVACY

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
 

Loading Comments...