If you’re hitting the road with the family, be it for a vacation or a visit to relatives, you’ll agree a road trip is not the most relaxing family activity. But no worries. We’ve snooped around and found some great ways you can make your trip more relaxing the next time your family goes on the road.
Tip 1: Get a Big Bag
Every road trip should have one. In it, you can store everything that might be needed at a moment’s notice. This could include wallets and sunglasses to wet wipes and snacks for the children, and even the road map. It’s great for keeping the car clutter free, and will help with the easy location of often-used items. We suggest keeping the bag at the feet of the front passenger, and having them be in charge of it and all it’s contents.
Tip 2: Get Some Audio Books
This is great way of keeping small kids busy on especially long trips. Simply download or get their favourite (or new) stories as audio books, load them onto an MP3 player. This will keep your kids occupied for a good couple of hours and you free to enjoy the scenery or page through a magazine.
Tip: You can also load up on CD’s with songs for the road. When everyone sings along it makes for a quicker trip and an alert driver.
Tip 3: Plan It Together
If you’re going to be stopping off along the way for some sight-seeing, get the whole family together and plan the trip together. This will help keep everyone excited and make building your itinerary more inclusive of everyone’s interests.
Tip 4: Safety First
Part of the fun of a road trip is the freedom of hitting the open road. However, this kind of adventure doesn’t come without it’s own set of worries. You should get your car fully serviced before you go to ensure a glitch-free journey. Also, make sure you have a spare tyre that’s in working condition in case you need one. For extra peace of mind, you might also want to get a travel insurance policy that caters for families to keep your family and your possessions a little safer.
Tip 5: Don’t Overload
As a general rule every person in the family should be allowed only one bag of clothes. If you have a toddler or two in your travelling party, go ahead and make them share a bag. This will cut down on space needed for luggage and creates a spot for other things like the kids’ toys or a cooler bag.
Tip: The heavier your car is the more fuel it uses. By packing a little less, you get to go a little further.
Tip 6: Share the Driving
If you are two drivers, share the responsibility of driving the whole journey. General rule is that each driver should drive for two hours and then take a short break to rest before continuing. This will not only make the trip more bearable for the driver(s), but will give children regular moments to stretch their legs.
Big Tip: If you’re the driver, you should avoid eating big meals, as they will make you tired. Have smaller meals at regular intervals.
Tip 7: Eat Along the Way
There is no need to take along the whole fridge. Take along a few snacks like some cookies, apples, some bottled water, energy drinks (to keep the driver alert), and some sandwiches to nipple on. For bigger meals, we suggest visiting towns along the way. This will not only give the driver time to rest, but will be great time for the everyone to use the bathroom and freshen up a bit.
Tip 8: Drive During the Day
Not only will this allow the driver to be more aware of their surroundings, it’s also the only way to see all the sights along the way.
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