Surviving Road Trips with Kids: Tips to Turn the Miles into Memories!

With a family of 9, my parents were experts at car tripping with kids. Although you’ll inevitably have cabin-fever-in-the-car moments, these tried-and-true ideas will go a long way toward better family road trips.

Vacation During Off-Season

Growing up, my parents took advantage of the flexibility homeschooling offers, taking family vacations in the early fall and late spring, when most kids were in school. This meant uncrowded beaches and short lines at amusement parks. Sometimes this also meant cheaper off-season rates for rentals and tickets. (And don’t forget to ask about discounted prices or “Homeschool Days” at museums, parks, etc.)

Bring Audiobooks

Your library is a great resource for stories on CD. (They may also offer downloadable audiobooks, music, and videos). Choose a variety of audiobooks to fit everyone’s tastes—and bring more than you’ll have time for, in case some aren’t what you expected. One of our favorites is Ted Bell’s Nick of Time.

Pack New Things

Pack a variety of activities, snacks, and toys. If they’re new to your kids, all the better. It doesn’t have to be expensive: A new coloring book, bite-size cheeses, a flavor of snack crackers you don’t usually buy, dollar store or yard sale toys, or a new magazine for each child. Try glowsticks for driving at night. Ration the surprises, pulling out something new every few hours.

Atlas Navigators

Your kids may enjoy tracking the trip on a map or atlas. Or try providing a stopwatch for them to time distances between stops, towns, or exits.

Take Fun Breaks

Don’t settle for gas station breaks. Plan to make pit stops at playgrounds, museums, visitor centers, riversides, short hiking trails, or interesting landmarks. Plan ahead, and let your kids choose a few of the trip activities.

Pack Food

It takes some planning and a cooler full of ice, but you can save money, time, and eat healthier if you pack food, even if only two meals a day (it’s pretty easy to bring milk, cold cereal, and bananas for breakfast, and sandwich supplies, fruit, and chips for lunch).

Drive While They Sleep

Our parents often started road trips at 4 a.m. and got 4-5 driving hours in while everyone was sleeping.

Play Road Games

• Find the alphabet in order, on signs and license plates.
• Try to find license plates from all 50 states.
• Compete to see who can spot the next little green mile marker. And the next. And the next.
• Play The Doctor’s Cat: The first person says, “The Doctor’s Cat is … Adorable.” Second person: “The Doctor’s Cat is Adorable and Belligerent.” Third person: “The Doctor’s Cat is Adorable, Belligerent, and Curious.” And so on, all the way to Z.
• Take turns playing Twenty Questions, trying to guess the person or item someone is thinking of.
• Write a list of scavenger hunt items, and give each person a copy. You can include things like school bus, silo, horse, someone wearing a hat, limousine, etc.
• Look online for more games for the road.

Ready, Set, Drive!

When you’re willing to invest a little time and creativity, you can transform road trips from endless repetitions of “Are we there yet?” into opportunities for learning and family fun time.