How To Travel Successfully With Children
Traveling with children can be incredibly difficult. If they are not properly entertained, children and young adults can have very little patience, become a major distraction on the road, and turn out to be an incredible embarrassment and inconvenience in airports and train stations. To eliminate the distractions your children can cause, and ensure the safety of your family as they travel, follow the simple tips below.
Ensure that your car has a full stock of emergency roadside supplies. These include a tire jack and spare tire, as well as a tire iron. Additionally, you should include a small supply of oil for your car, fix-a-flat, jumper cables, duct tape, a plastic garbage bag (for temporarily fixing a smashed windshield), and other emergency roadside supplies you may need should your car cease to work on the road. Additionally, keep (in a separate container from your car supplies) some bottles of water, a box of granola bars, emergency flares, some matches or a lighter, and a first-aid kit.
Get your car serviced before you commence a long trip. This includes tire rotations, an oil change, and an otherwise general check-up to ensure your car will not break down in the middle of your trip, thus ruining your excursion and upsetting your children.
Plan to make rest stops regularly, both to eat, use the bathroom, and stretch or walk around. Children have an abundance of energy, and so it is best for them to frequently stop and exercise as opposed to being cramped into a car for several hours. The breaks you take will be time well-spent, considering that otherwise you will have several cranky children in your car otherwise.
Bring entertainment for the children. Include travel versions of board games, coloring and activity books, puzzles, stuffed animals, portable gaming consoles, portable DVD players, and tablets and e-readers, depending on your child's preferences.
Play fun travel games, like the license plate game, road trip bingo, punch-buggy, yellow car, cruiser bruiser, smart car slap, and other variations of games where the players lightly punch each other as they see a certain kind of vehicle. These games are very popular for kids of all ages.
Bring snacks, like fruit, chips, pretzels, sandwiches, and crackers. Also bring along drinks. Bottled water, juice boxes, and pouches of juice all hold up great in road trip environments and are fun for children to eat.
Have hand-wipes, napkins, tissues, wet-naps, and paper towels on hand in the vehicle for messes that can occur on the road. Be sure that they can be quickly accessed in the event of a spill, to minimize damage to the vehicle's interior.
Keep essentials, like diapers, within reach. If you pack your trunk, be sure to place things like suitcases with changes of clothes on top, in case you need them. Additionally, keep your diaper bag in the back seat, if there is room, or on the very top of the pile in the trunk.
With proper planning, you can ensure the comfort and safety of your family during a road trip. You can also keep your children entertained, minimizing headaches on the road. By following the tips above, you can travel safely and pleasantly with children.
