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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s always worth doing a bit of research on any attractions in nearby places along the way. By stopping for a longer amount of time to do a fun activity with the kids, you\u2019re making the travel day just as eventful as the days to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019ve got time to spare, it could even be worth doing a detour from the main route to pass through a place with an exciting attraction. See if there\u2019s anything on along the way with EventFinda<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If it\u2019s a popular activity such as the luge in Rotorua, make sure you\u2019re prepared to get up early to avoid the queues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having a plan in place such as popular local attractions can also be used to encourage your kids to look forward to the holiday while you\u2019re driving down there, and focus less on asking for the 10th time \u2018are we there yet?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Isobel Walster at Castles and Turrets<\/a> suggests:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When travelling with young kids, you need to plan your journey out so that there are plenty of stops for food and toilet breaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you know that one bit of road is going to be long, then make sure to have plenty of pre-made snacks in the car that are easy to grab and keep an eye on how much liquid they are drinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You obviously don\u2019t want them to get dehydrated, but you don\u2019t want them to overdo it either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, Tamar Marder from World by Weekend<\/a> says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Managing shorter stops, such as scenic viewpoints or quick walks, can be difficult if your kids are sleeping and you don\u2019t want to disturb them, or it\u2019s not worth taking them in and out of their car seats.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n In these situations (assuming safe weather temperatures), one parent stays with the kids in the car while the other takes in the view, then swap. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For newly potty-trained children, bathroom breaks on the road can be daunting. We make sure to stop anytime our toddler indicates a need to use the bathroom. This entails pulling over on the side of the road (as soon as possible, once safe to do so).\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n In case of accidents in the car seat, we travel with extra plastic bags to place over the car seat in order to keep kids dry until we arrive at our final destination of the day and can dry out the fabric. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Gennifer Rose<\/a> suggests:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whenever we have a big upcoming trip, I put together a special collection of small toys, books and activities. The key to making these toys super appealing during the road trip, is the fact that they are brand new and never before seen by the kids.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t give them to the kids all at once, rather a new toy every hour, so there\u2019s a continuous flow of new and exciting things to play with.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n Alternatively you could make a Travel Advent Calendar<\/strong>, and fill mystery packages with little surprises (treats, toys, games, jokes) and write on the front \u201copen when reached xxxxx\u201d.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you reach that town or landmark, let the kids open the surprise package! This will keep them focused on smaller lengths until a reward rather than the bigger goal of waiting for the final destination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Places like Kmart or dollar stores always have some fun kids activities that often cost less than $3. I also have favourite snacks that are only reserved for long car rides, so they are fun and novel each time.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n Printable Games <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Amar Hussain at\u202fOnly Wanderlust<\/a>\u202fsuggests: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Keeping kids entertained on long journeys can be quite the challenge, particularly if you don\u2019t want them spending hours on tech.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n Travel versions of board games are also an option, but a game might not last that long, and buying a few of these can get expensive. One of the easiest and cheapest ways to keep young kids entertained on a road trip is to use printable games.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many\u202ffree resources<\/a>\u202ffor parents to simply print off games, and with a simple pen and paper, these printables can keep kids entertained for hours. Printables can be anything from children\u2019s Sudoku and word scrambles to Tic Tac Toe and mazes.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can even laminate the sheets so that they can be reused on another trip or swapped with friends.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeannie Assimos from\u202fway.com<\/a>\u202frecommends:\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once Upon a Time<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Harness their amazing imaginations with a round of Once Upon a Time. Say \u201cOnce upon a time\u2026\u201d and add your dream.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, \u201cOnce upon a time, I went to Elsa\u2019s castle.\u201d Now the next player has to continue the story. One player can add one sentence to the story when it\u2019s their turn.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n The game continues until you reach a conclusion (or your destination). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bingo to go! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n So you\u2019ll need to put a bit of effort into this before you get into the car. Road Trip Bingo printables are available online, but you can make it interesting with a personalised touch.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n Make it as tough as your kids can handle. For the little ones, keep it simple \u2013 things they can recognize immediately. Like signboards, a school bus, an animal, a motorcycle, traffic cones, etc.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n For older kids, this is an opportunity to learn something new \u2013 try different kinds of street signs or brand logos. It can even be not-so-popular car models or licence plates from different states.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Busy Books\u2019\u202f<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n We found the BEST road trip activity for our 3 year old on our recent road trip: Busy books.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n They are these brilliant activity books with Velcro pieces. Each page has a different thing for him to do- matching, counting, etc.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the books are even themed- like our space one! They pack so well and kept our dude engaged for a long plane ride and the entire road trip between national parks! Plus, they\u2019re educational!\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n If your kids are susceptible to travel sickness, make sure you leave the house with motion sickness tablets, plenty of baby wipes and spew bags to hold the unmentionable. Usually you can purchase these at your local doctors or online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Or you can get inventive and bring anything around the house that\u2019s watertight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Laura Lee Elm fromThe Traveling Elms<\/a>says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n We live in a Motorhome full time as a family, with 2 kids. As full-time travellers, we move about every 2-3 weeks and are often on the road for 5+ hours at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My kids have always been difficult car riders, even on short distances, so I have a few tricks to share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Electronic devices are always super helpful in the car \u2013 we like to make sure tablets, DVD players and headphones are charged and ready to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Katie Restrepo from Family Travel Folio<\/a> recommends an LCD drawing tablet:<\/p>\n\n\n\n An LCD drawing tablet is a great item to take with you on car rides for little kids. We bring these tablets with us on every road trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No marker mess, melted crayons, or scraps of paper that stay in the car forever. They can draw as much as they want and then simply press a button to clear the screen and start over.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSurprise The Kids With New Toys Or A Travel Advent Calendar <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Play Games In The Car <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Be Prepared <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Make Sure your Electronic Entertainment is Prepared & Charged<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nListen to Educational Podcasts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n