Summer Road Trip Tips!

Summer Road Trip Tips!

School is almost out for the summer and family road trips will soon begin. No matter what their age, travelling with kids can be hectic. Being cooped up in a car can be exhausting for anyone but travelling with active kids can really test everyone’s patience. Here are 5 major tips to help make your Summer road trips go smoothly.

Plan Your Timeline

Departure Times can make or break how smoothly a road trips goes. If you have a morning Departure planned - try and leave extra early so that the kids are still in sleep mode. This will give you a few hours with a quiet car and you’ll get your destination with more time in the day. If you need to leave around lunch you might want to stop at a Drive Thru restaurant and let the kids eat in the car. It will be something fun and different for them and keep them busy for a bit until they get the afternoon sleepies. If you must leave in evening try and leave around their bedtime, get them in their PJ’s and put a movie on the iPad or DVD player – this will keep them entertained and get them sleepy for the drive.

Strategic Packing

Make sure you think about things you and the kids will need during the drive. Most importantly make sure you know exactly where those things are and make them accessible to you to minimize the amount of stops. Get the kids to pack a little bag of their own with games and snacks, so they can have a few things to keep them occupied along the way. Picking games and activities for them should also be strategic. Don’t bring that toy that spins around and makes beeping noises over and over or that learning tablet that sings the alphabet non stop. Keeping the kids entertained is important but keeping the volume down so the driver can focus is vital. Make sure they have their own earphones for ipads or phones and set ground rules for sound levels and behavior before the trip starts.

Plan to Stop Regularly

If you're traveling with toddlers and younger kids, try not to drive more than two to three hours in one stretch. Expecting young kids to sit still that long is unrealistic. Accounting for these stops in your plan will minimize feeling rushed and keep you in a good mood.

Snacks

Preparing snacks needs its own section. Be strategic in what you bring to minimize messes and sugar overloads. Some good snacks are string cheese, rice cakes, pretzels, sandwiches, apple slices, bananas, granola bars, cookies and raisins. Avoid fruit cups, yogurt, juice boxes and junk food.

Avoid the Meltdowns

If you followed the steps above you should have well rested, well fed and entertained kids… Unfortunately, not everything goes to plan and backseat meltdowns will eventually happen. Think ahead and try to solve these issues before they happen. If you have younger children and and there is another adult in the car, consider one of you sitting with them – this will give you a chance to be closer to keep them company, provide snacks or entertain them with activities. If they are older make sure they have their own space (if your vehicle allows) make pillow walls and make sure they all have activities and games to stay entertained. If you have a DVD player in the car make sure you get everyone to decide on the movie before you leave, to avoid the in car “but I want to see” back and forth.

Family roads trips don’t have to be exhausting. Planning ahead and staying prepared is key.  If things go a little sideways, just pull over at a park or rest stop and let everyone stretch their legs and take a break. Not everything has to go as planned – getting their safely and building memories along the way makes for the best road trips!

For a bonus tip. Plan ahead when picking your next family vehicle and keep road trips in mind. Here at Bay King Chrysler we have many family friendly vehicles to get you and your family where you need to go!

We are putting the spotlight on our 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT Stow N’Go. This van is the ultimate road trip warrior. With a 3.6L Pentastar V6 engine for a smooth ride – the interior is packed with features! Equipped with backup camera, Bluetooth hands-free, Rear DVD with Video Remote and Wireless headphones, 2nd- and 3rd-row Stow 'n Go with tailgate Seats, Easy Clean Floor Mats and so much more! Come see us today to get into this Van for your next trip! Check out some available models here!