They say getting there is half the fun—but as any parent knows, when you’re traveling long distances with children this is not always the case. Try some of these stress-reducing strategies to minimize back-seat chaos and eliminate the words “Are we there yet?” from your kids’ vocabularies.
Leave early.
If time and your schedule permits, get everything ready, packed and in the car the night before your trip. Make sure to turn in early yourself. If you leave the house around four or five in the morning, the kids will sleep for the majority of the trip and you’ll arrive relatively stress-free. For extra-long trips, if you have two drivers consider leaving at night and driving in shifts. Traveling during off hours means lighter traffic, less noise and more peace inside and outside the car.
Pack snacks—but not drinks.
Avoid hearing the dreaded phrase “I have to pee!” when you’re 75 miles from the nearest exit by minimizing the amount of fluid consumption in your vehicle. Snacks are a great way to keep the edge off hunger (and boredom), but avoid giving them anything with caffeine, such as chocolate. Not only is it loaded with sugar, but it’s a diuretic (this brings back the potty problem again). Go for healthy snacks with moderate sugar and liquid content. Trail mix, granola bars and fresh fruit are great for long trips. *Bonus tip: Keep a supply of small grocery bags for discarding wrappers and peels to help keep the car clean, and toss them at every rest stop.
Assigned seats: not just for school.
Most parents don’t consider seating arrangements in the rush to get everyone in the car and get moving. But if you know that after twenty minutes of playing together, your six-year-old gets annoyed with your four-year old, seat them apart or put another child between them. If one of your children is self-contained and good at amusing himself for hours, and another is restless and fidgety, put the restless one by the window where there is a greater likelihood she’ll find something to distract her.