Road trips are a great way for you to come together closer as a family. Not only is it a great way to head somewhere relatively close by for a holiday, but it also allows you to take much more with you and with less overall organization than the stress of flying. However, if this is going to be your first family road trip, these 5 ways to prepare for your first family road trip should help!
Assess Your Car
You need to make sure that your car meets some key criteria. It needs to be able to fit all of you and your luggage, and it ideally will need to get many miles to the gallon for the sake of your bank account. You also need to make sure that it is a comfortable ride as you are likely to be in the car for several hours.
Prep the Car
If your children are in car seats, make sure that the seats are the right size and that they are properly installed in the car. There are also some key things you should make sure you have just in case the car breaks down or you get stranded. Some things include basic tools to help you change a wheel, a flashlight (a wind-up one prevents the issue of a battery going dead), jumper cables and other emergency supplies like a first aid kit and/or emergency kit. You should also make sure that you have a charger and some portable chargers for phones and other devices you might have with you.
Get Some Activities for Your Children
While they might be excited at first, it won’t be long before your children are bored and clamoring for something to do. Place activities for them to do in easy reach of their seats. From card games to coloring with washable crayons to even some film time with a tablet, there is plenty you can do for them.
Snacks and Drinks
Even on the road, you should make sure that you are able to encourage healthy eating. Grapes and apples are great road trip snacks which won’t cause too much of a mess. Place them in a cooler with some frozen water bottles to keep them cool; as the water bottles melt you can also enjoy an icy cool drink.
Sort Out Directions Before You Leave
It is easy nowadays to let a Sat-Nav handle everything but nothing is worse than being taken down the wrong road, no idea where you are, and with cranky children in the back. To avoid this, make sure you look up your destination on a map and make sure you have said-map in the car with you when you leave. You could even have a look at part of the route on Google Maps before you leave to see if there are any landmarks you could note for later.
With these tips in hand, your first family road trip will hopefully go smoothly.
Good luck, and remember to enjoy it!
