Where should we go?
Choosing a destination or destinations can be complicated. You have to pick a spot that’s family friendly – maybe a beach, lake, theme park or nature area. And your vacation has to be a reasonable driving distance from home – not so far that kids will become monsters in the car, not so close that you don’t really get to break out of your
family routine.
So pull out a map and create a list of potential destinations! Think about what your children’s thresholds for drive time are, and circle your target area on the map. If you reckon your drive will get uncomfortably long after five hours, the outer limits of your geographical area should be five hours away. Now make a list of potential attractions! If you live in California, for example, you might consider Disneyland, the ocean hamlet of Santa Cruz, or even the hiking Mecca of Yosemite National Park.
Make it a family decision
Emphasize the positives and negatives of each potential destination. If it is a warm sunny area is there a pool, lake or ocean to play in? If it is a nature area, are there enough distractions to keep your children engaged for the duration of the trip? Make sure family friendly activities are on the agenda wherever you end up.
Involving your children in the decision of where to go should make the process of getting there much more enjoyable. In the car, the family can speculate about what to do instead of listening to bickering from the back seat, and cries of “Are we there yet?”
Be road-ready
Children are naturally energetic and easily distracted, so a long car ride may present challenges for the family.
Think of games you can play on the road: You can seek out landmarks or query your kids with riddles. It might be worth a trip to the library to find a book with road trip games.
Children love music, so bring along enough CDs of their favorite tunes ... you may even take the opportunity to teach them some songs from your childhood road trips, if you remember. If your children are reading age, don’t forget books and magazines.
Nothing stops a crying passenger faster than a snack, so keep a lot of the family’s favorite snacks on hand. Think healthy ... apple bites, raisins, crackers, etc. Don’t overload them with sugar or the cacophony may end up getting worse.
The distraction to end all distractions, of course, is the portable DVD player. Plying your children with cartoon movies is a last resort to calm them down, but these days a variety of portable DVD players are available for under $100, and most can plug into your car’s 12-volt electrical outlet. The investment may be a small price to pay to keep your sanity.