If you and your family have decided that now is the time for that long-awaited road trip, there are a few things you should do before you leave. When you travel with kids, it can be more stressful, and you need to be ready for anything. Before you leave, you need to have all of it planned out so that you and the kids know what’s going on and where you’re going.
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When planning a road trip, here are some things to think about.
Destinations
Choosing where to go is, of course, the first thing to do. You might just be going from A to B, or you might be making many stops along the way. There are a lot of different places to stop along the way. The Great Ocean Road is one of the most well-known road trips in Australia. It runs along the southern coast from Torquay to Allansford in Victoria. On this stretch, you can see the twelve apostles, which are pillars made of limestone that used to be connected to the cliffs on the mainland. There are now only eight left to see. This could be a great way to teach your kids about how cliffs get smaller over time.
The Car
Once you know where you want to go and what you want to see along the way, you need to think about the car. One significant thing to say is that you should plan where you will get gas. You don’t want to be on a long strip of highway and run out of gas, especially when it’s hot out.
Before you leave, you’ll need to check the car to make sure it’s in good shape for the trip. You should check the oil, and the air pressure in the tires, and see if any of the tires need to be changed. You need to make sure that the tires are thicker than 1.5 mm, which is the legal limit. If they are close to this, you will need to make an appointment to get them changed. Lastly, make sure you have fitted seat covers installed to protect your car seats from dirt and spills during the trip.
Entertainment
When travelling with kids, you’ll need to bring games, activities or magazines to keep them busy. During most of the trip, they might be interested in what’s going on outside and look out the window, or they might be sleeping. When they wake up and start asking, “Are we there yet?” it would be a good way to give them something to do. This could be anything, like trying to find all the red cars or cars of any other colour. You could also let them play with travel packs. This pack has a variety of things for them to do that will keep them happy and quiet so you can drive. Another option is to pack ipads with preloaded games and films on and let them watch these independently for some of the trip, just remember to pack their headphones!
The Essentials
When traveling with your family, there are a few things you simply must have. When kids are around, there will inevitably be a mess, so make sure you have cleaning supplies on hand. Bring some warm blankets with you so you can keep the kids cozy in their seats. Encourage them to pack their own belongings so they know they have their favourite magazines, toys and travel games. If you go on multiple road trips then you could have a custom blanket printed with images of their preferred characters, so they never forget to pack their blankets when traveling. When packing don’t just think about the kids, make sure you have all your own essentials too and make sure everything is fully charged up with you must read books downloaded to your kindle or favourite podcast available to listen to. If you’re going on the road trip with your dog then be sure to pack stuff for them too and make sure you can reach is easily if needed like their comfort toy or pooh bags, lead and water bowl for when you stop.
Snacks
Lastly, when travelling with kids, snacks are your best friend. They can quickly get bored and hungry, so having their favourite snacks on hand will help you get through the trip. If you are worried that they won’t eat their lunch or dinner, you can limit the snacks. You could put healthy snacks like carrots and cucumber sticks in a pot for them to take with them. You could even think about packing gourmet food hampers for a special picnic on the trip.
These are four important things to think about when planning a family road trip. Do you have any others that should be added? Please put them in the comments below.