Print PDF

Planning that annual family vacation this summer that involves a long car ride?

Are your family road trips relaxed rides with plenty of breaks? Or do you do car travel like a space capsule, hurtling through vast distances without a stop?

Most of us muddle through, somewhere in between. Here are some tips for surviving car travel with kids.

The 4 P’s of surviving the road trip

1. Pace: try to allow enough time for rest stops. Two hours of car time, then a break, makes a good pattern, with young children.
2. Pack: a special backpack or bag for each child, with crayons, books, toys, activity sets, stickers, handheld games– including some new wrapped surprises for little kids. (But don’t give out all the loot at once!)
3. Picnics: they’re fun; the kids can run around, little limbs need to shake, rattle, and roll ; and you save money, too. Pack your own picnic from home, or buy the fixins’ at a deli or grocery store on the way.
4. Pedal-to-the-metal: if you really need to hurtle from point A to B, use a DVD player or laptop, and turn your vehicle into the Cinema on the Highway

- Joanne Petersen

Other Sites