Have you ever been driving down the road and you see that family with the kids who are screaming or complaining while the tired and dazed parents look on, seemingly given up all hope on an enjoyable trip? Is that sometimes you and your family? Before kids entered the picture, I was one of those who felt slight pity for those in that boat. Of course that all changed when my daughter was six months old and we were stuck in traffic outside of San Francisco. She woke from her nap and would only scream at us for the next few hours as we tried to drive home. We were not prepared. 

As with almost all parenting endeavors, preparation is the key to success! Trip planning should involve more than just going from point a to point b and then having fun when you get there. You need to plan ahead to enjoy the trip as well so you aren’t all sick of each other by the time you reach point b!

Traveling with kids from infants to teenagers is definitely one of parenting’s more difficult challenges. You are all together in a tight space for a long period of time and usually have a schedule to keep. With summer on it’s’ way you might as well starting thinking about it. Here are a few ideas to help make the process a bit easier.

Most families travel by car to get where they are going so the majority of these ideas will focus on that. However some of these will easily relate to trips by plane or even train.

Diversions! It really doesn’t matter what age of kiddo you have with you, during a trip you need to capture their little minds and keep them busy. A bored child usually ends up being the annoying child asking, “are we there yet?” over and over.

Videos – Many cars already have built in DVD players. You can also purchase the portal DVD players that attach to the back of the seats or sit in a lap, or you can even use your laptop. Before a trip swinging by the library, video store (if you can find one), or getting a fresh Netflix order in can eat up hours of travel time. For the younger kids a DVD is good both ways on a trip while older kids might need a few options. You can even be selective to ensure they are watching something more educational. Head phones are highly recommended!

Video Games – I have played video games since way back in the Pong days when I was a kid. Now I don’t condone all of the violence heaped into games for kids at young ages, but I have seen quite a few wonderful games that are learning based (spelling for young kiddos, math for slightly older) or adventure and puzzle games that make you think. A lot of the portable DVD players have ports for game players too. Or you can use a laptop. A place like GameFly is like the Netflix of video games and you can shop for titles to rent easily.

Books – A lot of people can read in the car and a good book is a great place to get lost during some of the boring times during vacation. Aside from swinging by the library to stock up (I recommend a few titles per person) you can also check out the great selection at North Light Books.

Music – Before hitting the road make sure to freshen up the iPod playlists, burn a few CDs, or dust off some old favorites from the shelf. Music can be great for singing along with little ones, lulling babies to sleep, or giving mom and dad something to listen to while the kids rock out on their iPods.

Games – This is more for the little ones than older kids. We would often have a special ‘trip bag’ that had things only for the car so they would be more exciting. Safe coloring pens and books, smaller toys that fit on a car seat tray, etc. That way we had things to shuffle through during a trip.

Traveling Times – For those with kids who still nap I highly recommend planning your trip around the nap. Those blessedly quiet hours make for prime time driving (just don’t drink a lot so you don’t need to stop!). A few times I even opted to drive at night with my wife and daughter sleeping because it was less of a hassle than a bad daytime trip.

Planning for Fun – Going from point a to b can always be more fun if you want it to be. Look for fun places to stop to break up the trip. Maybe find a cool park or attraction along the way. The same thing can be said for meals. Instead of looking for the nearest fast food off the freeway, use the computer at home to check out cool places to grab a bite a little off the patch. You can even check out other Patch sites nearby for reviews!

Body Clock – Have you ever noticed when your normal routine gets off that you end up being a bit grumpy? This is very common for a lot of people as our body is like a machine that gets used to sleeping, eating, and doing things at a certain time. Be aware of everyone’s body clock when planning a trip (yours included). Knowing that your 3-year-old is used to eat at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. every day means you should probably plan a break around those times. Or if you wife doesn’t really wake up until after her second cup of coffee at 10 a.m. make sure to Google the nearest Starbucks.

Snacks – Always have a good selection of snacks and drinks in the car. Why stop if you don’t have to or even worse why stop for fast food because there is nothing else around on that lonely stretch of highway when you hear, “I’m hungry.” 

Most of this stuff of simple and I am sure many of you probably do at least one of these things already. It does take a little additional preparation to get supplies ready and finding fun stops of the way. But, this is a trip and a vacation. Vacations are supposed to be fun and taking a little time beforehand can pay big dividends for the entire trip. So hit the road and have some fun!