Taking a road trip with kids can either be unbelievably fun… or a new form of torture! I’ve experienced both ends so if you are heading off on a trip these holidays here are the top 5 things you need for a successful road trip with kids.
1- A whole lot of snacks
Load up your car with more snacks than you ever think you’ll need. Because all they say all days is, “I’m hungry”, followed by, “Are we there yet?”. I pack a mixture of fruit, sandwiches, muesli bars and treats that I can bribe them with as we go. Bags of jellybeans and smarties are great for bribery.
2- Enough USB charging points for everyone
Everyone has a device these days, and everyone needs a charging point if you are travelling with kids for more than two hours. I love the Belkin Road Rockstar: 4-Port Passenger Car Charger – it plugs into the charging point at the front and has two USB ports, then it has a six-foot cable and another until with two points that can sit comfortably in the back seat so there is no fighting over the charger! It’s invaluable!
3- Entertainment devices
You MUST keep those kids entertained on a road trip or you’ll all snap! If you don’t have a tablet a really affordable solution is the Laser Portable DVD Player from Big W. You can charge it in the car and you can play all those DVDs you have sitting at home!
4- Noise-cancelling headphones
Right- these are a must for everyone’s sanity. You don’t want to be listening to Peppa Pig or Star Wars in the back seat and you certainly don’t want to have them competing in volume. I love the Laser Noise Cancelling Headphones with Bluetooth because you don’t need to deal with tangled cords.
5- A solid bank of car games
There will come a time when you need to break out the old favourites: I spy, I’m thinking of an animal, 20 questions, making sentences with number plates, punch buggy, corners and so on. But one of my favourites is pure bribery. Fill up a jar of Smarties and every time a kid misbehaves, throw one out the4 window. That will keep them in line!
Have a great trip!!!