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Our household has always traveled in a manner that was distinct from that of other families because we had eight people. The fact that a modest cost can soon become a significant cost when multiplied by eight is a primary contributor to the difference in total cost. Take into consideration the comparatively little tax of $5.60 that will be applied to your "free" reward ticket: That works out to roughly $100 for our group if we choose a journey that goes in both directions. Then there are the frequently exorbitant gasoline prices, which are commonly referred to as "carrier-imposed surcharges."
As a result of this, the age-old issue of "drive versus fly" typically find our family leaning more toward the "drive" side of the argument. Because it is more cost-effective to carry eight people in one vehicle, our family takes advantage of road trips whenever we go on vacation. When there is a significant increase in the price of gas, this remains true. (Here is a list of the best credit cards for road trips, as well as a list of the best credit cards for purchasing gas, and some recommendations for making the most of points and miles when driving.)
Any time of the year is a good time to consider taking your family on a road trip, especially if you want to go somewhere nearby but don't want to spend the money on plane tickets. The following is a list of some of the family vacation advice that we've compiled throughout the years, and you can read about it below.
Agree on screen time
When I asked my daughter, who is 12 years old, what her greatest advice was for taking a journey in the car, she responded, "screens, snacks, and space." The amount of time spent in front of screens by members of our family is strictly regulated, but when we go on vacation, the restrictions around screen time are (mainly) thrown out the window. The majority of a lengthy car ride is indeed spent with the kids occupied with various forms of electronic media, but we do make an effort to switch things up with other types of entertainment (for example, see below).
Our game of using screen time while traveling has developed over the years. When our children were younger, one of our go-to distractions in the car was a portable DVD player that was hooked to a platform that was hooked into the headrest posts of the driver's seat and the passenger seat. The only issue that arose with that was when the children reached a slightly older age. We concluded that there is not a single movie in the universe that can satisfy the tastes of a girl who is 4 years old and a male who is 14 years old.
As the children grew older and technological advances were made, we transitioned toward using individual screens. Tablets and other electronic devices are available for younger children, while older children typically play games on their smartphones. On the most recent leg of our family vacation, each of the children traveled with their very own Nintendo 2DS system, which performed well.
Don't scrimp on snacks
Another one of our must-do items is checking to see that you have sufficient snacks for the trip. For the distribution of "messier" foods such as Goldfish, pretzels, Cheez-Its, or oyster crackers, we bring cups. This way, the person in the front who is designated as the "snack master" can distribute snacks to the people who are in the back of the line. Your road trip will allow you to be more self-sufficient in proportion to the number of snacks you bring. To put it another way, you won't have to pull over nearly as frequently. (Check out the recommendations that TPG has for nutritious snacks to bring on trips.)
My most memorable experience with a snack while traveling with my oldest kid took place when she was perhaps 5 or 6 years old. She was sitting in the very last row of the minivan, and the rest of our children were too young to be of any assistance in handing out the treats. When it came time for snacks, our only choice was to figuratively toss things back at her and cross our fingers that they landed within reach so that she could eat them without having to get out of her seat.
When we eventually arrived at our location, we glanced in the back of the van, and there were perhaps 20 sandwich cookies, as well as portions of cookies, strewn all over the back seat.
Think about space
The next thing you should think about is space. Regrettably, it's one over which you probably don't have a great deal of influence or control. The vehicle that you currently operate is, in almost all circumstances, the sole vehicle that you own.
When your van looks like this before setting off on a road trip, you know that space is going to be at a premium for the duration of the trip.
If you decide to hire a car rather than use your own, one choice you have is to rent two smaller cars rather than one larger car to accommodate all of your passengers. This topic was discussed in our article on selecting the best rental care business for your needs.
The option of renting two automobiles is not only more cost-effective than renting a minivan (or even worse, a full-size van or huge SUV), but it also gives you the ability to separate children who are unable to get along with one another. One of the drawbacks of hiring two automobiles is that my wife and I will both have to take turns driving each vehicle, rather than being able to take turns switching cars.
Maximize your break time
You may need to pull over multiple times along the road, and the number of times will depend on the length of your trip as well as the ages of your children. If this is a route that you've traveled quite frequently, like the trip to grandma's place, you probably already know which rest spots are your favorites and where to find them. We like to make those pauses for food, gas, and bathrooms into brief periods of physical activity whenever we can.
Instead of all of us going to the restroom, we will stop at a rest area, pick a grassy location, and engage in a variety of activities, including calisthenics and a quick game of hide-and-seek. The younger children enjoy running around while the older children take part in the activity with a grumpy attitude (although teenagers appear to do everything with a grumpy attitude).
Take advantage of some free and interesting things to do along the route if you have a little bit of wiggle room in your schedule; here are some suggestions for locating those stops along the route.
Find some form of entertainment wherever you can.
As I was saying before, the majority of our screens (phones, tablets, and game systems) provide the primary source of entertainment for our family while we are traveling in the car. On our extended car travels as a family, we do make use of a few additional activities to help pass the time. The following are some of our personal favorites:
- Books on CD. Jim Dale's rendition of "Harry Potter" has become a fan favorite in our household.
- There is always the tried-and-true game known as the “Alphabet Game.”
- A fun game for the whole family to play together is called "I am something in the world; what am I?" This game is essentially an expanded version of the classic "20 questions" in which one person thinks of anything in the world and the others try to figure out what it is by asking yes or no questions. When we ask enough questions, it seems like we can figure out even the strangest details. This never ceases to astound me.
- When our children were younger, we used to print out pages with license plates from all 50 states on them and ask them to check off the states in which they had seen those license plates. If you live in a state (such as Ohio) that allows county-level stickers to be placed on its license plates, you get an extra point.
Prepare a driving itinerary that is in line with reality.
One last piece of advice I have for those taking a road trip is to have an accurate schedule. You know your family better than anyone else, but make sure to start your journey at a reasonable time. Take a look at your itinerary to determine the times when you will be passing through important cities. My recollections of being stopped in traffic at rush hour in Chicago with a crying newborn are not particularly pleasant.
I am aware that some families will travel throughout the night to get the most out of their vacation time. The only time that our family attempted to do that, my young daughter let out a piercing wail that lasted for well over an hour nonstop, to the point where my wife ordered me to turn around the car and go back home. (Of course, she eventually dozed off when we were driving back to our house, so we had to make a U-turn and get going again; as a result, we arrived at our destination about three hours later.)
Those of us who live in a world of miles and points appreciate the opportunity to break up long car trips by staying the night in a hotel. It is not a fun experience to be crammed into the back of a minivan for more than ten hours, so make sure you take plenty of rest.
Check out the Roadtrippers website if you are unsure how to begin the process of arranging your itinerary in its entirety.
Bottom line
I hope that these travel suggestions for families on road trips will be of assistance to you as you plan your next holiday. If you're not sure, always err on the side of caution and carry more snacks than you think you'll need, as well as enough games for the kids, and make sure everyone gets plenty of time to stretch at each stop.
Reading in this area:
- 7 blunders that every traveler on the open road will commit at least once
- The most epic journey imaginable along the Southern coastline
- One of the most scenic drives in all of the United States: three days in Big Sur
- The complete handbook for driving long distances in an electric vehicle
- Here are six of our favorite day trips you can take from Las Vegas.
- 5 amazing trips can be started from Nashville's location.