Family vacations are where memories are made- and being a Mom of four, I so know the patience and sanity factors that may get lost along the way. And even with all the 100 plus questions along the way…”yes, you have to sit in the car next to your sister.” “No, we aren’t stopping at the little store every 10 miles”. And my favorite, “Do you need to go to the restroom before we leave?” Reply is always…”No” and then you are 5 mins down the road and “I have to pee”.
So, before you hit the “road” for your travels, here are 5 ideas to make your trip a little more fun filled:
1. all-in-one binder Fill a three-ring binder with driving directions, hotel and campground reservations, coupons and discount offers for restaurants along the route, pictures and fun facts about the destination, pre-purchased tickets, a list of car games, and plastic pages holding entertainment CD’s and DVD’s. “It helps to have everything in one place for easy reference.
2. instant lap desk: a cookie sheet can be used as a surface for coloring, playing with magnets and Bendaroos, or holding a snack.
3. mark the miles: before starting out hang little numbered tickets above each seat in the car. One for every hour of the trip. They can be redeemed for wrapped treats they could play with or eat along the way.
4. personalized trip jar: each person in the car has a decorated “trip jar” with stickers and pictures from previous travels, to which they add money every month! When vacation time rolls around, they bring along the jars and spend the contents on snacks and souvenirs.
5. coin rewards: Travel with rolls of nickels, dimes, and quarters, which they use to reward general good behavior, patience, courtesy to others, and even accomplishments on the road. They then can spend their earned money on souvenirs.
Hopefully these ideas will let you travel with some relaxation and fun.
