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Road Trip Tips?

June 2nd, 2010 - Uncategorized - 27 Comments »

In approximately seven hours, my family is driving down to Clearwater, Florida for my brother’s wedding. Google Maps tells me this will take 8 hours and 23 minutes. The fact that we have two boys under three tells me it is going to feel like a year and a half. Here are some ways we’ve passed the time in the past, but I’m desperate for more ideas.

+ Gas station shopping spree
There are a few road trip essentials that I can’t live without. Each trip begins with a gas station pit stop to load up on Cheddar Cheese Combos, a green sleeve of Lance sunflower seeds, Fountain Dew (Mountain Dew out of the fountain only), Mambas, and an impulse buy from the chocolate food group. Each and every time.

+ Full iPod shuffle game
This game is simple. Compete to see who can predict an artist that will show up in the next 10 songs. Then scroll through and see if you have any winners. Repeat. This one is going to be a lot more fun now that I’ve cleared all the chaff off my iPod (over 2,000 songs deleted). Oh, and feel free to listen to some of the hidden gems that pop up along the way.

+ Portable DVD player
I’m working on a theory that anyone who has a problem with shoving a video in your kid’s face on a long car ride either doesn’t have kids or…doesn’t have kids. Trust those of us who do – that $75 portable DVD player that you impulsively purchased during the first 45 minutes of a trip down to Florida is the single greatest purchase you’ve ever made.

+ Audiobooks
My go-to when the family is asleep.*

+ Letter game
Here’s how this one goes: Pick a category of people. Athletes. OK, athletes. Pick a person in that category. Mookie Blaylock. Now I have to pick someone whose first name starts with the first letter of that person’s last name (B in this case). So, I choose Benito Santiago. Spud Webb. Walt Weiss. Will Clark. Chris Carpenter… and on and on. It’s really fun with multiple players, time limits, an iPhone judge, and when double letter names (Walt Weiss) reverse the order.

Now I need your help. These only get us about three hours into the trip. We need more ammo. How do you pass the time on long car rides?

*I have learned that putting in earphones and shutting my family out to listen to an audiobook is frowned upon by certain family members.
___

Post sponsored by Atlanta Personal Injury Attorney, Robert N. Susko

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/FayeB rfbryant

    A deck of cards. Deal 5 to each player (some little ones can do this, too!) Now, each player looks to find those numbers/letters alongside the road. First one to get rid of their cards wins!

    Oh, Dimetapp works, too… and it's grape-flavored!

    Have a great trip!

  • Z cowan

    Team story telling. Start a story, then pass it along to another in the car. I am sure with you boys, it could get pretty interesting.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/joannamuses joanna

    If you use a GPS, turn the voice off. It makes the trip seem so much longer when you hear "turn left in 283 miles"

  • gaskill rascal

    We drive from VA to GA (8+ hours) a couple times a year…..we also have two small boys. Best tip I have(other than traveling over bed time, which is a must) is to have someone at the other end who can take your children for a few minutes. This is crucial for their safety, since 8 hours of I-85 can drive a person crazy. Paper and tons of stickers are always fun and take up time, as long as you do not mind them stuck everywhere. Also, markers and pens(ie: the things I never let them use at home) can buy you a good 30 minutes of non-TV time. And then after that, just keep the DVDs rolling.

  • http://www.jamiesrabbits.com Jamie

    Benadryl for all passengers.

    • http://intensedebate.com/profiles/mrimperial mrimperial

      In a similar vein, every time you pass a car with a license plate not belonging the state in which you are currently driving, everyone takes a shot of Dimetapp.

  • http://www.alifeaboutme.com Andrea

    Ridiculous easy/stupid game that I play when I'm bored and no one is awake – find the entire alphabet on signs. Doesn't have to be at the first of the word (unless you're playing on difficult). It's much easier when you are going through a big city with lots of billboards. Don't get stuck on a Q or X and hit a back road. You'll quit the game.

    Also – try any game from who's line.. like questions only. This probably won't work with toddlers… or spouses that don't like car games.

  • http://intensedebate.com/profiles/joshatkins joshatkins

    We used to do "Round-Robin Freestyling." (Not as a family, mostly me and my friends) Regardless, We would put on a beat (I had some instrumental CD's) and then you would be responsible for four bars. One person would start and it would just work its way around the car and we would see how long we could go.

    We would also (this time it's a family one) play, "Music School." This consists of my dad putting on an oldies radio station (which he could find in ANY town) and then every artist that came on, he would ask me if I knew who it was. If I somehow knew who it was, it was only a temporary reprieve until the next song came up. If I didn't know, he would then use the entire song to explain to me who's singing, what year it came out, what studio they recorded in, what he was doing the first time he heard it, and what the bass player wore when they played that song on Ed Sullivan.

  • Amanda

    I have 2.

    #1: Radio Trivia, turn the radio on scan…the first person to identify who is singing, or the song title wins. Tally up until you get all the way through the radio. I always win this one.

    #2: Bingo, each person playing (so you and Amy in this case) writes down 5 things the other person has to see on the car ride. For example: 2 men in a convertible with the top down, a hearse, an ambulance with its lights on….etc. Exchange papers, once someone finds all 5 things that the other person listed….they win. I always win this one too.

    Enjoy :)

  • http://kelseyhill.blogspot.com Kelsey

    My mom always brought a book (or books) along for roadtrips and read out loud to us during the trip (or had us take turns reading it out loud to everyone else).

    Also, the alphabet game (mentioned by Andrea) or the license plate game — trying to find the various state license plates.

    Take a break halfway there at a rest stop and bust out a frisbee or baseball or something.

    There's always things like "I Spy" for the kids, but they have to keep it to stuff in the car. We've also done a lot of 20 questions or logic puzzles (i.e. give a quick, cryptic story, and then people ask yes or no questions to figure out what happened). Those might not work as well for the under 3 age group.

  • Leigh

    This year, to spice things up, we've decided to let my daughter hone her driving skills on the interstate. I think it's the perfect plan. My husband and son will be too scared to open their eyes, curbing 55% of travel complaints, and I'm gonna text everyone I know for ten hours straight to avoid looking up. Time should fly. *This game is not recommended for children under 16.

  • Rebekah

    I've got a fun new grown up spin on the old standby cowpoke (you count cows on your side of the car, you pass a cemetery and they all die, you start over, kid safe)
    This is best played on the stretch from Atlanta to the Florida line.
    You each count the billboards on your side of the car for the "We Bare All", Adult video store, etc. But if you see a billboard that says "Got God?" or "JESUS" or a church, etc. all of your signs are washed away and you have to start over. It's good for a bunch of giggles while the kids are in their benadryl lull and Nemo is blaring.

  • http://intensedebate.com/profiles/kaikunane ThatGuyKC

    There is most definitely no shame in entertaining your kids with video games or movies on long car rides. I would equate long car rides with trips on a plane. The confined space for seeming endless time periods are a ticking time bomb for emotional meltdowns and mental breakdowns by all parties.

    I say if you're driving you can do whatever you want. Including drowning out distracting passengers with earbuds. It's for the sake of safety, right? :)

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/LaceyKeigley LaceyKeigley

    Oh my gosh.
    We just finished a drive from South Carolina to Tallahassee FL.
    Longest trip ever.
    Oh – and six kids. One adult. No DVD player.
    There was The Hobbit on audio. That lasted a few hours.
    There were tears. (Some might have been my own.)
    There was book reading, alphabet playing, everyone pick their favorite song on the iPod and sing at the top of your lungs, gas station munchies – I choose Rolos as my chocolate choice, GPS cursing (only the driver is allowed to curse).
    We made it.
    If we can do it – you can too.

  • Bryan

    Try the "No Air Conditioner" game. It involved having a car that sucks and driving long distances with the air conditioner broken in the middle of the summer. First one to complain wins. I complained in 12 seconds yesterday.

  • http://breakingthrough.tumblr.com @JeremyKeegan

    My gas station long trip staple food is beef jerky.

    I too have been frowned upon for the audio book on headphones.

    You could have everyone count mileage markers.
    a) this would give them something to do as a family and could be competitive (who will see it first??)
    b) this will eventually put everyone to sleep (kind of like counting sheep)
    c) this will allow everyone to know exactly how much further you have so it will be a preemptive strike on the "are we there yet?" question

    I try to get going early in the morning (or late at night) – so that the rest of the family sleeps most of the time. It goes fast for them, it goes by pleasantly for me cause they're not hollering or needing to go to the bathroom, and I can listen to audio books on my headphones.

  • http://generationsofgrace.blogspot.com lgrace2

    When my daughters were younger, we took a 2 week car trip from Atlanta to Canada. I went to the dollar store/Target and bought things that I kept in a bag for the trip. They had no idea what was in the bag. I made tickets, similar to movie tickets, and the girls would receive tickets for good behavior, etc. throughout the trip. When they accumulated a certain number of "tickets", they could trade them in for something in the goody bag. It was fun and they had a blast!! Enjoy your trip…

  • http://intensedebate.com/profiles/beautifulflaw beautifulflaw

    Alphabet game with a Wal-Mart (Target, Costco, whatever) twist. Player 1: "I'm going to Wal-Mart and I'm going to buy (insert item begins with A)". Player 2: "I'm going to Wal-Mart and I'm going to buy (Player 1's item) AND (insert item begins with B)". And so on….by the time you get to Z, some of the items mentioned are RIDICULOUS. Players can argue if an item is valid or not! Which gets hilarious. And once they get in to it, they can figure out what letter they have (ahead of time)…it's quite fun.
    Also, when I did missions, we had a potty break scale. 1 is "I'm not even thinking about peeing" and 10 is "I just wet myself". Once you get to 9, go in tenths (9.1, 9.2, etc.) Don't pull over until someone is at a legitimate 9. Keep water bottles just in case. :)
    Post your route so we can send you ridiculous stuff to see along the way!!! There's a giant Martian man circa 1955 and this sort of stuff not very far out of the way at all!
    Have fun!!!

  • Naomi

    Give each of the kids a roll of quarters. Every time they complain, hit their sibling, ask how much further, and whatever other arbitrary rule you want to apply, take a quarter away. At the end of the drive they can use the quarters they have left to buy whatever they want. Okay, so maybe that's not a game, but who said bribery couldn't make the drive a little better?

  • http://murphyfamilylife.com Chrystal

    As a kid we would play "the car game" on long trips. Everyone picks a color and then you count how many cars you see with that color. At the end of your pre-set time limit who ever saw the most cars with their color wins. HINT – White always wins…always.

    I have a two year old now, the most important thing for us is to be prepared with food at all times. There is no problem raisins and goldfish can't solve. Your boys may be too old for raisins to work on them but I'm sure there's some small treat that they love that you could use to bribe them into good behavior.

    Also, if a dvd works then absolutely, without shame or regret, play dvds!! You do what you gotta do to save your sanity and if that means 8 straight hours of brain numbing Disney movies so be it!

  • kristen

    don't eat in the restaurant – get your food to go – eating meals in the car can take up some good time. Instead, stop at rest areas or parks with a soccer ball or whatever – this way your breaks are not just sitting in a restaurant!

  • http://www.Twitter/jasonharrison.com Jason Harrison

    Benadryl, big homie…Benadryl.

  • http://www.write2Breal.blogspot.com Britt

    Have experience traveling 2 full days with multiple young children.

    DVD good. Very good.
    Lift the flap / other board books
    fun snacks for children (lower the sugar, the better, of course)
    Have paper towels/wet wipes handy in the car
    children music CD's. yes this gets a bit old for the front passengers – I suggest adjusting the speaker controls to "back-only". Lullibies for bedtime.
    Family singing
    Individual paper notebooks the individual child can do his own STICKERS / coloring in. I suggest washable markers. Crayons melt. Also easy-peel stickers.
    I-Spy books
    A couple of their favorite stuffed animals.
    A couple of their favorite action figures (without small parts so your poor wife doesn't have to break her neck, back, elbow trying to repeatedly fetch dropped tiny pieces)
    Magnet books. Or magnets to put on back of a small cookie sheet.
    At rest stops… run, run, run the kids (after taking them to the bathroom, of course)
    Of course, your greatest weapon?…. PRAYER :)
    Have a safe and happy trip.

  • http://intensedebate.com/profiles/dewde dewde

    We have a fun family game I'll refer to simply as "Attrition." We wait until all three children (aged 5 and under) are crying hysterically in bored exasperation, and then my wife and I cry with them. All 5 of us, barreling down the interstate, howling like banshees in the night.

    Last one crying wins. Good times.

    peace | dewde

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