Map Your Family’s Journey

Map Your Family’s Journey

Travelling with your family may be rewarding and fun, but it’s also very challenging. This is especially true if you have small children. You need to make sure that everyone is safe, comfy, and having fun while paying attention to the road. What’s more, you need to take a breather once in a while as well. By this description, family journeys seem impossible to pull off. With good organization, a little dedication, and a lot of energy, you’ll be able to ace your next journey.

1. Involve your kids in the planning

If you plan the entire journey yourself, it’s not going to feel like a family road trip to the kids. Even though they’re too small to understand the full extent of planning a road trip, they can still be involved. Before you head out, tell them exactly where you’re going and what you’re going to see. You can list interesting places along the way and let them decide where you’re going to stop.

Making stops at the places they choose will give them something to look forward to on the road. It will also make them feel like they’re actually part of the journey, instead of just being dragged along. You can also let them help you plan out the itinerary for the rest of your vacation. Another aspect they can be involved in is packing. Take them shopping for the road with you, and ask them what clothes and toys they’d like to bring along.  Involving your kids is also a great way of making sure they grow into self-confident adults.

2. Play games

Patience isn’t exactly a virtue when it comes to children. This is why you have to make sure they’re entertained. As well as letting them bring some of their favourite toys along, you can all play road trip games together. There are old classics like “I spy with my little eye” which are interesting for kids of all ages. This game is also good because it will make them pay attention to the world outside the car. Who knows, they might even see something interesting.

Another idea is to bring a tablet on the road with you. This way they can watch cartoons and even play kid-friendly games together. It’s bound to keep them entertained and laughing, instead of bored and fussy.

3. It’s all about safety

If your kids are safe and secure, you’ll be able to focus on the road. Not much can be done when you’ve got two or three kids in the back moving around and climbing all over each other, despite the fact that you told them to put their seatbelts on and stay in their own seat. It’s simple, kids are curious and bored, so they’ll start looking for something to do as soon as you turn your head.

This can easily turn your lovely family road trip into a nightmare. Not only will the chaos in the backseat stress you out, but it can also distract you from the road. This is why most parents turn to professionals for help. Companies like Mother’s Choice and those similar to them offer a wide array of car seats which will keep your younglings in place for the whole road. They’ll be snug and comfy without being able to make a mess as soon as they see you’re not watching them. A kid car seat means having instant calm and order in the vehicle.

4. Pack lots of snacks

A hungry kid is a fussy kid. God knows children will exclaim “I’m hungry!” every hour or so. It’s easy to make them a quick snack when you’re at home, but you won’t have this option while you’re on the road. If you keep stopping for food, you won’t get very far. This is why you have to be prepared with a lot of snacks.

If you want to make sure your kids eat a healthy snack even when you’re on the road, you can be the one to make the snacks by hand. Make sure to include vitamin through cut up fruit or pack dried fruit for the road. They’ll also need an energy boost, so pack some protein. One fun idea is to get bite-size rice cakes and make them into homemade peanut butter sandwiches.

Rounding everyone up and being ready for anything will be the hardest parts of your journey. The only way you’ll be able to handle these two tasks is if you stay level-headed and calm. Of course, this isn’t always easy, so remember to give yourself a break. With a lot of responsibility comes a lot of stress, but alas, you are only human. With these tips, we’re confident that you’ll have an organized and fun journey that your kids will remember and cherish for a long time.