How to Plan a Road Trip for Kids

• Step 1

  Get directions. Directions are a vital component to planning a road trip with kids, because antsy travelers become whiny travelers when the destination seems to be light years away. There's almost no excuse not to have concise directions these days. With GPS units and online direction sites such as MapQuest, you can at the very least be headed in the right direction. Certainly no directions system is 100 percent foolproof, so that's where your cell phone is vital. Keep the phone number of your destination programmed into your cell phone and call if you find yourself off the beaten path. The people at your destination probably will be able to steer you back to your intended route.

• Step 2

  Plan ahead for games and activities to keep the kids happy and busy while passing the time en route to your destination. Travel games are fun, as they take advantage of the situation and allow some opportunities you don't necessarily have at home. If your kids can read, play license plate games such as License Plate Bingo. You can purchase this game in most any bookstore. The children each have a card and magnetic tokens to cover each square. When they see a license plate from the state designated on the board, they cover the square. A row of covered squares equals a License Plate Bingo. Road Trip Bingo is similar, denoting items you might see while riding in the car--items such as cows, signs and certain vehicles. The rules are the same as License Plate Bingo. Keep nominal travel-related prizes available for the winners. Some good prize options include change for a vending machine or a small toy appropriate for playing with in the car or the hotel room.

• Step 3

  Ensure you have healthy snacks for the trip. Granola bars, trail mix, fruits and veggies are excellent options. Pack pre-portioned servings for each child, and dole them out when hunger strikes. Avoid sugary snacks as well as messy ones, for both good nutrition as well as the integrity of your car's interior. Skip sugary juices and soda and opt for individual bottles of water instead.

• Step 4

  Interject a little bit of education into your road trip for kids without the kids even realizing that such a thing is taking place. Some of the aforementioned car games have educational components, but work some into the destination as well. For example, if you are visiting a zoo or wildlife preserve, pick up books or videos on the types of animals you will see. By encouraging the kids to be involved with this tiny preview of what they might observe, they will learn without realizing it and probably get more from the experience.

• Step 5

  Consider safety issues. Safety is always a concern when traveling, but when taking a road trip with kids, there are a few safety issues that must be considered. Make sure that your car is in good condition for your road trip. Have the oil changed and an overall check up by your regular mechanic before departing. Double check the installation of all car and booster seats. If you have questions about whether your safety seats are properly installed, contact your local fire department. In most communities they will check the installation themselves and make any additional safety suggestions needed based on their observations. Use common sense when traveling with kids outside of the car as well. Don't dress your child in anything that displays his or her name. Dress your child in a bright color so you can easily spot him or her if you get separated in a crowd. Keep a recent photo of your children in your wallet in case one of them inadvertently gets lost, as this will greatly assist emergency personnel in locating them.

• 2
• Vehicle Cell phone Healthy Snacks Travel games Planned itinerary
• Vehicle
• Cell phone
• Healthy Snacks
• Travel games
• Planned itinerary

References & Resources

• We Just Got Back
• The Dollar Stretcher
• The Simple Dollar