You can probably tell that I do many road trips with my kids, from going to Canada’s Maritimes to driving down to Mid-western United States.  Every road trip is different, especially as the kids get older the type of things to bring with you, and stops you make along the way change too.  Right now I am dealing with a Pre-teen (Tween) and a toddler, and this is what’s worrying for me right now.  I should also preface the fact that every child is different; there are those that are more restless than others are. 

I should also add that because my kids have always been on trips, including road trips, since they were babies – they have a sense of expectations; and so if the kids you travel with are not experienced with travels they can potentially be more impatient.  With that said, here are some things to think about if you are considering a road trip with kids:

• Think about the maximum amount of travel time your kids can take.  This can vary from trip to trip, and depends on your kids’ level of patience.  Travelling to Canada’s east coast our threshold was 5-6 hours at a time, to New York it was 7 hours, and ironically later in life going to Atlanta it is around 4 hours.  Just because kids get older doesn’t mean the travel time goes longer, it depends too on how much there is to see on your way to your final destination. 
• As you travel make sure you keep that in mind and divide your trip accordingly, you can test this out by doing trips closer to home to see what the limit is.  Also keep in mind that as the trip progresses the duration could get shorter as kids get tired, so the first few days might be 5 hours at a time and then coming back about 3-4 hours.
• It’s important to make sure that not all cities you stop at have the same activities.  To avoid monotony, one stop could be about exploring nature, another could be about museums, while the following stop over could be to see a children activity centre or a mall (don’t forget your significant other too).
• As with any trip, snack and in car activities should be mixed around.  A combination of pit stops to grab coffees and snacks, with healthier home made veggies or sandwiches will take you far.  Same with activities between electronics, non-electronic, and family car-ride games, the combination of all of them will make for a less mundane journey.
• Music is a big part of our trips, so having a nice mix of music that lasts a good 2-3 hours without repeating is a good idea.  If you have an MP3 player just fill it up with a good 100 song or so, mixing up genres and adding at least 3 favourite songs of each person in the car.  It’ll give them something to look forward to.
• Don’t stress if the road trip goes longer because of the inevitable bathroom breaks that are out of the schedule.  Add in a good hour or so of just getting lost, extra breaks and random stops if you feel like it.  Having that sense of spontaneity is what makes a road trip exciting.  On that same issue, make sure you remind the kids a few minutes before you reach a bathroom area if they need to use it; you don’t want a sudden panic if they need to go.  Worst-case scenario going on the side of the road is a forgivable sin for passers by (mostly for kids though).

The more you travel, the more mentally prepared you will be – it really depends on what kind of personalities you are travelling with.  If you have more ideas feel free to share them in the comments.