Distance Driving With Small Children: Avoiding Roadtrip Hell

Make sure the kids completely expend themselves playing soccer, or even better swimming, the day before. You want to try to extract any latent energy stored in your children before the trip. Then run them around the house a few times. I find this works well when traveling with dogs also.

Get some sleep early so you can start your trip at 11 PM. This will maximise the peace of the first leg of your trip. Avoid any stops until the kids are absolutely awake.

Stop for breakfast. Load up on coffee. You will probably need it. Hopefully you will have another driver though. Now would be a good time to switch.

Make sure the kids do not ingest any caffeine at breakfast. No coke.

Drive as long as you can until the children start to beat on each other or otherwise squabble. To minimise squabble time break out the mini DVD player with your kid's favorite video loaded and ready to go. Explain that the movie will continue so long as you don't hear any squabbling. This is a bit of a gamble because if they do start squabbling the last thing you are going to want to do is turn off the only in-car distraction.

After the video put the DVD player away. Explain to the children that if they are good from then until after lunch they will be able to watch their second favorite DVD then. Drive another 2 hours and stop for lunch.

Hopefully after lunch you will be within striking distance of your destination. If not you are going to have to run the kids around somewhere, anywhere. Put on the second video and settle into the last leg of your drive content in the relative calm of the trip.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

·                              This worked for me one time on a trip from Virginia to Chicago. Your results may vary.