Summertime Travel Fun

Summertime is filled with lots of family time.  Whether you are traveling by plane, train or automobile, the fun and excitement of the trip can quickly turn boring if there is nothing to do on the way.  Today, most kids are happy to watch movies or their favorite shows through a streaming service, but screen time can only last so long!  What do you do then?  There are lots of fun activities and snacks out there for families to enjoy while traveling.    Here are some suggestions to keep the FUN in the family vacation. 

 Before the Trip Begins: 

·         Purchase a new toy or game just for the vacation.  This could be something that relates to the trip or just a fun toy they have been wanting. 

·         Gather items that can be done while in motion.  Pack a backpack or tote with activities for each child.  Each child, depending on their age, then becomes responsible for his or her fun while on the trip.

·         Check for activities along your route.  Look for things that will interest the whole family, and give the kids some time to stretch their legs.  The vacation will go smoother if you have activities that everyone can join in. 

 While on the Road:   

·         To keep the activity alive in the car, designate a leader to pick and choose games throughout the car trip.  Leaders can change every few miles, when the car stops, or when a timer goes off. 

·         If your children are older, make sure to pack all the accessories that would go with an electronic game, minicomputer, etc. 

·         Do some journaling.  Do you have some budding writers in the group?  Ask each to write or draw their experiences throughout the trip.  Add these to a scrapbook or photo album of the vacation when you return. Add in some washable markers or coloring pencils too.  Stay away from crayons as they can melt!

·         Check out the games section at your local dollar store.  Many popular games can be found in travel editions or with magnets.  Games like tic tack toe or checkers can be great fun, and with the magnets, the game pieces stay in one place. 

·         Playing cards.  Did you know that all the fun games like Go Fish, Crazy Eights, Old Maid can all be played with a regular deck of cards?  Go Fishing for numbers or queens.  The last one to have the joker of the deck is the Old Maid. 

·         For some quiet time, pack a book or add some audio books.  Some audio books for children include a book that they can follow along with the story. 

·         Check with your destination for activities.  For Insistence, each National Park has a Junior Ranger Program.  The kids get a booklet to complete while at the park, simply pick one up at the Visitors Center.  Once you have finished your visit, return the completed sections of the booklet to the Visitor’s Center, and the kids receive a badge.

·         Create your own Vacation Passport.  Add Stickers, Postcards, Stamps, or Flat Pennies to a small journal for the major stops on your trip.   

 

Every road trip must have snacks!  But purchasing the snacks at convenience stores when getting gas can get expensive and eat to your vacation budget.  Snacks should stick close to your family meal plan and include more healthy foods than junk foods.  Get everyone’s input on the snacks, and pack foods that you know your family will eat along the way.  Purchase snacks prepackaged and lots of water.  Sodas and high sugary snacks will only cause upset stomachs and hyper kids. 

 No matter the age of your kids try some of these snack ideas: 

•  Pack portable snacks in a small cooler with un-spillable drinks.
• Individually packaged crackers with cheese or peanut butter, mini rice cakes, cookies, pretzels, fruit rollups or fruit snacks, hard candy, suckers.  Try not to pick anything that will melt in a hot car—like chocolate.
• Fruit like strawberries, grapes, pre-sliced apples, orange slices.
• String Cheese or Cubed Cheese
• Gum
•  Juice drinks or water are great, but make sure they have a removable lid.  Juice boxes or juice pouches can be hard to keep from being smashed or squeezed.
• Remember to add a package of small trash sacks and wipes to the snack bag for quick and easy clean up.

If you are traveling to another region of the US or world, take some time to stop for a snack off the beaten path.  Try new things, like local cuisine.  Remember it’s all a part of the experience and vacation. 

 

Are we there yet?  No parent has gotten through any road trip without hearing this question!  Younger children tend to have very short attention spans, and as parents we must combat the boredom while the trip.  When the kids are entertained by games, projects, electronics, everyone is happy.  To combat the boredom, try some of these tricks: 

·         Set limits at the beginning of the trip.  Explain that we will be stopping or passing through a certain spot in the road, and then we will have a snack or change games.  The stops should be frequent and a requirement that everyone get out of the car, walk around, jog in place, take a bathroom break, breathe in some fresh air.   

Use the give and take system for negative behavior.  Give everyone in the car a roll of pennies, each time they exhibit negative behavior a penny is taken away, but each time a positive behavior is exhibited, a penny is given back.  Other items may be needed for older children. 

 Keep a routine in place.  Look through your route for areas to give your kids some outside time and physical activity, and plan in some quiet time activity for nap times.  A kids excitement can be overwhelming, but keeping them on as normal a schedule as possible with help everyone on the trip. 

We all can remember games we played in the card.  Most were just ideas our parents dreamed up to keep us occupied!  Here are some of the old favorites with some additions or changes for you to try on your next road trip.

·         Road Trip Bingo

o   Print off Road Trip Bingo Cards and have them laminated.  Give each player a dry erase marker.  As they see things on their card they will mark off the squares with the marker.  The first to have a row filled in or at a diagonal wins.

o   Variations to the game can include:

§  Car Bingo --finding the various makes and models of cars.

§  Sign Bingo--finding the various road side signs.

§  Country Bingo—finding various wildlife and farm-type animals along the road.

§  City Bingo—finding various city structures, signs, landmarks, etc.

·         Scavenger Hunt

o   Make up your own scavenger hunt or print off a list.  The list can be of items near your vacation site or general items from the city, suburbs or countryside. 

o   If you have smaller children, it may be a good idea to add pictures or photos of the items they need to find.

·         License Plate Game

o   Use a map to check off all the license plates you find on your trip.  Make sure to set a beginning and ending time or place. 

o   Change the game up a bit with License Plate Lingo.  Try and create a phrase with the letters on a license plate.  For example:  LMT 823 could be “Lost My Tooth” or “Love Me Tender”.

o   Use the numbers of the plate to add up to a certain number like 21. 

·         Alphabet Game

o   Take turns going around the car finding things outside that start with a letter of the alphabet.

o   To make things really challenging, everyone must choose their item in the order of the alphabet. 

o   Start with one person saying a letter, then add letters to make a word.  The game keeps going as long as the letters keep making a word.  Once a letter is stated and it is the last letter, the round is over. 

·         Geography Game

o   Begin by choosing a place in the world.  The next person must choose a place that begins with the last letter of the first place.  For example:  A person chooses Kansas.  The next must choose a place that begins with the letter “s”.

·         I Spy

o   Choose items along your route to spy.  Remember, you must be quick with your clues, or the item may be past before everyone can figure it out.