Early this morning we arrived home after a road trip to Huntsville, Alabama. On the way down to Alabama, we left close to 5am because we knew the children would sleep most of the way. However, on the way back we left later which had us getting home after Midnight. Overall, both drives (to and from) were pretty good, minus all of the traffic.
About 4 days before going to Alabama, Darrick and I told the kids about the trip! Although every day after we told them, they asked us about going to Alabama. In my mind, the questions they asked basically prepped them for the 9-hour road trip we were about to embark upon.
We have been on road trips before and actually, this isn’t their first time going to Alabama, but this time it was a little different because they’re both older and needed to be entertained! So here are my tips for families preparing to go on a road trip…
Pack Lots of their Favorite Snacks…about two weeks ago when we bought groceries we stocked up on snacks. We bought extras of their favorites because we knew we would need them on our trip. And not that you let them eat the entire time you’re in the car, but there is nothing like being stuck in traffic and not having a snack available. Or buying snacks each time you stop, that quickly gets expensive, and kids won’t understand if they can’t find their favorites in the store…so its best to be prepared!
Pack Electronics…Yes, I said it, we make sure the iPad’s are charged and ready to go! However, the kids don’t get the iPads until we are well into the trip and once they play on them and it “dies” that’s it for the day, we don’t recharge. From a full-charge I know it says an iPad will last for about 10 hours, however, those games take up so much of the battery life, it doesn’t last close to that! So they usually play together for a few hours, then they’re done.
Take Naps…when the whining starts that means its time to “rest our eyes.” On the way down they thought it was the worst thing ever that I said let take some time to rest, however, on the way home I looked in the backseat a few times and they were knocked out!
Bathroom Breaks EACH time you stop…On the way home Darrick and I stopped a couple of times to simply switch drivers. But whenever you stop, no matter if it’s for gas, to switch drivers go for a bathroom break! Limit drinks but make sure whenever you stop you go to the bathroom, this limits extra stops for bathroom breaks. Even when we stopped at a restaurant, I made sure they used the restroom when we came in and after we eat we go back to the bathroom. I was truly amazed on this trip…they did amazing with bathroom breaks!
Sing and Dance Party…I remember being a kid on a road trip and we would listen to a little bit of everything. We had full blow gospel concerts, breaking into 3 parts (soprano, tenor, and alto) in the car, those are some of my favorite parts of a road trip. Make sure you take time to enjoy all kinds of music, and time to dance. There are songs the kids love right now and we made sure we played them and danced and sing together.
Just Talk…we were on the road for quite some time. DJ had “Knock-Knock” jokes he would tell, if you saw my FB status you know he was “killing us” on the way home with jokes, we literally got to the point that we would laugh because they were so random. If you follow me on Facebook, you will see towards the end of the trip I was done (LOL) with DJ’s “Knock-Knock” jokes!
Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better trip! The kids did absolutely amazing on the road, and we didn’t have any bathroom accidents (Praise God)! I can’t wait to take them on their next road trip this summer!
