First part of advice: just keep clam and carry on. Those screaming kids in the back seat are all about fighting, but it will (fingers crossed) be all worth it when you arrive at your holiday destination and enjoy this time to spend with family, exploring the many wonders of this world.
Surviving the car trip is the hardest part, I promise, so just keep an open mind and if all else fails, bring out the trusty old Gameboys and all should be preoccupied for a couple hours longer.
Snacks
Hungry. Kids. Are. Cranky. Kids.
If you ever do one thing with your life, make sure it’s being fully stocked with food to keep your kids preoccupied on a 12+ hour road trip down the coast. Also don’t leave the esky in the boot, as I guarantee you will have to pull over in the first half an hour to retrieve said esky for hungry and bored children.
Handy tip: those lifesaver lollies that seem to be at every grocery store checkout line are actually a godsend to keep the kids quiet for a little while. The aim of the game is to suck on the mini doughnut shaped lolly for as long as possible and get it as thin as you can before breaking the circle. It keeps the numbing headache of arguing kids at bay and works every time.
Towels and spare clothes are essential
Family road trips and car-sick children go hand in hand. There is always that one child that is notorious for vomiting within the first hour of the drive, and you can almost guarantee once one starts, they all have a crack at it. Remember to stock up on TravelCalm and towels with an overnight bag of spare clothes handy and you should be able to call your organisation a form of ‘win’.
Boot Tetris
Pack the car the night before. You never want to have to wake up an hour earlier at dawn to play boot Tetris and then begin the tiring journey. Have a game plan and make sure there is room for whatever you may accumulate along the way for the trip home. Also keep the overnight bag in the most easily accessible spot without ruining that system you worked so hard at – your heart may never recover if you don’t.
I spy with my little eye…
If the phones, music players, colouring books, portable dvds, and a trusty book fails to keep the kids from the edge of boredom, think back to the days of your backseat restlessness and introduce them to the world of ‘I spy with my little eye’. When that starts to get old, because there is only so many different types of trees on the highway, bring back car cricket or ‘I went to the grocery store and bought…’
Good luck, and I salute you on embarking on this journey.
The information contained in this blog is accurate only at the date of publication.
