Traveling With Kids

With the classic family road trip still the most popular way for Americans to get to their vacation spot, how can parents ensure the time spent in the car is more pleasant than fracas?

How many times will your kids say, “Are we there yet?” during your family road trip this summer? How many times will you threaten to pull over because of a child’s misbehavior? What if you could greatly reduce the tension and fights among your kids and have the time arriving at your destination calmer?

According to the Summer Drive Study by NACS, a trade association that represents the convenience store industry, the tight quarters involved in car travel promotes activities that are more communal in nature. Listening to music, audiobooks or podcasts (78%) and talking with other passengers (62%) are the most popular activities cited by car travelers. Notably, solitary activities such as playing video games or smartphone games (25%) or using social media apps (24%) are much less popular activities, making summer road trips good options for families hoping to spend some quality time together.

Here are 8 concrete ideas to keep kids—and parents—occupied during the travel time.

Turn up the volume. Audio books, stories and music creates interest and engages a child’s mind while allowing him to still observe the world around them.

Last summer, we traveled 1,800 miles one way with our four kids, taking four days to our destination and four days back home. That translated into a lot of time in the car, and to minimize fighting over the radio and CD player (yep, it’s an older model minivan!), our oldest child devised a schedule that rotated audio control among the six passengers. In reality, it worked really well!

Simple is better. Things like coloring books, drawing pads, colored pencils (with a sharpener!), a clipboard or portable writing desk, and other non-messy art supplies can provide hours of enjoyment. We always give our kids a new coloring or activity book at the start of our summer trip, a tradition that brightens their day and gives them something new to keep them busy.