4 Tips for the Perfect Road Trip

road trip

A family road trip is a frugal and fun way to see the sites with kids in tow. How well you plan the trip in advance will go a long way towards making sure everyone has a great time and will help keep in-car meltdowns and temper tantrums to a minimum. While there’s a lot that goes into planning and preparing for a road trip, these tips should help ensure your family’s trip is fun at all times.

Have a Map

A physical map of your journey will not only help you out in case your phone dies or your GPS system breaks, but it will also help you make the planning of the trip more real for your family. Before you leave, open the map or atlas to the areas you’ll be traveling and use a highlighter to plan or trace your route with your kids. Doing this helps them see where you’ll be going and makes them feel more a part of the planning process.

Make a Family-Friendly Playlist

Just as you probably don’t want to listen to hours and hours of hip-hop in the car, your kids would rather not listen to 1990s pop music on repeat. To make everyone happy, put together an extensive playlist with selections from each member of the family. How long the playlist depends on the length of your trip, but usually, the longer, the better. No one wants to hear the same Britney Spears’ tune 10 times, and that song from Frozen gets tired after the fifth listen.

To keep things fair, have everyone choose the same number of songs. If you’re a family of five, picking 20 songs each will give you a playlist that’s about five hours long.

Keep the Car Clean

You’re a parent. You know that kids are messy. When that mess is confined to the space of your car, it seems magnified. Stock up on quality air fresheners before your trip to keep your car smelling nice, bring along plastic bags for trash and pack wipes to keep your kids’ hands as clean as possible throughout the trip.

Remember to Be Flexible

While you do want to have a general plan and schedule for your trip laid out in advance, it also pays to be as flexible as possible. Remember, the point of a road trip is to see the country while bonding with your family. You don’t want your schedule to be so set and rigid that you miss out on a truly amazing, spontaneous experience.

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