5 tactics to survive a family road trip
Consider the term ‘family holiday’ – what comes to mind? Trips to the beach, a relaxing break by the seaside, an opportunity to spend valuable time with the people you love? Or does it fill you with anxiety, stress and sleepless nights?
For most of us, it’s probably a little bit from both camps. Family holidays can indeed be special, but they are also liable to hit your bank balance hard. Also, it can be difficult to know how to fill your days when in a location that you aren’t fully familiar with.
But, before all of that, there’s the dreaded road trip to contend with. Children are rarely adept at sitting still and remaining calm for extended periods of time, so parents need to plan and prepare to ensure road trips don’t descend into anarchy.
1. Spend time on a playlist
It’s likely that everyone in the vehicle will have a different music taste, so try to accommodate everyone when creating a playlist. This may not be entirely possible, but at the very least you should try not to alienate or annoy anyone. Also, along similar lines, consider listening to an audiobook that will engage both adults and children alike.
2. Have a supply of snacks and drinks
Having a supply of snacks and drinks to hand can alleviate stressful situations and keep tears at bay. Sometimes a food-based distraction is all that is needed to stop young children from getting frustrated when trapped in a car. Luckily for you, there are many healthy snacks out there to choose from.
3. Stretch your legs
If you have the time to spare, try to stop off every couple of hours to stretch your legs, eat some food and perhaps enjoy a coffee or two. Fresh air and a change of scenery can make a world of difference when on a long car journey.
Before you head off on your trip, see whether you’ll pass any landmarks, sculptures or areas of natural beauty that would be worth stopping off at. Consider it a little holiday bonus to enhance the overall trip.
4. Encourage sleep
Ultimately, the very best outcome on a long road trip is for your children to sleep for the entire journey. This will not happen every time, of course, but you can encourage them to close their eyes by making their seat as comfortable as possible, providing pillows and blankets, and not being afraid to spend some time in silence. Though this is not particularly intuitive, boredom can actually be the perfect medicine for any road trip.
5. Prepare for the unexpected
The last thing you need when on a long-haul road trip is for your car to break down, or to get so lost that you have to spend the night in a hotel. This can not only be inconvenient but also incredibly costly. So, to that end, it is important to put some emergency money to one side just in case the unexpected occurs.
Of course, it’s always easier to set cash aside to deal with unexpected events if you haven’t paid over the odds for the trip in the first place. Did you know, for example, that the average holiday stay in the US is around £8,006 just for one day? And this is not solely related to the United States; other countries where it is expensive to have an accident include:
- Switzerland (average of £6,127 each day)
- Germany (average of £4,294 each day)
- Sweden (average of £4,246 each day)
- Netherlands (average of £4,116 a day)
When abroad, the last thing you want is to end up digging deep into your savings to pay for a hospital stay.