Summer Road Trip With Kids Made Easy

A summer road trip sounds like a lot of fun. Planning where we might drive to, what we will see and do along the way, and even packing the car are all fun parts of the experience. Heading out on the open road with friends can make for a legendary trip. Traveling with children, however, can make the road seem awfully long, especially when patience and attention spans grow short. What we do to deal with long periods of time with seemingly nothing to do becomes of primary importance.

There are multiple apps available that can be helpful for distracting children while on the road. Admittedly, I have this picture in my head of mom and/or dad in the front seat and the kid(s) in the back seat, buried in a iPhone, missing everything that is passing by.

Not so with some interactive apps.

Funny Road Trip– Turn it on and select one of the four included virtual “hitchhikers,” and meet the characters from different parts of the world. Each character will introduce themselves then give your child 50 things to do such as, “Find 8 horses then clap your hands.”

License Plate Travel Game– Simple: compete against the others on your next road trip to see who can find the most license plates during your drive.

Roadside America– Older kids might like the Roadside America app that shows upcoming oddball monuments, quirky museums and tourist attractions. It even keeps track sights seen and wonders visited.

Making frequent stops, planning when to eat, sleep or just get out of the car to move around are also commonly suggested tips for having a good road trip.

Allowing a kid to be the “navigator” and decide where the road will lead and talking to one another along the way are also ways to kill time in the car. Oddly, those cost the least amount of money but can reap the best return later, long after the electronic device is gone.




Flickr photo by Stuck in Customs