How to Survive a Road Trip with Your Kids

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Step 1

PACK YOUR TOOLBOX.

Assign each child an extra-large zippered plastic bag and write his or her name on it with permanent marker. In it, pack "survival tools" for the trip:

* Crayons, pencil and paper. Encourage children to draw or write about things they see or experience during the trip. When you return home, these creations can be bound into a "travel diary."
* A juice box and granola bars. These emergency snacks can tide kids over when the next restaurant is still fifty miles away.
* A book (preferably a large, hardcover one that can double as a portable desktop). Though some children are susceptible to carsickness when reading, others quite enjoy the "escape" that a good book can provide.

Variations and additions might include:

* Single-serve drink mixes with water bottles
* Graham cracker "sandwiches" spread with peanut butter
* mp3 players or handheld video games with headphones for older children

You know your children best, so pack items that are frequently used in your family and snacks that are enjoyed by your kids.

In a separate, larger canvas bag, pack "rest stop" items for use when the family needs to stretch their legs and release pent-up energy. Suggestions include:

* Frisbees
* Baseball and gloves
* Bubbles with wands
* Sidewalk chalk for quick games of hopscotch.
* During winter months in snowy areas, gloves for snowman-building

Use your imagination! The idea is to include items that encourage movement in the fresh air. Children who are cooped up in tight quarters with recycled air can become cranky and irritable - major contributors to the development of RTI - so take advantage of rest stops frequently.
Step 2

HAVE A SCAVENGER HUNT.

Make a list of sights for children to look for along the way and include it in the "survival toolbox." Tailor the list for each unique trip. For example, when my family travels from Eastern Washington to Seattle, our list includes things like cows, apple orchards and the Space Needle, along with other common items like semi-trucks, trains, airplanes, railroad tracks and police cars.

Even non-readers can enjoy a scavenger hunt. Simply draw or print pictures of the items for them to seek and check off or circle.

Frequently, turning the children's attention outside of the vehicle reduces the number of conflicts inside the vehicle, thus depleting the breeding ground for RTI. Children looking intently out the window to be the first to spot an eagle are much less likely to notice that "she has her elbow on my side of the armrest!"
Step 3

PACK A PICNIC.

Make a portable meal or two, ahead of time, and pack it in a small cooler or picnic basket. Include sturdy, less-volatile items like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apples, carrot sticks, crackers, nuts and the like. Don't forget to pack a blanket to spread out for the family to crowd onto!

Plan a specific place to stop and enjoy the meal, and let the kids know ahead of time the intended destination. Rest areas and roadside parks are excellent in this regard. When children know they will be stopping to eat at a precise point, it quells most requests for drive-through meals and even diminishes some "I'm hungry!" cries.
Step 4

PAY FOR PERFORMANCE

Your children probably know the rules in the car. They, almost assuredly, know that it isn't okay to hit a sister or take a brother's handheld video game or yell at a sibling. Really, they do know - it's just hard to adhere to the rules when you're cooped up and bored.

Rule-breaking is going to happen, in spite of your best efforts. That's why I advocate paying your children to behave. Seriously. It's not exactly bribery... it's incentive.

Before the trip, write each child's name on a small plastic zipper bag and empty into each bag a roll of quarters (or, if you have a huge family like mine, a roll of nickels). Let the children know that each time they argue, or yell, or (like my beloved offspring) kick the seat of the child in front of them, you will remove one coin.

When you reach your destination, make time to stop by a discount store so that the children may spend their remaining incentive money. If you're lucky, your kids will have a nice bankroll and enjoy the experience of spending it. Not so lucky? At least you aren't broke.
Step 5

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS...

Plan to do a majority of your driving at night, when the children are likely to fall asleep and provide a blissfully quiet ride.

RTI is real. Its symptoms can feel overwhelming at times, but remember - it is preventable. If, by some misfortune, you are unable to develop immunity by using the suggestions above, the effects of RTI are generally short-lived and reversible (think long, hot bath and a glass of wine). Happy traveling!