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Step 1
Children have their limitations. Even the best travelers will need to stretch their legs. Most children can realistically handle about two hours of travel at a time. Plan for a stop every two hours; you could make that a time to stop for meals, gasoline, or just a rest area. Either way, make sure there is somewhere for the kids to get out and walk around safely. As soon as we get in the car, we clip a small, kitchen timer to the back of the front seat so the kids can see it. We set the timer for two hours. They know when the timer goes off we will start looking for the next appropriate place to stop for a break. If you aren’t near a rest area, ask the attendant at a gas station where the nearest park is. Oftentimes we will find a nice park not far from the interstate. Pack along some jump ropes, small balls or bubbles to play with. These items are easy to pack along and you will be amazed at the amount of energy the kids can get out in a short time. When you are back in the car set the timer again. Children won’t need to ask ‘Are We There Yet’ because they can trust the timer to let them know when they will be out of the car again.
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Step 2
Before you leave home, set a travel target for each day based upon your child’s ability to stay happy in the car. Most families find six to eight hours a good target. We don’t plan hotels along our road trips so we can stop whenever we need to. If everyone is grouchy and ready to get out of the car, we can shorten our day. Often everyone is happy and ready to travel a little further than expected and we can lengthen our travel time. On vacations where we have set hotel plans along the way we have found ourselves very stressed about making it to that destination. We find it better to let each day dictate how far we travel.
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Step 3
You can not very well expect a bored child to stay happy. Good preparation is a must if you are going to keep your kids from constantly asking ‘Are We There Yet”. Pack a variety of activities for the drive. Color Wonder markers and paper are great for younger children. The ink only appears on the special paper (make sure you have plenty of that available). Older children might enjoy learning a new craft or skill along the way. Pick up an inexpensive craft kit, such as cross-stitch, knitting or similar. The kids will learn a new skill and will have a completed project to be proud of after the trip.
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Step 4
As many cars today have DVD players installed, movie watching has really changed the family road trip. We try to limit the number of movies watched so the kids do not get bored with it. If you are looking for an inexpensive way to acquire DVDs for the trip, check your local library. Many of them have a great variety to check out (make sure you will be able to return them before their due date or that they can be renewed online). We have found some very interesting educational and entertaining movies at the library; some favorites have been DVDs which teach the kids sign language or a foreign language. I feel better knowing the kids are learning something while they watch.
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Step 5
Some children will ask ‘Are We There Yet” for no other reason than to have interaction with mom and dad. When the children start getting restless, interact with them before the whining has to begin. Turn on the radio and sing along. Pick a type of music you might not usually listen to for a little extra variety. Or start a story-round. Mom or dad starts the story then each person takes a turn adding a few sentences. You can make the story as short or as long as you would like. This is a perfect time to share stories and memories. My kids love to hear about some of our adventures when they were younger or before they were born. When worse comes to worse, we pull out one of the kid’s joke books and tell silly jokes. It really doesn’t matter what is said, just talking will help the kids wile away some time.
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Step 6
During particularly long trips, we let the kids know they are not allowed to say those words. If they can make it through the trip segment with saying ‘awty’ they earn a special treat. Set a treat that works for your family; for example, stop for ice cream, stay up an extra hour, or have a swim at the hotel pool. Remember to be consistent and follow through with your promise. Since they are all depending on each other to not say ‘awty’ the kids will remind each other and tend to help keep each other entertained.
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Step 7
When all else fails, make a game of the ‘Are We There Yets’. Use an online translator program to find out how to say ‘Are We There Yet’ in three or four other languages. Write the translations on small notecards (one for each child). Don’t forget to put some easy pronunciation tips next to the translation. Let the kids know they can each ask ‘awty’ in each of the languages once per trip so they have to use them sparingly. There is really something so sweet about hearing your four year old ask “Are We There Yet” in Japanese!
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Step 8
If you don’t mind hearing ‘awty’ a few times along the way, try this game. Write each of the four words on a separate notecard. Make a set of cards for each child. Each time one of the children asks ‘awty’ they have to give you one of their cards. The goal is for them to have at least one card left when you reach the destination (or stop for the night, whichever condition you set). They can then trade that card for a treat. This puts the responsibility on each child to not keep asking.
