Road Trippin!

Whether you’re planning a one-tank trip and keeping close to home, or trekking cross-country, you’ll find that a little preparation will go a long way toward getting there with your sanity intact!

Make a List

About a week before your trip, make a list of everything you think you’ll need. Dedicate one spot in your home for gathering everything on the list. Place a check by each item only after you have placed it in the gathering spot. By the time you’ve checked off every item on your list – you’ll have it all at your fingertips for easy packing.
 

Plan Your Route

GPS units are an invaluable tool – whether they’re in-dash or handheld. You can key in your destination, tell the unit whether you want the shortest route or if you hate interstates and it will plot your course for you. If you’re a AAA member and not really into gadgetry, you can request a TripTik – a map that not only marks your route, but guides you around road construction – saving valuable time and headaches. Or, you can always go old-school and grab your trusty atlas and plan the route yourself. If you’re the super adventurous sort, give the kids a copy of the map and have them plan the route to your destination!

Try to plan in plenty of stops, especially if you’re traveling with kids. They can only take so much time in the car without a break. Hokey roadside attractions are a sure-fire family memory in the making. (You know you’ve always wanted to see the Blue Hole!) Parks and picnic areas are also a great place to get out, stretch your legs and play a game of tag to run off some pent-up energy. If you’re traveling with pets, be sure to bring along plastic baggies to clean up after them.

Vehicle Maintenance

Make sure your vehicle is up to date with its regular maintenance before you ever leave your driveway. Your local garage can give you a fresh oil change, check your tires, breaks, air filter and make sure all your fluids are topped off. Let’s face it, most of us would rather spend our vacation lounging in a comfy beach chair rather than perched on a hard plastic chair at a repair shop.

Pack ‘er Up

When packing for your road trip, organization is key. Compartmentalizing is an easy way to keep what you need at your fingertips. Pack medicines and first aid supplies in one area and toiletries in another, sealing potentially leaky items in plastic baggies. If you can manage it, rather than packing one large bag for multiple people, give everyone their own small bag. Place the items that you won’t need until you reach your destination (most of your clothes) in the bottom of the trunk. Items you’ll want to grab on-the-go (iPods, activity books, etc.) should be within easy reach toward the top.

Don’t forget to pack your destination-related items. Is there a body of water or pool where you’re going? In addition to the swim suits, don’t forget the beach towels, sun screen and water shoes. If your heading for hiking country, don’t leave your broken-in hiking boots behind, and pack your favorite wool socks and plenty of bug spray!

Prepare for Snack Attacks

If you’re taking a vacation from healthy eating, you’ll have plenty of fast food establishments to choose from along the way. But, if you’d rather avoid the temptation of super-sizing your fries, pack a cooler with your favorite drinks and snacks. Bottled beverages with screw-on caps travel well as do sippy-cups for the kids (juice boxes are a squeezable disaster just waiting to happen.) Great snacks to pack are string cheese, pretzels, sandwiches, bagels, granola bars, and apple slices. If you have younger kids, try making a cereal pouch. Get small bags with draw-string closures, line with a plastic sandwich bag and fill with the kids favorite cereal. Attach a long cord or lanyard to the top of each bag and have the kids wear them around their necks like a necklace. When the kids need to take the edge off their hunger, they can just tug open their pouch and snack away!

For those of you traveling with a pet, it’s a great idea to bring along collapsible bowls for food and fresh water. Your furry friend is bound to get hungry along the way, too!

Beat the Boredom

Make the miles fly by faster (and with less likelihood of ripping every last hair out of your head) by playing games or offering distractions. Here are some road trip favorites – from the wonders of technology to good old family fun!

• Audio Books Stop by your local library before you leave and check out a few books on tape or CD. There’s a great selection, from history to autobiographies to fantastic fiction from your favorite authors. If you have a separate sound system for the back of the vehicle or a portable player, you can even pop the headphones on the kids and let them listen to their tale, while the grown-ups listen to their own up front!
• DVDs All hail the maker of the portable DVD player – not to mention the genius who decided to build them directly into cars! Pull favorites from your own library at home or borrow something never seen from friends or the public library.
• Twenty Questions One player thinks of a famous person, place or thing. Everyone else gets to ask the player a question, which must be answered with “yes” or “no”, or they can guess the answer during their turn. The first person to guess correctly gets to come up with the next person, place or thing.
• License Plate Game Make up fun phrases to match the letters in the next license plate you see. For example, PLC = Porcupines Love Cheesecake. Or, you can compete to see who can come up with all of the letters in the alphabet first. Or, see who can collect the most number of states!
• I’m Going On A Trip Start the game by saying, “I’m going on a trip and I’m bringing…”. The first player should name an item that starts will the letter “A”. The next player will say the same thing, but name an item that starts with the letter “B”. Go until you get to the letter “Z”. To test your players’ memories – repeat each item that has been named before you come up with the next item on the list.
• The Royal Treatment For the next 10 minutes, everyone in the car has to speak like they’re a fairy-tale prince or princess. For example, Person 1: “Squire, where art thou taking us for our royal luncheon?” Person 2: “My ladies, thou shalt delight in dining in the royal carriage when we next pause to rest the horses.” Person 3: “Please remind the servant that we will require royal fries with our shakes.” Next time, mix it up with a slow drawl, like cowboys from the old west.
• I Spy Someone picks out an item that everyone in the car can see. Then they say, “I spy something…(shape or color). Then everyone in the car takes turns asking “yes” or “no” questions about the item. The first person to guess gets to be the next spy.
• Story Starters Have someone come up with the beginning of a story. Then, everyone in the car gets to take turns adding a sentence at a time. Here’s an example of a story starter: “It was getting dark when the ( your family name here ) family finally reached the old cabin in the woods. When they pushed open the creaky front door, they were startled to find…”
• Billboard Alphabet Starting with the letter “A”, find words on billboards that start with each letter of the alphabet until you get to letter “Z”. (If everyone agrees, you can skip over Q, X and Z.) The first one to the end of the alphabet gets to pick the next game!

With advance planning, a car full of goodies, and plenty of time to reconnect with your family, you might just decide that flying really is for the birds!