Any Great Tips when Going on a Long Car Trip?

We've done a lot of long distance driving - things I've learned:

Lots of pp say 3AM is a great time to leave, and it is, unless it's going to put you where the traffic is worst right at rush hour - i.e., DC at 8 AM or Chicago at 4:30 PM (Miscalculated and done both. :scared1:) so figure 2 hours of driving for every 100 miles factoring in time for pit stops (kids have to go at the darndest times). Estimate where that distance will put you relative to rush hour and adjust your departure relative to that.

With young kids, plan to stop at least once for a play break. Something as simple as a 1/2 an hour at a McDonalds playground will make your kids much more bearable when arrive at your destination after you've been on the road for hours. I've spent hours walking the hotel hallways after dark cause the pool was closed and the kids were restless after being in the car all day.

Even if you plan to stop for breaks pack your own snacks. The ones at the rest areas are very very expensive and every so often the lines at the rest area have just been so long that it would take over an hour just to get a pack of crackers. That $5 box of Ritz bits indiviual packets will seem like the best investment ever. Also pack juice boxes or water bottles to keep them away from the soda machines.

Similar to pp with the shoe box we allow each kid to fill a backpack full of their own toys and books to keep at their feet. Things that you would never think of they will play with for hours in the car. My DS' will pull out toys from the bottom of the toy bins and i'm always :confused: but they have fun with them.

Have them pack their toys in ziploc baggies or the tupperware sandwich keepers as it's a great way for them to keep their pieces together.

For activities in the car, we found that one or two new toys can also be a true blessing. Something really simple that they have no idea about even if it didn't cost a lot, will really hold their attention. We've found things like an airplane whose propeller will spin when held up to the window or a small fold up play set are awesome.
 
i'm a seasoned long hauler, and so is mr bear.
My grandparents took me from florida to indiana practically every year since I was 1 or 2ys old. I got mr bear on my first road trip and he's been on every trip since.

We always started our road trips about 3-4am (and starting in miami, made us avoid the traffic). I usually slept till 9 and that's when we would get breakfast. But we'd always stop for the night at dinner time, and do something in that area. So to Indiana, we'd stop north of atlanta somewhere. To New Jersey, we stopped at South of the Border.

We sang lots of car songs. And coloring books, but crayon smell made me sick, so i got markers. Since it was a mini van, the back seat was laid down for sleeping with luggage stored underneath. So i'd sit back there and wave to people out the window and see who would wave back.... But seatbelts and safety are a bigger issue now.
My grandfather also had a CB radio and mini 3" black and white tv. But the antenna couldn't pick up much in the country. But i thought it was soooooo cool he could talk to truckers. And he'd find out what was happening up the road.

If this move to cali works out for me... I'm gonna be driving from florida to cali with my stuff. And my friend, a) doesn't want to learn to drive, and b) is sooo not looking forward to doing a road trip. And hates mountains, of course i want to travel over the rockies and through yosemite to get to california. I love nature and everything about it... So this will be an interesting long haul drive for me, and i'm totally excited by the idea.

I did 2000 miles last october. And ohh so pretty driving through gatlinburg and the smokey nt'l park
 
When my kids were a little smaller, I had a clear backpack for each on them for trips. It had a lot of small games & toys. They both like to color, so I got some of the small colored pencils to carry in the car than wouldn't melt like crayons or smell like markers. They were much less messy.
 
I just noticed the ages of your kids. Last year we got Harry Potter books on CD and listened to them on the way down and back. It was great...kept the parents and the kids entertained! And, it was free!!!
 



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