Driving

[Bedrock3]

Not real happy but DH doesnt like to fly, So we will have a 24 to 30 hour drive ahead of us, We also have a DS[6], DD[4],Does anyone have any good tips!

 

[Chuck S]

Hmmm a 30 hour drive with 2 young kids... Prozac

Seriously, carry single serve bottles of water and drink them to avoid dehydration. Stop every hour to hour and a half and walk around. If you can take the time, eat at a reasonably priced sit-down restaurant so you can relax a little. Allow some extra time for road hazards/construction delays. If your staying in a hotel/motel call ahead for a ressie if possible, then you won't have to worry about getting a room. IF you're not using a video system to entertain the kids, remember the games we played as children on car trips like find a license plate with an A, then a B, etc or seeing what state people are from. Take some scratch paper and crayons.

 

[Laz]

Don't drive straight through. Check into a hotel early and let the children use the pool. Get an indoor pool if it is the cold season. Pools are a great way for children to release all that energy. Plus it can be a great reward to use for good behavior during a long car trip.

 

[padams]

Go to the budget board...there is a thread about entertaining kids in the car while driving to WDW. If I was more tech oriented, I would post a link.

 

[nanalisa]

Do you have a SUV or van? We bought an AC/DC tv/vcr that plugs into the cig lighter. What a life saver. We had our 4 yo granddaughter and 17 yo son and we hardly heard a peep out of them. They had the cooler, snacks, videos and DS had headphones and cd's. They did fight over the blanket so we stopped in Atlanta to buy another! It was peaceful and quiet.

 

[sueg]

I suggest books-on-tape. Sometimes you can borrow them from your library or I am told you can rent them fro Cracker Barrel restaurants. When DH & I travel, we get books that we both like and listen on the car radio. When DSs are in the car, it is harder to all agree on books. We were going to try Harry Potter. If you can't agree, a Discman or Walkman may help.

 

[disneymommyof3]

I agree with the tv/vcr! I took one on our 15 hr drive and it worked like a charm. Also, I bought little things for weeks before to keep them entertained. Ex:
magna doodle travel
small dry erase boards
travel size games (battleship, uno, available at Toys r Us-they have a whole section)
books on tape
a few new gameboy games
coloring books/pads/crayons
It is a LONG drive esp. with kids but, it is all worth it in the end! Good Luck!

 

[buzz5985]

from Wakefield, and believe it or not, I am looking forward to it!!! I think closer to 22 hour trip. I have a 5 yo DS, and a 11 yo canine/daughter LOL, that we are bringing. I bought a portable VCR from Best Buy (gift for Christmas) $179. What's nice about it, is the straps that secure the unit into the car. Plus since I have only the 1 child, the screen can come out of the main unit, and attach to the headrest of the seat in front of the child. You can also attach nintendo to the unit. My parents live down the Cape, so it will come in handy. As you know that is the worst ride from the "North Shore". Stopping in NC on the way home to see my sisters new home. So it may be easier for me, looking forward to Disney on the way down, and seeing my sisters new house on the way home.

 

[Bedrock3]

Many thanks to you all , I will run out and get a travel T.V.

 

[ncligs]

Bedrock3,

My advice, if you can afford it, Have your husband drive down and you and the kids fly.This way you don't have to rent a car either. That is a long time in a car with 2 kids. If he is "afraid to fly", let him suffer the "consequences"!!

 

[chris1gill]

Don't fret!! We live up in Pepperell, about 35 minutes north of you & we drove with our 2 children, then 4 & 2... It was GREAT! You absolutely have to stop overnight, we stopped in Richmond VA but you could travel a bit further South. Then we drove from Richmond straight down another 12 hours and Voila' we were there

On our way back, we stopped at Disneys Hilton Head resort (highly recommend), then we stopped in Richmond & then made it back home that night... Because we didn't push ourselves or the kids, we did just fine & we all enjoyed it a lot...

The kids had crayons & a couple of portable games, along with lots of pop tarts & cereals & juice boxes!! Richmond to Orlando in one day was pushing it, but only by about 90 minutes.. we did okay slightly over 10 hours at a time... we really only stopped for gas in between hotels....

Make it fun for the kids, bring kid music & kid books.... Don't expect to stick to a strict schedule either! How long are you going for? We went for 12 nights at that time...