For those folks driving!

[jondvl]

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to keep kids from getting sick in the car? We live in PA and drove to Virginia, which was a 7 hour drive and my son got sick on the way down and back. My wife is not to sure about flying and if we were to go we would drive. I think that would be best but I guess we would just need to make a lot of stops if we can not figure anything out.

thanks
John

 

[PrincessMom4]

Not sure all the details around that particular trip but here are my thoughts. NO FLAMING.... It depends on what your child ate before the meal because I know some meals can upset your stomach easier than others. I know from PA to VA is mountainess (not sure how to spell that) and that can easily make someone get motion sick. Your son is 7 (based off of your signature line), was he doing anything in the car like reading or playing on a DS or some other electronic device?? I know ginger snaps really help us as well as peppermint (straight peppermint) lifesavers are a miracle for us. Only concern would be is the choking factor-not scare you but I am overly cautious person. If you think he can handle it without swallowing it whole then I would suggest getting some from walmart. Would he drink peppermint tea?? Another with a good thing of peppermint. Keep the air cool coming in which helps. Take an empty margarine container with u just in case plus a bottle of frebreeze just in case.

 

[jondvl]

thanks for the Ginger snaps( which I would eat before them) and the peppermint idea. None of us really ate much down or back. the sun was beating in his face on the way down and it rained ALL the way home(ugghhh). And yes he is 7 and has a touch of Autism.

 

[PrincessMom4]

My DD had PDD-NOS and SPD.

 

[cksmm5]

My son gets sick driving to the grocery store! Here's what we do for long trips.... First, depending on age, we give him one-half to a whole dramamine (they have chewables for kids), we make sure he doesn't eat a lot before we leave, we never seat him in the way back, we make sure the air conditioner vent is on him, we put the window shades up so the sun doesn't shine on him, we put in a movie to distract him and never give him anything to read! We always bring a change of clothes, a trash bag, paper towels and a "sick bucket" just in case.

BTW...a bonus of the dramamine is it makes him sleepy - of course that's not the primary reason we give it to him

 

[mskermit]

My son gets sick driving to the grocery store! Here's what we do for long trips.... First, depending on age, we give him one-half to a whole dramamine (they have chewables for kids), we make sure he doesn't eat a lot before we leave, we never seat him in the way back, we make sure the air conditioner vent is on him, we put the window shades up so the sun doesn't shine on him, we put in a movie to distract him and never give him anything to read! We always bring a change of clothes, a trash bag, paper towels and a "sick bucket" just in case.

BTW...a bonus of the dramamine is it makes him sleepy - of course that's not the primary reason we give it to him

hhmmm.. maybe i will give DH a dramamine on the way down to make him sleep...

 

[the Fidge]

My 2 year old loses his mind driving 10 minutes home from the grocery store. Any tips here for driving with little ones? I have a DVD player. I'm guessing we'll be stopping a lot to let him run around. My other two are 8 and almost 4 and have more patience for longer stretches in the car.

Thanks! I'm just wondering what we're going to do if ds starts screaming "out, out! I want out!" We can't stop every 20 minutes!

Best to drive when he can sleep the most. I always traveled with DS in PJ's and something easy to change him into. We would stop for changes where there would be the least stimulation to keep him calm. The favorite sunggle toys and movies naturally. I spent alot of the time in the back singing all his favorite lullabies and playing his favorite music on CD's. I would give him a new little toy for each hour when he was awake, Good luck it may get rough in sposts but well worth it!

My boy is now 14 and prefers now to drive instead of flying he loves the ride NOW!!!

 

[molfrog]

I would much rather fly, but my wife hates it. We have a 20 drive, and with kids, it takes longer. The one time we flew, it only took us a little over an hour.

 

[100AcreWood]

Thank you for all of your suggestions! It's going to be a LONG day but hopefully he will fall asleep and at least take some naps here and there!

 

[nellyru]

A neighbor of ours who goes on trips with her kids quite often said that 1/2 of a Dramamine works great.
And she also said it does make them sleepy for about one hour or so. Something to think about.
I know we will most likely be using the Dram. on our trip this winter!
I think I probably will need it as well!

 

[beachgrl001]

We are stopping overnight in Savannah, Hoping to get ther around 5pm. we are staying at the Cambridge suites (airport) is there anything to do in that area? How far is the historic distric from there? Could we just go and walk around? or is it not like that?

 

[beachgirl2000]

We are stopping overnight in Savannah, Hoping to get ther around 5pm. we are staying at the Cambridge suites (airport) is there anything to do in that area? How far is the historic distric from there? Could we just go and walk around? or is it not like that?

Haha! Our names are so similar that at first I thought I posted this!

We stayed in Savannah last year at a Best Western right off of 95 -- By the time we got there, we were so pooped that we swam in the pool and went to eat at a Ruby Tuesday and then went to bed and got up at 4:30 a.m. and headed to AKL. Have fun!

 

[beachgirl2000]

**Tip** For those driving from up North -- Beware going on 95 South through the DC Area -- there is a section of 95 where the speed limit goes down to 50 MPH -- We didn't (actually we probably DID) realize it and never slowed down -- There was a van on the side of the rode with a tripod and a camera and a week after we got back from Florida, we got a $50 ticket in the mail -- So just beware for the speed limit change because they will get you!

Not to mention, my father swears the southerners hate us Yankees and love to ticket us!

 

[alicia080979]

I am making my way through this thread looking for info on driving I-75 S. We are coming from Cincy everything I am finding is on I-95. Does anyone have any info (tips, best route, stops, etc.) for traveling 75? Last year it seemed like we went way out of our way to get to Disney by looking at the map...I don't remember what it was but I'm trying to find the best route once we get in FL.

 

[trishie30]

We are taking the Auto Train this November - (Day after Thanksgiving!)
Has anyone taken the Auto Train before???

What was your experience like?

DH and I took the Auto Train in May 2007 with DD2 and DD3 and it was great. Spring for the cabin! Well worth it to have access to the semi-private bathrooms and shower. The family bedroom sleeps 4 (2 need to be kids), has a tiny closet (as deep as a medicine cabinet), and storage space under the bed once it's folded down, but be very selective about what you bring with you as there is not a ton of storage space. The Lorton station is great, but the Sanford station is little more than a whistle stop, so plan accordingly (read as: bring your own snacks and entertainment). If you have a portable DVD player, bring it with you as the lounge TV was tiny and as far as I could see there were no movies. The top bunk is tight to get in and out of, but once you're there it's fine. Food in the dining car was great at dinner, but they don't take reservations for breakfast so it's first-come, first-served and a bit chaotic. Once you arrive in Sanford you're only about 45 minutes from the World, which is nice for departure day too; we were able to stay in Epcot until about 12:30 and then headed over to get to the station. The biggest problem with the Auto Train is the cost - I just priced it out for our November trip and it was over $2000, even with the AAA discount. It's worth it for the ability to rest on the way down and back, but only if you book early and get a great rate.

 

[trishie30]

We've stayed in Savannah several times, and unless you want to drive into the historic district there's not a lot to do. From 95 the historic district is maybe 20-30 minutes. If you think you'll get there by 5:00, would you consider continuing on to WDW? It's only about 3 1/2 hours farther from there. If you can't get a reservation at Disney, the Embassy Suites off 535 is nice and you get free breakfast.

 

[DJFan88]

We've stayed in Savannah several times, and unless you want to drive into the historic district there's not a lot to do. From 95 the historic district is maybe 20-30 minutes. If you think you'll get there by 5:00, would you consider continuing on to WDW? It's only about 3 1/2 hours farther from there. If you can't get a reservation at Disney, the Embassy Suites off 535 is nice and you get free breakfast.

It's 4 1/2 almost exactly. We just got back and I've timed everything. My husband is a regular driver, no speed deamon but no sloucher either. He drives mostly 70 mph.
Another great option - Usu. by the time we get to Savannah we are faced with this same question. And we've done it both ways. Usu. we trudge on and stay at int'l drive the night before, but getting through Jacksonville and Orlando when you are dead tired and those last 4 1/2 hours after you've driven 16 hours is just aweful.
So, this year we stopped at Savannah. Got to bed really early after a nice supper -- aim for 8 pm sleeping. Then we wake up at 3 am., leave by 3:30 am and are there checking in at our Disney hotel and getting our KTTW by 8 am. Fresh and ready. That way you miss Jacksonville traffic too. Orlando is busy, buy heh, you're so close and they got those nice little signs that tell you where you'll be in 15 min. If you're room is not ready yet, you can still go to a park or swim or something.

 

[allmydisneydreams]

We are planning to drive down from NJ (Cherry Hill area ) in October.

I am thinking of leaving at 3:00 when the kids get off school (on a Friday afternoon) and going down the Bay Bridge Tunnel way to avoid Friday night in Washington. Has anyone ever tried this? We were in Williamsburg last weekend, took that route home and it took 7 hours to get home ... I'm not sure how long it would take to meet up with 95.

Mapquest has that route at 15 1/2 hours ... so assuming that we could get in 8 hours of driving & a dinner break , we'd drive until midnight, stop, then have about 7 1/2 hours the next day.

With three kids & stops it would probably be more like 9-10 hours, right? So if we were on the road by 9 AM we are looking at getting there Saturday night ...

I'd love to do it quicker but I am not sure we could drive all night. DH and I are leaving it open as an option. I'm just worried that we'd get to 3 or 4 AM and be too tired, then have to stop anyway and have wakeful kids just a couple of hours later.

Any suggestions?

 

[trishie30]

We are planning to drive down from NJ (Cherry Hill area ) in October.

I am thinking of leaving at 3:00 when the kids get off school (on a Friday afternoon) and going down the Bay Bridge Tunnel way to avoid Friday night in Washington. Has anyone ever tried this? We were in Williamsburg last weekend, took that route home and it took 7 hours to get home ... I'm not sure how long it would take to meet up with 95.

Mapquest has that route at 15 1/2 hours ... so assuming that we could get in 8 hours of driving & a dinner break , we'd drive until midnight, stop, then have about 7 1/2 hours the next day.

With three kids & stops it would probably be more like 9-10 hours, right? So if we were on the road by 9 AM we are looking at getting there Saturday night ...

I'd love to do it quicker but I am not sure we could drive all night. DH and I are leaving it open as an option. I'm just worried that we'd get to 3 or 4 AM and be too tired, then have to stop anyway and have wakeful kids just a couple of hours later.

Any suggestions?

Hmm, this is a tough call. I might consider actually waiting an hour and leaving at 4:00, and if it takes you three hours (plus or minus a bit) to get to DC you'd miss most of the traffic there. DC tends to be a pretty 9 to 5 town, so hitting the loop at 7:00 wouldn't be bad. If you're through DC by then you could be well into North Carolina by midnight. You'd still have a fair amount of driving the next day - give or take about 9 hours.

We tried the Bay Bridge tunnel last year and didn't find that it saved us much time. We also did the Cape May Ferry two years ago...a fun boat ride, but getting from Lewes, DE over to 95 took forever! We won't be doing that again.

The real key to this is whether you and your husband can take turns sleeping in the car, and whether your kids will nap. We never leave at night because my husband can't stay awake in the car once it gets dark, and I can't drive all night either. If you could go through the night, you could get to the World in the early afternoon...good on you if you can, we never will! Plus, now that the days are getting shorter, it will start getting dark even earlier.

We keep trying different routes - in November we're doing the PA Turnpike to 81 route, which we hear moves along pretty well. We are planning to leave at 2 am and drive straight through. Mapquest says it should be about 19 hours total so we will arrive that night, tired and cranky but there!

Good luck to you!

Trish

 

[crzy4dsny]

We are planning to drive down from NJ (Cherry Hill area ) in October.

I am thinking of leaving at 3:00 when the kids get off school (on a Friday afternoon) and going down the Bay Bridge Tunnel way to avoid Friday night in Washington. Has anyone ever tried this? We were in Williamsburg last weekend, took that route home and it took 7 hours to get home ... I'm not sure how long it would take to meet up with 95.

Mapquest has that route at 15 1/2 hours ... so assuming that we could get in 8 hours of driving & a dinner break , we'd drive until midnight, stop, then have about 7 1/2 hours the next day.

With three kids & stops it would probably be more like 9-10 hours, right? So if we were on the road by 9 AM we are looking at getting there Saturday night ...

I'd love to do it quicker but I am not sure we could drive all night. DH and I are leaving it open as an option. I'm just worried that we'd get to 3 or 4 AM and be too tired, then have to stop anyway and have wakeful kids just a couple of hours later.

Any suggestions?

3:00 on a Friday could be dangerous no matter where you are going. Think about sleeping Friday night and leaving at 3:00am Sat. morning instead. Drive straight thru and arrive Saturday evening around 7. The first couple hours may be a little rough but then the sun comes up.