Tips for a road trip

[Donald7570]

We've decided to drive instead of fly and will be traveling from MA to OKW leaving next week. First time we have ever driven. We are renting a van as there are five of us (4 adults & 5 year old). We are planning on stopping for one night. We are leaving between 10 pm and midnight. We will have healthy snacks and drinks and things for 5 year old to do. Wondered if anyone had any tips to share as this trip will take approx. 22-24 hours.
Thanks in advance for all your help.

 

[Granny]

Having four adults should be helpful in breaking up the driving, especially if you are leaving so late at night. We always head out early in the morning and drive close to the Florida border by evening. We stay there (avoid the ridiculous Florida hotel tax) and drive in the morning to WDW, arriving just before noon.

If you don't have a small combo TV/VCR, we have found it to be invaluable for our trips. You can get them for under $200 and they plug into the cigarette lighter. Buy a couple of classic Disney tapes...perfect for a 5 year old....and put the TV on a footstool stand between or just behind the middle of the front seats.

Have a great trip and visit "home"!

 

[meeshi]

We drove down to FL from PA when my dd was 4 and ds was 2. I had a box of little surprises. I would give them each a surprise every couple of hours or when the need arose. I wrapped each surprise so it took more time opening them. I can't even remember what they were it was ten years ago. But I do remember listening to kids tapes all the way down and back!
Coloring books, washable markers, small etch-a-sketch, or magna doodle. I have seen those plastic boxes with lids that can be used to store the toys and the lid is used as a writing surface. (I used 9 x 13 metal pan that had a cookie sheet as a lid). Read along books with tapes are good also, and if the 5 year old has his/her own walkman that would be even better. Lots of snacks, fruit snacks or roll ups are my kids favorites. And take rest stops when needed. Just stopping for a couple of minutes and getting out of the car and running around is a huge help to get the blood circulating again. Have a great trip!

 

[Jeff P.]

We have been considering driving as well. I found the following website that has some interesting things to rent and buy for road trips:

www.survivethedrive.com

Hope you have a fun time "going home".


jeff

 

[brittsmum1998]

Hey neighbor....We have dd who is now 3 1/2. The last three out of four trips we have driven. I actually prefer driving w/ dd instead of flying. MORE packing etc. TV is a definate. We take my kitchen combo w/ built in vcr. Hubby built a small "stand " w/ storage underneath which fits perfect in the backseat. She picks 5/6 movies and I tape Nickelodeon for about 6 hours the week prior. We remove one of the captain chairs in the van and leave the back bench. She sits in her carseat in the one capt chair and watches tv. She also has a backpack full of new books and papers. We use the "CRAYOLA MAGIC " MARKERS. They are the ones that only write on a certain paper etc. They also make the special stamp pads. WE bring her special pillow and "blue" blankie. She is in her glory. Never asks "are we there yet" Only question she wants to know is what state we are in. She even starts singing "ON THE ROAD AGAIN" about 3 days b4 we leave. We have not run into this problem YET though you may want to consider bringing a potty chair and some plastic grocery bags if your child tends to pee alot I've heard it does come in handy. For some lucky reason my DD only went to the bathroom when we stopped for gas or food even though we asked her often if she needed to go. I don't know if she has great kidneys or was just REALLY comfortable in her chair. If you haven't driven a mini van on a trip b4, YOU"LL LOVE IT!! Its a great way to travel and has made our trips so much easier...not to mention cheaper! Its afforded us the luxury of travelling home alot more often. Have a wonderful road trip and kiss Mickey for us.

 

[Pa@okw95]

Just make sure you leave closer to 10 PM or earlier. You do not want to hit the Washington DC rush hour. At 10 PM you will be cutting it close. It is a real mess in the AM rush hour at DC