What do you wish you had for the DRIVE down?

[CindyCharming]

I'm wading through the clever tips thread and I'm wondering if any of you have some handy things you like for the drive down. We have a 2400 mi round trip to prepare for.

We did the drive last year and one thing I know I really need to get is some sort of travel pillows for the kids. We brought regular ones last year and they did not work out very well. Anyone have any recommendations? I've been looking at backseat organizers too...

 

[smkiya]

I was just thinking about this today. We will be driving about 1200 mi and will go straight through overnight, about 16-17 hours. I only expect to stop for gas the first 8 hours (middle of night all will be sleeping) then a bathroom break and sit down breakfast in the morning. Travel pillows are a good idea... didn't even think of it. Must have dd's nintendo ds (fully charged with a variety of games), and a portable dvd player is a must! I think the dvd player will be a lifesaver, especially for dh.

I wish they had espresso makers that use the car lighters to work, especially since I'll be the one driving. I can see it now, like in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles....

"You're going the wrong way..."

 

[Beavers5]

A driver

 

[kimnvbva]

A time traveler to get there faster!

Seriously, we are going to be doing the same thing next month. (Wow, next month) Anyway, I was going to have backpacks with crayons, mazes, puzzles of course the DS for my son. I think we are going to get those DVD players that attach to the back of the headrests. It should be a 12 hour drive. But the way my DH drives he thinks he can do it in 10. I don't think so.

 

[mickeyluvr004]

A time traveler to get there faster!

Seriously, we are going to be doing the same thing next month. (Wow, next month) Anyway, I was going to have backpacks with crayons, mazes, puzzles of course the DS for my son. I think we are going to get those DVD players that attach to the back of the headrests. It should be a 12 hour drive. But the way my DH drives he thinks he can do it in 10. I don't think so.

Just remember to get ALL the crayons out of the car as the florida heat can melt them did to ours last year what a mess we also are going again next month (we leave in 29 DAYS)i bought my DD's the markers that only mark on the paper and that is ALL they are using

 

[mickeyluvr004]

Also remember to get real good earphones for the dvds as my dd is soooo picky on what earphones she has the ones she really likes are sold at the dollar store but they only sell the specific ones once in a while and she sometimes twists the cord and they separate and she can't hear anything. We used the regular pillows and I am wondering if the travel ones would be better or not? I have one maybe I will pick another one up and have them use those as they don't take up that much room in the car.

 

[tjbaggott]

I just picked up tonight a gently used, excellent condition Hard top roof carrier for our van. That was DH's WISH for the trip and when I saw it online today, I jumped on it! That will free up some space in our van (2 adults and 4 kids, so space will be limited).

Thankfully my kids have car chargers for their ds's. I hope to get one of those organizers box things that go between the two front seats in a van, thats my WISH.
We'll be travelling 2879.50 miles round trip.

 

[smkiya]

I just picked up tonight a gently used, excellent condition Hard top roof carrier for our van. That was DH's WISH for the trip and when I saw it online today, I jumped on it! That will free up some space in our van (2 adults and 4 kids, so space will be limited).

Thankfully my kids have car chargers for their ds's. I hope to get one of those organizers box things that go between the two front seats in a van, thats my WISH.
We'll be travelling 2879.50 miles round trip.

That's what I need to start looking for, the rooftop carrier. I remember my last trip to Disney 24 years ago. My stepdad strapped our luggage on the top of our caravan, and somewhere in Georgia, a driver pulled up next to us and said that our luggage flew off a few miles back. Well we turned around, and turned around again and found our clothes tiling the I-95 asphalt.

Didn't realize the ds's had car chargers. I will be investing in one. Nintendo has bailed me out of many potentially bad situations in doctor's office waiting rooms.

 

[stephie1012]

dd could have used a soft foot rest....her feet dangle in her carseat..we used pillows our made her sit criss cross applesauce but when she fell asleep a footrest would have been good.
Better orginization of the dvd's and snacks...my van was a mess by the time we got to asmo.

 

[frtchr]

Earplugs and Valium.

 

[Tinkerbella001]

Wow, ours is only 2100 miles round trip! We'll be driving from Springfield Missouri. Our Expedition will have 2 adults and 6 children in it...NO room for luggage. We have a little rectangular thing that hooks on to the trailer hitch, and that's how we usually transport luggage. The box for the top sounds like a good idea!

I'm really hoping to drive overnight while the little ones are asleep. That would be a HUGE help! My dh wants to wait and leave early Saturday morning, but then we won't get to do anything on arrival day. Maybe I can change his mind?!

We need to buy a new DVD player for the car, we wore ours out on the drive to Ft. Lauderdale in March!! Does anyone have a good one they recommend? That was our 3rd one.

 

[TinaLala]

Ok we drive from MA to FL every 5 years sometimes with our trailer, sometimes just in the minivan. So here's what I recommend.


Bonine - great motion sickness stuff but doesn't make you sleepy.
Cracker Barrel map - they have great DVDs that you can rent along the way and a great place to stop for a meal - cheap. They also have a car trip bingo game.
neck pillow
GPS
coins for the tolls!
mp3 player
DVD
AAA Trip Tik - must have
Map showing where you started and where you're going. Take a picture of you and put it where you started and then a picture of Mickey at Florida so you can show them how far they've gone along the way.

 

[mickeyluvr004]

Couldn't post this earlier as tooo many eyes around now that the coast is clear I have been secretly buying dvd's (alladin, snow white, scooby doo ) some off ebay and also some ds games and hiding them and when we are in the car I am thinking of wrapping them separatly and pulling them out throughout the trip for suprises. I have been getting good deals and have been doing this all summer I just need to go get a few more ds games and I should be all setI think that this will definetly help with I already saw this dvd 100 times and I am bored I am also thinking of getting the new Hannah Montana cd and having my oldest son put it on my dd's mp3 player and hide that one (she has 2) and take it out on our way out for her to listen too. We leave in 29 days

 

[BenA81]

theme park DVDs!

 

[Chelley00]

We hated the backseat organizers. They seemed to rub the kids legs when the pockets were open, and they were always in the way. We've had better luck with plastic storage boxes with lids to put all their stuff in. We also take one for snacks and one for DVDs.

Our first long car trip I wished we would have taken a small trash can. We keep a small collapsible trash thing in the front, but with the kids opening new toys, snack trash etc, we needed a trash can!

Extra batteries are another must!!

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

Two must-haves for our long trips: hand wipes and plastic grocery bags to collect all the garbage/wrappers/papers/whatever periodically to toss out at stops. Oh, and a third: that bug-b-gone spray for the windshield.

You'd think I'm a neat freak, but honestly, you'd be wrong!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I can't stand a crowded feeling vehicle so I have more issues with the kids wanting to bring too much stuff in the car than missing something that I wanted us to have.

There is absolutely no eating in the car - when we take a bathroom break, we'll grab a snack and eat it at the rest area.

When the kids were little, they each had a small backpack with stuff to play with like dolls and hot wheel cars. We tried coloring stuff but the crayons got dropped and melted to the carpet when we left the car. We also had etch a sketches for each of them then.

The only thing we needed on our last trip was one of those splitter things to turn 1 12V power thing in the car into 2. So now that I've bought that, we'll be fine for our next drive to WDW.

We have Ipods, DS lites, dramamine, portable DVD players (2) with movies the kids have chosen, DH always has to have his stupid laptop that's in the way all the time, and next time I'll have my Kindle. We usually drive the 22 hours to MN with only this stuff in the front of the car. That's all we need now.

Oh and next year when we go to MN, we are flying otherwise we aren't going - that's what I told DH because I'm sick of wasting 4 days driving out of the 8 that he can go.

Driving to Disney is a piece of cake compared to MN. It's only 8 hours.

 

[rileysmommy]

We leave on Saturday morning and I am ready for the car trip. We have the portable DVD player and each kid got to pick 4 DVDs they wanted for the ride. Plus they are getting Bolt as a surprise. Every time we cross into another state my kids get a little treat. Since we travel down I-95, it's easy for my 7 year old to countdown to the next state. These are just small things from the dollar store mostly but a few larger ticket items. And they are all Disney related, of course.

My dd has a DS with a car charger and she sits right next to the outlet and my ds has a Leapster and we have an extra set of batteries for that. My dh bought both of them a new game last weekend. Also this year instead of backpacks I have cloth bins to put their stuff in. Much better than the backpack that is too overstuffed and then too heavy to carry. Both of my kids and I have small pillows with Mickey Mouse pillowcases on them for the car.

We always bring plastic grocery bags for trash, a roll of paper towels and wipes for the ride. We have a bag of snacks and the cooler for drinks. I can't do much in the car without getting sick but I do bring my knitting. That is one thing that doesn't make me sick. I can't read or watch tv, movies, ipod, etc. My other job is to be the navigator and change the DVDs for the kids and hand out the snacks and drinks.

Have a great trip!!

 

[hanutedmansionmomma]

we drive from KS - I applaud those of you who drive straight thru! I just can't not sleep for that long, I think I'd be a zombie when we got there

Anyway here's my 2 cents:

Dramamine
Tylenol
Walmart Bag draped over armrests of two front seats for garbage
DVD player - remind kids to bring enough for both ways!!
Nintendo DS with HEADPHONES
Atlas of US/maps - we have a nice spiral bound one
Not too many snacks or waterbottles - pick up stuff along the way
Pillows
blankets
oh yeah...Pretzel/cheese combos. I can't drive without them

 

[bartleby1]

We leave Sunday to drive down from NJ. My kids have been doing the drive every summer since my oldest was 1-1/2 yrs old. Each year gets a little easier because they are older. They are now 9,7, and 4 so I don't expect any problems. Each of them has a backpack with their stuff. I bought each of them a sticker book (one of the big, fat ones with lots of stickers), I printed out disney coloring pages for each, they each have a pencil box with colored pencils (NO crayons since they melt and make a mess!), a pencil sharpener, some color wonder markers and books, word search magazine, and a few small toys. My older two have their gameboys and ipods and my little one has her leapster. We also bring the portable dvd player. Each of the kids (and me!) have a travel neck pillow and a beach towel to use as a blanket. I bring a small cooler in the car with bottle water (no sticky mess if it spills) and a container of snacks. I also bring a bag of dum-dum lollipops. The kids love them and it kills some time eating them when the kids are really getting antsy.

I also make sure to have a container of wipes for sticky hands and a few plastic bags for garbage.