Did you know that more than 1 in 3 Australians plan on going away for Easter? That’s a lot of family time on the road and lots of ‘are we there yet?!’ A bit of planning before a long drive will help make it more fun for everyone, so here are a few helpful tips:
- Snacks, snacks and more snacks, kids and adults tend to eat more when travelling so try to keep things healthy to avoid sugar rushes (and subsequent melt-downs). You also want to aim to keep things as mess free as possible. Fresh veggies, fruit, sandwiches, cheese sticks all work well. Snackables can be eaten in fingers, straight for the punnet and are perfect for ‘on the go’ snacking.
- Individual water bottles are a must for on the road hydration and helps prevents the nagging for sugary take-away options AND reduces the risk of spills!
- A bag full of fun activities to entertain the kids: Fill back-packs with books, toys, pencils, stickers and colouring books for each child. A clipboard is also handy so the kids have a hard surface to colour or draw on. You might want to pack their bag for them and not let them see what is in it until they get in the car, it’s a bit of extra fun for them to discover what’s in the bag.
- Try balancing the screen time with some classic, electronic-free games instead. A favourite is the Alphabet Game where players find words starting with every letter of the alphabet, going in order from A to Z. 20 questions is another favourite; one person thinks of a thing (person, place, animal) and answers Yes-or-No to questions from others in the car for up to 20 questions until they work it out – or lose!
- It’s always a good idea to bring a few extra items that can be useful in ways you haven’t even thought of yet. eg. zip lock bags for left-over food, or wet clothes/shoes. Wet-wipes and even spare toilet paper.
Happy Travelling!