Road Trips. Hopefully those two words provoke feelings of joy, excitement, adventure, anticipation and freedom. For others, however, even the thought of a road trip can bring up thoughts of fussy kids, boredom, arguments, unexpected car trouble or the ever-common question, “Are we therrrrrrre yyyyyyyet!?”
If road tripping is something that puts the wind in your sails and the pep in your step…GREAT! But if you’re anything like me and you fear an adventure akin to National Lampoons Vacation or Home Alone II, this blogpost is for you! Read on to discover a few tips, tricks and activities I’ve learned along the way to help alleviate the stress of summer family road travel.
Make a Playlist of Favorite Songs: Before heading out on the road, have each member of the family choose 5-10 of their favorite songs and make a digital playlist with all of the songs. As you drive, play the list on ‘random’ and as you listen through the playlist, the person who picked the song can share a special memory or reason the song was chosen. Another way to play is to guess which member of the family chose the song that is currently playing.
Wave Game: My family LOVES this game and we even play it when driving around town. One person starts and waves to every car or person they pass. If the person in the other car waves back, the family member earns a point and gets to try the next car for bonus points. When there is no return wave it is another person’s turn. Whomever gets the most waves in a certain period of time or mileage wins!
Alphabet Scavenger Hunt: The driver begins this game and searches for something outside of the vehicle that begins with the letter A. For example, airplane, acres of land, appletree, etc. Once that person finds an object that begins with their letter, the next person then needs to find something that begins with the letter B and so forth. For example, blue sky, bird, billboard, etc. There is no winner or loser with this game, so everyone can work together to complete the alphabet as a family!
Eye-Spy: One family member chooses an object within the car and describes it by function, color, size, or the beginning letter of the object. Whomever guesses the object first gets to choose the next item to “spy”. Even my older kids love this one!
License Plate Game: Always a classic, keep a pen and paper handy to write down all of the different states you find on the license plates you encounter on your way. Another twist to this one is to make up a story about the driver of the vehicle based on the license plate numbers. For example, AJ23LCM: April Jones, 23 years old, likes chocolate milk!
Travel Board Games or Activities: Check out your favorite online or in-person retailer for affordable latest and greatest travel board games. They can be fun for all ages and abilities! Some we love include interstate bingo cards, mad libs, hangman and magnetic mastermind.
Scavenger Hunt: At the beginning of your trip, make a list as a family to include things you’d really like to see. For example, a herd of deer, a corn field, a tree taller than a house, a bridge, a firetruck, an antique car, an animal native to the area, etc. You can put anything your heart desires on the list. Kids love to watch out the window to find something on their list!
Whatever you decide to do, make the most of your time with your family. Road tripping can be stressful but it can also be a time to relax, reconnect and recharge. Safe and happy travels, and we here at LiveFree Counseling look forward to hearing about your next adventure!
