The beginning of the trip is really nothing more then hotel shenanigans and driving and restaurants.
We just have to get the heck out of the middle of America to get anywhere else.
We have had some nonsense moments in hotels in Salina KS and Oklahoma City.
Including but not limited to streaking down hallways, bathing in toilets, picnics on the floor and eating too many cookies to count.
We are not typically bedsharers but have been doing a great job of it.
Ice cream and play places to get out some energy during this weather.
While at chickfila the boys may or may not have been so over being in the car and strapped in that they were lying on the floor in a pigpile while I was ordering food. I began to apologize to people for it and then just said, we’ve been in the car for two days…it is what it is.
Starting tonight we are in places longer than one night…with a kitchen. Maybe we will get some normalcy and routine going…but who is to say what normal really is anyway. I think we are pretty normal and awesome just the way we are.
Plan your family adventure
More from the Americas
Plan for roughly half the driving you think you can do. Kids need movement breaks every 1.5 to 2 hours. The best stops are not the ones on the itinerary but the ones you find by pulling over. Pack snacks that avoid crumbs. And accept that the trip will go differently than planned and that is usually better.
Audiobooks and podcasts for kids work better than screens for longer stretches. Window games. Music everyone can agree on. Letting older kids navigate. And giving them meaningful jobs rather than just asking them to sit quietly for hours.
A car trash bag. A cooler for drinks and snacks. A first aid kit. One bag per person that lives accessible in the car. Entertainment that works without wifi. A physical map as backup. And less than you think you need of everything else.
Four to five hours of actual driving is comfortable for most families with young children. More than that and the last hour tends to make everyone miserable. Factor in stops and add at least 50 percent to driving times.
The national parks are extraordinary and widely underused by families. Zoos in major cities. Interactive children’s museums. Sea World, Legoland, and similar theme parks for dedicated days. And the unexpected stops that were not planned that end up being everyone’s favorite memory.
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