When you become a parent, but you still love travelling? It can be a challenge to make the experience enjoyable for the whole family. So we would love to share some of the travel hacks that we use when going on a family road trip or even for small day trips.
#1 MAP OUT YOUR ROUTE
Get the kids involved. Take some masking tape, tape it to the roof of the car and mark out the towns on your route. Then take a toy car and use double-sided tape to stick it to the roof next to your current location. Move the car as you continue on your journey. You can even mark certain locations with a star and give everyone a special snack or activity when you reach that location.
#2 PACK SNACKS
Timing is everything when it comes to snacks. Choose healthy snacks for your trip that won’t leave you trapped in a car with a toddler on a sugar rush or coming down from one. You can pack snacks in fun containers and personalise them with everyone’s names. I love using a formula container to divide snacks. You can also allocate special snacks or surprises to a certain destination on your route as mentioned above. PS remember to make a snack pack for dad too ;)
#3 PACK A BUSY BAG (or a BEKI BAG wink-wink)
First things first, what is a busy bag? Busy bags are small activities packed in zipper bags for toddlers or pre-schoolers so they are always ready to keep them busy – wherever you go. They are great for playing during quiet time at home or to keep them busy while in the car or plane on a family trip. The Beki Bag was designed specifically to keep those little hands busy on long trips.
In our premium drawstring backpack, you will find four zipper bags filled with puzzles, drawing supplies and building blocks. Rotate the activities every 20 – 30 mins to entertain your little Beki on your trip.
#4 TRAVEL TABLE
This is a game-changer when travelling with small children. A travel table gives your kids a surface to play on, eat snacks and draw on. No toys on the floor or a messy car with lost fries or scattered crayons. There are so many options out there so browse online and pick the one that fits your family’s vibe the best.
#5 TECHNOLOGY WITH A TWIST
Let’s talk screen time, even though every parent will agree that cutting down on screen time is the ultimate goal we can also all agree that there is a time and place for screen time. We really love audiobooks or short stories and there are so many available to download. You can use screen time as a reward for the last stretch of the trip when everyone is at the end of their ropes. If parents do not like listening to the paw patrol theme song for the millionth time opt for a pair of Kid Friendly Headphones.
#6 CAR GAMES
Brush up on some of the car games that you used to play as a kid. Can anyone remember Car Cricket or I Spy? There are also so many free printables available online. Things like Car Bingo – how cool! Turn a simple game into a tournament, with a prize. Like Rock-Paper-Scissors Road Trip Tournament. Obviously, the games will depend on our crowd and the ages of the children.
#7 ROTATE SEATS
I like to rotate the seating arrangement if we are on a long trip. This helps when you have more than one child. It gives me more space in the back to entertain the baby or nurse him while we drive. So I would offer my eldest the front seat next to dad for a short part of the trip to give her a different vantage point. It makes her feel special and keeps the peace.
#8 CLEAN CAR HAPPY CAMPERS
Be armed with wipes, tissues, band-aids, hand sanitiser and bags for rubbish. I use my diaper caddy to organise all of these things at my feet. Works like a charm. I have also seen people make a small bin out of a cereal storage container, very clever. It keeps all the rubbish contained and eliminates smells from take away wrappers etc.
We really hope that these hacks have inspired you to be prepared and get organised for your next family trip. Try one or two to begin with or go all in and try them all. If you are stretched for time and you desperately need something to entertain the little ones on your next trip, we have a ready-to-go pre-packed Beki Bag available HERE.