Whether they are two or twelve, travelling long distances by car is always tough for children. That makes it a good idea to prepare for the journey, come up with some ideas for what to do to keep the kids entertained, and how to make it work so that kids and parents alike don’t end up tearing their hair out. Even a trip across half of Europe can be managed easily. And even enjoyed.
Children of different age categories want different forms of entertainment on long summer road trips.
“Road trips can be a family experience that everyone will remember perhaps as much as the holiday itself. It’s important not to take preparation too lightly and to take advantage of all the options car journeys offer – that means stopping whenever and wherever you want. Have something to look forward to, pack enough food and drink and stay in good spirits,” says Lenka Bittmannová, family therapist at the Nautis Special Education Centre.
Plan it together and make notes
“Getting your children involved in organising and preparing the trip is extremely valuable. It makes the kids feel important, especially when they can have a say in decisions such as how to get to a destination as a family, where to stop and so on. I recommend working with navigation systems and maps, both printed maps and those on mobile devices. Numbers can be fun for some children. They can write down how many kilometres you’ll travel from stop to stop, how many in total, and look up information about the cities and countries you’re going to. There are also lots of travel journals for kids where they can write down their itinerary with your help and draw the important sights they’ll see. In addition to preparing your route and destinations before a long trip, it’s important to get plenty of rest (just as a driver shouldn’t be tired before a trip, neither should kids) and make sure you have your favourite food and activities ready for the trip,” advises Bittmannová.