Vacationing has been proven to be good for the soul. It allows for relaxation, family time, pampering, fun time, quality time and building memories all at the same time. I would say it is a must that a family vacation at least twice a year and have several weekend getaways. The routines of life can zap your time spent together as a family. Vacationing allows you the opportunity to talk, play games together etc. uninterrupted.
Holidays, vacations, birthdays, anniversaries, spring break, etc. are when most families go on vacation. Hotels, motels, resorts, cruises, etc. are some of the many places people stay and go during vacation. Travel is either local or out of town. Choosing the best location for the family that provides fun activities for everyone takes planning and understanding of your family’s needs.
We are a family of 6. Our children ages range from age 8 to 6 months. We are a vacationing family from overnight stays to up to 7 day stays. The hubby and I have been traveling since we met and no addition to the family has stopped us yet. The key to it all, is that we invested in a timeshare. We have had the vacation club/timeshare the entire time of our marriage. We both agreed to travel and we both knew we wanted a family. The vacation club we are apart of provides rooms that are like a home away from home; which makes it great for our family. We have kitchens, living rooms, dining rooms, multiple bathrooms, pools, family activities are available at the resorts and they provide gifts for birthdays and anniversaries.
Our last trip was a 17 hour drive. We drove through several states and stayed over night 4 different places. Our kids are a little older since the last time we took this trip 2 months ago. The 6 month old wakes up more now, and the 2 year old desires to get out of her car seat more. She also has more vocabulary now which creates more questions along the drive. We like to travel with as less stops as possible. Some may say, “How is that possible with 4 little kids?” Below I have provided a few tips to use when traveling with multiple young kids for long periods of time.
- Ensure you have WiFi in the vehicle you are traveling in to ensure everyone has access to the Internet on their own phone, lap top, iPad, etc.
- Rent movies from the local library for the kids to watch during the drive, or rent from Redbox.
- Have the potty with you inside the vehicle for immediate use.
- Pack lots of snacks.
- Make sure each child has something to play with during the ride that they enjoy.
- Sing together while going down the road.
- Make the drive adult and kid friendly to take the length of the trip off the mind of the kids.
- Let the kids pick the hotel for the city you will be staying in over night during the drive so that they can be excited to arrive at their first destination despite how long it takes to get there.
I hope that these tips will assist you in having a fun drive while road tripping with the little ones. Remember every family need a vacation and no matter where you go, proper planning is needed every step of the way.
Feel free to leave a comment letting me know if this was some helpful information that can be used for future family vacations.