By Nick Henderson 
Are you and your family considering a long drive? Are you unsure whether you are up for it? We have been on several long road trips with our son. We have learned a lot from these trips, and I have compiled seven tips on how you can get the most out of long road trips as a family.
Road trips where you cover many miles in the car with children can be exhausting for everyone. Children, or in our case, a child, can easily get bored and find the trip very long. Driving through Europe with a bored child may discourage some people from taking the trip. But don’t worry, there are ways to combat boredom, including in this article (see point 3).
But first, let’s cover the most important thing:
1. Safety first
Safety is always important. This certainly applies to road trips as well. Make sure your child’s seat is 100% secure. Make sure you have a blanket (or blankets), a first aid kit, a flashlight, and a charged phone with you on the trip.
In the event of an accident, it is important that you have a roadside assistance subscription, such as Falck or “SOS autohjælp.”
Remember that a good night’s sleep is important for a safe and enjoyable trip. If the driver is tired, they can easily become inattentive and put safety at risk.
2. Food
The headline may seem trivial, but of course you need food on the road. The question is: what kind of food?
Food from motorway cafes and fast food in general rarely provides much energy for the body. Therefore, it is a really good idea to make sure you bring healthy food from home.
This could be sandwiches you have made yourself, some fruit and vegetables, etc. However, this does not mean that you should not stop at a café for a snack or something similar, as this can be a nice break. But remember to include something healthy in your diet as well, otherwise you will easily become irritable and your energy will slowly disappear.
The same goes for what you drink. Soda and coffee are definitely a nice treat along the way, but they’re not very good for your body. So remember to pack plenty of water for the trip.
3. Small surprises to combat boredom
Prepare a bag at home with small gifts you’ve bought in advance. These could be small items from Tiger, Søstrene Grene, or other places where you can buy small, inexpensive toys that your child can entertain themselves with. They could also be small bags of gummy candies, raisins, etc. The most important thing is that they are small surprises that can keep your child occupied for a while.
We have used this a lot, and it makes long trips a little easier to get through. However, remember that it should be things that are easier to play with in a car; a large jigsaw puzzle, for example, is not very suitable for car trips. Drawing materials, books, cars, and dolls are good alternatives.
Remember, the idea is not to spend a fortune on gifts before the trip, but simply to fill the car with little surprises that will keep your child entertained for a while.
4. Prepare your child’s tablet or mobile phone
I’m not a big fan of our child sitting on their tablet or phone all day. But on road trips, I’m happy to make an exception – because it can be used for so many things. For example:
Podcasts
There are several options for finding audiobooks that are suitable for your child’s age. You can buy audiobooks on Amazon (yes, they actually have Danish audiobooks), or you can borrow them from ereolen.dk, for example.
Movies
If you already have Netflix, Viasat, or other online streaming services, you can also stream to your tablet. Several services also allow you to save movies offline, so you don’t have to stream them but can simply play the movie directly from your tablet.
Games and play
There are an endless number of games for tablets and phones, so there is no shortage of choice. However, it may be a good idea to find games that do not require your child to be online. It may also be a good idea to find games that are educational for your child.
5. Shared activities in the car
Shared activities are probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a road trip. But there are actually quite a few things you can do together in the car.
Examples could be:
- Sing songs (e.g., alphabet songs: take turns singing songs that start with a certain letter)
- Listen to audiobooks
- Count red, blue, green, etc. cars
- Play guessing games, such as “What animal am I?” (I have fur, I live in Africa), etc.
Make up stories together
Talk about what you would like to experience when you arrive.
Come up with games you can play together to kill some time and feel free to write them in the comments section of this post. We would love to hear your ideas for games.
6. Pack strategically
When packing the car, it’s a good idea to think about how you pack. For example, it’s no use putting the food you need for dinner at the bottom of the car where it’s difficult to reach.
Make sure you have a change of clothes, jackets, food for the trip, drinks, etc. that are easily accessible. That way, you won’t get annoyed that you can’t get hold of something when you need it.
7. Drive at night or early in the morning
If you are planning a road trip, it can be a really good idea to drive at night or early in the morning. Here are three reasons why:
- You avoid the worst traffic.
- Your child/children will get tired and may sleep part of the way, making the trip feel shorter for them.
- you have many miles ahead of you, so you can better ensure that you arrive at your destination at a reasonable time. Especially if it’s a multi-day road trip, it can be a really good idea to arrive at your accommodation in good time so you can relax properly before setting off on the next day’s drive.
There’s something really cool about road trips, the experience of being on the road and the world slowly passing by while the family gets to enjoy each other’s company along the way. We’re already looking forward to our next one!
Have a great trip.