Travelling anywhere with your family can be stressful and if you plan on going away from home, you may want to explore some ideas that will keep your younger travelling companions entertained for the duration of the journey. This could help to alleviate some travel anxieties, as well as minimize any complaints about the length of the journey, especially if you are driving and need to concentrate. Keeping your stress levels down whilst you’re on the road means reaching your destination safely and with everyone in a better frame of mind.
The first option that might be available to you can be the use of small toys or games that are suited for travel. Wicked Uncle has a range of toys for children of all ages that may be ideal to solve this issue. You may want to steer clear of loud electronic toys that could distract you or, if travelling on public transport, disrupt other passengers. Likewise, it can also be a good idea to avoid items that have a number of small pieces, due to the potential choking risk, as well as the likelihood of them becoming lost during transit. Keeping your children amused may help to reduce car sickness, or at least take their minds off of negative feelings until you reach a rest stop.
There are also games that you can play without the need for any external pieces. Over the years, road trip games have become popular, potentially due to the way they can keep everyone in the car amused, and that the driver can also partake in them.
If you’re the designated driver, it can sometimes feel quite unfair that everyone else in the vehicle gets to have fun, while you are left out due to your responsibilities. Games such as I Spy could be ideal here, as you can still concentrate on the road ahead, but also give your own guesses. Road trip games can be a good option for families who want to bond more during all parts of the vacation, not just on arrival to their accommodation.
If there are points during the journey, particularly a long one, where your child wants to do something on their own, this can be difficult to achieve in a moving vehicle. Younger children may also struggle to partake in some games, or even focus for too long. Rather than resigning yourself to complaints and potential tantrums, you might want to consider other means of keeping them entertained. A portable DVD player and some of their favourite movies could be the answer. So that this doesn’t distract or irritate others travelling around you, you may also want to think about packing some noise-cancelling headphones, so your child can enjoy their film and no one else needs to listen to it.
Longer journeys can be hard on everyone, not just the children. While entertainment can be important, you might also want to consider packing snacks and drinks, as well as mapping out where rest stops and service stations are, so that you can all reach your destination feeling happy and healthy.
