Let’s be real: An 8-hour road trip with kids isn’t a vacation, it’s an endurance test. If I have to say “stop touching each other … stop looking at each other” another time, I might just strangle myself with the seat belt.
Taking a road trip with kids can be challenging for several reasons. Here are some common factors that contribute to the difficulty:
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😑 Restlessness and Boredom
Children often have shorter attention spans and can become easily bored during long car journeys. This can lead to restlessness, fidgeting, and frequent requests for entertainment. Having multiple options to chose from will help fight boredom.
Practical Hack: Get a lot of low-cost items from the Dollar Tree or Target dollar spot. Wrap them up individually with wrapping paper, and hide them either in your console or at the spare parent’s feet. Then, when boredom kicks in, give them something “new” to unwrap. Sure, the wrapping paper makes an extra mess, but it will buy you a few minutes.
My youngest loves these Melissa & Doug Water Wow! coloring books, and I love how they are mess free! We even took them to the Braves game recently, so he would have something to do in between the Home Depot Tool Race and the multiple snack trips:
🚙 Limited space
Cars typically have limited space, especially compared to the freedom of movement available to children at home. The restricted space can make kids feel cramped, uncomfortable, and more likely to experience discomfort or frustration.
Practical Hack: If you have a third row, consider a roof-top luggage rack to give kids more space to spread out. If not, on restroom breaks take a few minutes to play Simon Says or Red Light, Green Light.
Don’t have roof racks? They make luggage carriers now that work on cars and SUVs without!
🤢 Motion Sickness
Some children are prone to motion sickness, which can make road trip with kids particularly challenging. The combination of motion, confined space, and reading or looking down at electronic devices can trigger nausea, dizziness, and vomiting.
Practical Hack: Talk to your doctor about medication or wearables that can help lessen feelings of nausea. Also keep Dramamine and disposable bags handy in the glove compartment just in case.
📅 Lack of routine
A change in routine can be hard for anyone, but particularly for neurodivergent children. Being away from home and traveling disrupts the usual daily routine that children are accustomed to. This change in routine can make them feel disoriented, irritable, and unsettled.
Practical Hack: Give a relaxed routine in the car such as- first we will listen to a podcast, then color, then open some of the new activities we brought, etc. You don’t have to tell the kids all this upfront, but have it in your mind. Sometimes parents need a routine too.
👾 Limited Activities
Long car trips often lack the variety of activities available at home. This absence of options can lead to a monotony that exacerbates restlessness and boredom in children.
Practial Hacks: Have some ideas and games prepared. Here’s a list to choose from that are perfect for a road trip with kids:
- Listen to a podcast or book on tape together (many libraries have these for free)
- The alphabet game
- Mad Libs
- 20 Questions or Guess in 10
- Pack a picnic and some sports balls for a lunch and a game at a rest stop
🙋 Designate a Helper
On our road trips with kids, one parent is driving and one is helping. The helper honestly is more work. The helper passes out snacks, troubleshoots electronics, wipes boogers, you name it. This way, the driver can focus on driving safely. (So, sorry, Dad! No naps this trip.)
Practical Hack: If you are the solo driver, assign a older child to be the helper. Also, chat with kids before the car ride about safety and what is and isn’t good for the driver.
😡 Sibling Conflicts
Being in close proximity for an extended period can increase the likelihood of sibling conflicts. Children may bicker, argue, or fight over space, belongings, or personal differences, creating tension and stress for everyone involved.
Practical Hack: I don’t have one! But seriously, if anyone can figure this out. Please let me know.
🕹️ Lack of Control
This is another aspect of road trip with kids that tends to affect my neuro-spicy kids more. Road trips mean they are taken away from the comfort and environment where they feel most comfortable and in control.
Practical Hack: If you can give some choices, this can help (e.g., we are stopping at exit 555, do you want to eat burgers or chicken?) Or if you are at a gas station or rest stop, let them pick their own snack. Finally, let them decide on the next activity or a podcast to listen to in the car. Of course you may have to take turns on who picks, if the kids can’t agree.
🛣️ In Summary
Look, you can plan, you can pack, you can buy all the mess-free markers in the world, and you can preload that absolute perfect family-friendly podcast. You might still end up with a kid screaming because their cookie broke, a sibling fight that feels like a cage match, and a sudden, inexplicable bathroom emergency two minutes after you passed the last rest stop.
When that happens, and it will, you only have one job: Grit your teeth, focus on the road, breathe.
And remember, we’re making memories, dammit!
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