When you’re taking a long journey with the family, you have a few challenges to overcome. First of all, you’re going to want to make sure that the kids are fully entertained for the duration of the trip, but you’re also going to want to make sure that you have your mind occupied too. After all, it’s not just kids that can find the long journey’s boring and monotonous.
There are many ways to overcome these challenges and effectively kill time on long journeys with the family. It doesn’t have to be a huge nightmare, even if long journeys together often are. We’ve got some ideas for how to make things more fun and to keep everyone entertained until you reach your destination. Find out more below.
Make it Possible to Track the Journey
Making it possible for everyone to track the journey and see how much progress is being made can be a good idea. It’ll put an end to that age-old question that parents are asked on every long journey: ‘Are we nearly there yet?’ You can do this by setting up a navigation or journey planner on the devices your kids are using. They can then see the start and end points of the journey, as well as the GPS location of where you all are at any given moment.
Ensure Each Child Has Their Own Tablet
It’s a good idea on any travel trip to make sure that your kids each have something of their own that they can use in their own way. Having one tablet between two or three kids might sound fine, but the last thing you want is for them to be arguing over what they do with the device and what they watch on it. That’s why it’s much better if they have control over what they do, and that’s only really possible if they each have a device that they have control over.
Do Some Extra Vacation Planning
While the kids watch Youtube videos or play games on their phone, you can do some extra vacation planning. We all know that these things often get left until the last minute. And just because you know where you’re going, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have a plan for what you’re going to spend your time doing when you get there. While your partner’s behind the wheel and the kids are occupied, you can focus your attention on this.
Complete Puzzles Together
When you’re bored, one thing that’s sure to keep you occupied is a puzzle. That could be sudoku like the ones available at https://www.pennydellpuzzles.com/sudoku/subscriptions/ or maybe a crossword. There’s a type of puzzle out there for everyone, and on long car journeys that you’re taking as a family, it can be fun to complete these together. There’s an abundance of puzzle options out there, so you certainly won’t be stuck for choice when it comes to these matters. It’s definitely a good backup option to have.
Start a Travel Journal
This is something that everyone in the family can do, and it’s a whole lot of fun too. If each person, or each person who wants to, has their own travel journal, it’s something that can be started on the journey to where you’re heading. It will encourage your kids to practice their writing skills, which is never a bad thing. And you’ll also have the chance to chronicle the trip in your own way, which is nice. Buy a journal for each member of the family and have fun with it.
Break Down Long Journeys with Stops
If you’re on a car journey and you want to make sure that the kids don’t get too bored and restless between your home and your destination, you might want to plan a few stops along the way. It’s a good way to break down the trip and make it seem a little more digestible for everyone involved. This is something you can plan ahead of time when you’re deciding which route you should take to where you’re going.
Have Snacks Ready for the Kids
Another thing you’ll want to avoid when on a road trip with the family is the kids getting hungry in the back seats and causing a fuss about it. This might not be a way to kill time, but it’s certainly a way to avoid problems and hassle, which is always a good thing when traveling with the kids. Ensure you stock up on snacks for the journey ahead of time and plan out what you want to do in terms of meals and when you’re going to eat them. That extra planning will serve you well.
Dive Into a Deep Discussion with the Family
If you want to encourage your kids to be inquisitive and discuss important topics, why not take the opportunity to discuss some important topics. As long as these topics aren’t going to lead to raging family arguments, it can be a good way to pass the time and even adds a little intellectualism to what would otherwise be a pretty boring journey. It could be just what your trip needs.
Catch Up on Sleep When You Get a Chance
This might be a long shot when you’re traveling with the whole family, but if everyone is entertained and your partner has an eye on the kids, you might want to take the opportunity to catch up on some sleep. Travel can be tiring, and if you get the chance to sleep and feel refreshed for when you arrive at your destination, that’s something you should definitely make the most of.
Traveling with the family on long journeys can be a real drag at times, but with the help of the ideas above, you should find it easier to kill some time and keep everyone entertained. So make the most of these ideas next time you’re on a long journey.
