What makes kids good travelers?  Our family knows it requires practice, practice, practice!

We have always lived at least 8 hours away from any of our family.  The longest trip we’ve had to take regularly with the kids was 12 hours.  This summer we will be making two 18-hour round trips to visit grandma and grandpa.  Needless to say, we have learned a lot about the best way to travel with kids!

1. We have a portable DVD player so we do make use of that.  We have learned, however, that too much screen time makes the kids even more crabby and challenging than they are otherwise so we have started to limit them to just one feature-length film per trip.

2. The kids always pack their own “trip bags” with toys and books.  If needed, I supplement with a few toys that haven’t been played with for awhile (and so feel new) or a few new things I have picked up here and there on sale.

3. We pick up a few special snacks.  I especially like a homemade trail mix of Cheerios, raisins, dried cranberries, marshmallows and small crackers.  This seems to make the snack more exciting.  They also eat it more slowly as they pick out the things they like the best.

4. Music and stories on CD (many come from our local library) are a must.  When tempers seem to be flaring, an old-fashioned family sing-along seems to calm the savage beasts and raise the emotional environment in our vehicle.

5. For a schedule, we try to have playtime, snacktime, lunch in the car, nap/resttime, movie time, a drive-through supper in the car, sleeptime and arrival.  This seems to work the best for everyone.

Of course, the major key for a good trip is patience for everyone!

Thankfully, since the time I took this photo, we have graduated to a minivan, a fact that makes everyone, including mom and dad, much, much happier!