August is upon us, and teens all over the country will be heading back to school in the coming weeks. For many families, a road trip is the last hurrah to soak up the summer before returning to school.
As much fun as these family trips can be, let’s be honest- they can also be long. With that in mind, we’ve got a list of Road Trip Survival Tips to share, which will (with any luck) help make your time crammed in the backseat or strapped into the RV fly by!
Charge Your Devices
We all know that there are car chargers these days, but they charge more slowly than wall outlets, and the odds are that your time of need will overlap with one of your family members. You don’t want your phone or tablet dying 30 minutes into the Breaking Bad marathon you planned!
Freeze Your Drinks
Drinking warm water while you’re sweating it out in the back seat is the worst. Plan ahead and freeze a water bottle or sports drink to bring with you so that you’ve got something cool to drink a few hours in.
Game Time
Games like The License Plate Game, 20 Questions, and Contact are all easy games to bust out when the conversation has run dry. I also love travel-sized games like “Guess Who,” “Pass the Pig” and “Connect 4,” which are easy to play in a moving vehicle and take up virtually no space.
Bring the Nerdy Pillow
If you’ve got a favorite pillow, or even one of those (slightly weird) neck pillows, bring it along! You’ll be happy you did when you avoid leaning against the scalding hot window on your way to the Grand Canyon.
Stop for String
“The World’s Largest Ball of String” may not fit into your road trip route, but don’t be afraid to plan a few odd stops along the way. Check out Travel and Leisure’s list of America’s Strangest Roadside Attractions and see what’s on your way– you won’t waste too much time, and you’ll probably be surprised at how fun (or funny) these little stops can be!
Plan Your Meals
I like to figure out roughly when I’ll be stopping for a meal, and instead of just driving through a fast food restaurant I use Yelp or Urban Spoon to find a unique, local, and delicious spot to eat on the road! Food is a great way to get to know new places, so experiencing a popular restaurant in a city along your route can take your road trip from 1 to 5 stars in a few bites.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.