10 hour road trip..... be honest

[HappyLady]

My DH wants to take a trip that would require us driving 10 hours one way.  Flying would actually take just as long (between layovers and such) and cost a lot more so he wants to drive.  My kids will be 7.5 and 4.5 when we go.  Thankfully we have a minivan with a DVD player, but 10 hours....... Ugh.  We do a trip every year that's 2.5 hours and I'm ready to claw my face off by the end of the ride.  I don't think I could manage 10 hours in a car and I really think the kids will be miserable, which would in turn make my DH and I miserable.

 

So, for those of you that have done it, what are your thoughts?  Is it really not that bad or is it something you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy?  :)  Any suggestions on making it bearable?

[Happy]

We regularly did six hour drives with our two boys--in the day's before DVD players. :)  We also do a 12 hour drive from Texas to Tennessee from time to time. So I guess our guys were trained from early on...

 

For us leaving before the crack of dawn worked well. Both dh and I are morning people. Everything would be packed and in the car except toothbrushes and people the night before. We'd scoop up the kids and strap them in and take off. We'd generally be hours into the drive before they woke up.

 

We also did a lot of audio books...preferring the ones with lots of voices and sound effects rather than just a simple narration.

 

Stopping from time to time to stretch is great as well.

[73349]

We have avoided it so far but might be doing one next spring.

 

If you do it, plan a stop every two hours, alternating between short bathroom breaks and long breaks with meal and running around. Save the DVDs for the end!

[Slache]

Perhaps you could go at night and they could sleep?

[Jenny in Florida]

I don't have young kids anymore, but I've done a lot of drives longer than that over the years. When my daughter was in college, I drove from Florida to Virginia and back (12-13 hours each way) nine or 10 times each year. I often took my son, who was nine years old when my daughter was a freshman, with me on those trips. Typically, I would drive up to Virginia in one day, stay a night or two near my daughter's campus, and drive home the next day. I drive small cars, not a minivan, and none of my vehicles has ever had a DVD player. My son and I like to listen to audiobooks and/or sing along with Broadway soundtracks when we drive.

 

That same daughter moved to New York a few weeks ago. When she left, she flew with just herself and a couple of big suitcases. She's now getting ready to move into her permanent-for-now apartment, and my son and I are making plans to rent a truck and drive my daughter's furniture and other belongings up to her. From where we live, the drive is about 16 hours each way.

 

So, 10 hours doesn't sound all that ambitious or difficult to me.

 

 

[Lady Marmalade]

10 hours?  Totally do-able. We can drive 4 hours at a clip without stopping if we plan properly.  Meaning, everyone uses the bathroom and we have snacks and drinks on hand.  For a ten hour drive I would plan a stop at the halfway point to get out and stretch, fill the tank with gas, refill the snack chamber, things like that.  We like to find parks to explore for an hour or so, even with older kids, you can walk around and take in plenty of fresh air while you gear up for the second half of the trip.

 

7.5 and 4.5 with videos ought to be a piece of cake.  I would have a little fun with them and have them work with you to make the ideal 10-hour playlist.  Two playlists, actually, so you have something different for the return trip.  We drove 23 hours to Florida once with littles and a borrowed DVD player.  We did NOT have enough material on DVD, and the repeats got old quick.

[Meriwether]

Ten hours isn't bad. But my kids are used to traveling.

 

This is not everyone's cup of tea, but I like getting an early start like 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning. The kids sleep the first few hours. I feed them some breakfast food (I pack juice, fruit, yogurt, bars, etc.). The kids watch show. We stop for gas and everyone goes to the bathroom. The kids spend an hour or two doing something without a screen - travel game, books, nap, singing songs. We get lunch. After eating the kids watch another show. We stop for gas and use the restroom. We repeat the cycle of downtime, eat, movie until we get where we are going whether it is 10 hours or 20+. Most of our trips are 4-6 hours, though. For those, we just buckle in and go, usually without stopping unless we need gas or it is solidly over a mealtime.

 

 

[Truscifi]

We have done it. We leave pretty early (like 4am early) or late afternoon so the kids can sleep. We pack a fun bag with car friendly stuff, and play road games like the alphabet game. We also plan stops every few hours to get out and stretch and use the restroom. We take a cooler for snacks, but also plan on at least one longer stop for a meal on the road. It's pretty fun actually.

[maize]

Do-able. We drove over 4000 miles on a road trip this spring, averaging 9-10 hour days. It's tiring but manageable.

[catz]

We did our first 16 hour road trip (over 2 days) when my kids were just turned 3 and 6 1/2.  We had DVD players.  Packed little snacks that came out every hour.  Game boys, phones, iPads, books, colors, audio books, etc are great too.   We'd often making a point to going to a book store and finding some new activity books.  We'd give each kid a map to track progress as the day went on.  We stopped every 60-120 minutes (or so - depended on time of day and need for bathroom, etc) and did laps and calisthenics at rest stops.  We made a point to stop for meals when we could.  We've done many long road trips.  We've also tried to find things to do en route - museums, national parks (junior ranger programs are awesome!), overlooks, quirky sites, etc. 

 

It's totally doable and I actually enjoy it now.  We just did a 17 day road trip to 3 national parks, a music camp for the kids, and I suspect 40+ hours of driving total.  I get TONS of knitting done too.

[Karen in CO]

Considering that we drive 3-4 hours each way to ski and I'm leaving Sunday for a 20 hour drive to visit my brother, 10 hours is very do able.  My youngest has to stop every few hours to keep from driving me batty, but the older two have always been good in the car.  They now watch movies, daydream and chat.   Relax and enjoy.  A good attitude goes a long way.

[Lawana]

I drove 2000 miles by myself (no other adult) when mine were 7 and 5 split into 3 days in a row of 10-11 hours of driving. The 7yo was content to watch videos, but the 5yo wanted interaction the whole way. And neither of them closed their eyes for a minute the entire trip there or back! Of course that made sleeping at night better.

I think it was worth it.

[JustEm]

My children (5 years old, 4 years old, and 18 months) drive 15 hours one way twice a year with my parents to visit my sister and her family. We usually drive through the night one way so the kids sleep for a majority of the trip. They watch movies, I read chapter books out loud to them, they have toys and things to draw with.  Its not a problem at all for us but we are used to it.

 

Have you considered driving half way and staying the night somewhere and continuing on in the morning.  We used to do that when we were younger on a 12 hour drive but that was only because my dad had no one else to drive for him.

[ThursdayNext]

I've done longer trips with younger children, and we don't have a DVD player.

My kids are good car sleepers, and my husband is more of a night owl, so we try to do one way at night. We head out at bedtime. This might work for you.

Also, I grew up taking long road trips. Audio books, snacks, everyone with a personal bag they pack themselves are a help.

During the day, it will take longer, to make it more pleasant. Take bathroom breaks, but also stop and stretch your legs at a park or rest stop. Get ice cream. Or pull over on the side of the road and check out a creek, or cows, or pick wild flowers for 20 min.

 

Then there's car games, like the alphabet game, the animal game, or the license plate game. If you're that sort of family, singing together can be fun for a little while. And if you don't mind competition, prizes for winning games or contests can hold the interest.

 

What I loved about car trips as a kid was the time to just think. I could tell myself stories and use my imagination.

 

Edit to add: we are planning a longer road trip this fall, 27 driving hours, not including stops. But I'll admit to chickening out on that a few times, waiting til the baby is older.

[Amira]

10 hours isn't bad at all.  In my experience, one long day of driving is fine because you're getting there that day.  It's getting back in the car the next day when everyone starts whining. :)

[lynn]

We have driven several times cross country, from N Al to FL  or New England with all our kids various ages at the times.  We plan to stop every 3 hours to stretch, rr, eat.  I find that it really helps to have snacks in the car and everyone to have a water bottle.  Breaking up the trip really helps so stopping to eat or stretch at a rest stop makes a difference.  When we drove 15 hour stretch we tried to stop at Flying J's or Pilots, everyone went used the restroom, grabbed a snack and/or drink and back in the car we went.  The minivan allowed everyone to have their own "area".  We did an 11hr trip in my car and even that was not all that bad. I guess we are just use to it since we have done it so much but even when it was just my boys when they were little it was okay.      Please don't stress yourself out worrying about being stressed out.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

We've done it without DVDs, just a basket of new books and toys special for the ride. We planned stops to stretch along the way.

[DawnM]

We currently do 9 and 12 hour trips almost yearly.  

 

I drove from Los Angeles to Charlotte with a 6 and 8 year old by myself.

 

When they were really little I would drive from LA to Seattle every year alone.  

 

It isn't a big deal.  The kids will be fine.  Stop every couple of hours to stretch and get a drink (DH hates it because I always get another cup of coffee and then have to go to the bathroom again!  hahaha!!!!!!!!!)

 

 

 

 

[Cinder]

You can do it! Breaks at rest areas are good for getting moving. We use our breaks more for bathroom and walking around and sometimes just eat in the car afterward. Audiobooks are good too. Staring out the window is great!

 

Enjoy your trip!

[SoCalLynn]

We took long trips when our girls were young all the time and we always had a blast. I will say that the entire success or failure of the trip will revolve around you and how you approach it.

 

Pack new trinkets and special car *bribes* for the kids, books on tape, special road-trip only snacks, take lots of breaks to stretch your legs. The frequent breaks will add time to your drive, as will inclement weather, so best be prepared. Play simple games like the ABC game or Guess Who I Am. Look for an interesting place to stop for lunch so you have something to look forward to. Take some comfortable pillows and blankets. Look for interesting roadside sights. This country is beautiful, even from the freeway.

 

I hope you enjoy this experience.

[AK_Mom4]

We did many 10+ hour trips when my older kids were little.  This was before the DVD age, so it was books, card games and CDs to listen to in the car.  It's much easier when they are all house-broken as there are fewer "unplanned" stops.

 

We just did a 12 hour ride on our vacation and the kids mostly listened to audio books or played on their Nintendo DS3s.  Even my kid who gets carsick reading could play on the DS in the car.  And I really didn't care how much electronics time they got since we were all really active in the days before and after. 

 

 

[Lavandula]

If you're fine with driving at night and the kids can sleep in the car, the leaving at night might be a good idea. Then they'd be asleep most of the ride. 

 

Breaks add time but they're really worth it. Our family likes long drives and it's always more pleasant when you stop to get a snack and stretch every once in a while. If you have room I'd bring books, music, toys, whatever they like. Can't hurt to have lots of options for if they get bored with one thing.

 

Definitely doable imo.

 

ETA: Mama Geek made a really good point with the acting miserable thing. I remember as a kid I loved long drives/trips but my parents acted tired and grumpy so we all felt really guilty and bad and it just killed the mood.

[Mama Geek]

We travel.  We just did a 15 hour trip each way with our just turned 4 year old.  We did it over 2 days.  It was harder when she was younger, but now she enjoys watching movies and talking and asking questions.  We let her run around rest areas some and try to find chick-fil-a for meals so she can play on the playground while we eat.  10 hours is very doable and if you don't act like it will be miserable your kids shouldn't either.

[Wilma]

10 hours will be fine!  Check out some audio books from the library (videos tend to make kids crabby, I think) and you'll all be eager to hop back in to find out what happens next!  It's very do-able. 

 

In a long drive you will have great times, awful times and regular plain ol' nothing times.  Be prepared for that, and try to take each bit as it comes.  You can tilt the balance in your favor by preparing with snacks, games, stories, whatever, but the bad times will still roll around.

[Barb_]

My DH wants to take a trip that would require us driving 10 hours one way. Flying would actually take just as long (between layovers and such) and cost a lot more so he wants to drive. My kids will be 7.5 and 4.5 when we go. Thankfully we have a minivan with a DVD player, but 10 hours....... Ugh. We do a trip every year that's 2.5 hours and I'm ready to claw my face off by the end of the ride. I don't think I could manage 10 hours in a car and I really think the kids will be miserable, which would in turn make my DH and I miserable.

 

So, for those of you that have done it, what are your thoughts? Is it really not that bad or is it something you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy? :) Any suggestions on making it bearable?

It's totally doable for us, because I do 1800 mile trips twice a year. But if 2.5 hour trips make you insane then you may want to forget it. The only thing that matters is if *you* can make it without losing your mind.

 

Some things we do:

 

Personal pillows in the car for each person.

Physical exercise at rest stops (ball, jump rope, hula hoop)

Surprise bags with a few dot to dots, treats, little dolls, or Legos

Halfway through we stop at Walmart or target to stretch our legs, get fresh fruit and let them pick out something small to play with in the car

Fisher price singalong music (but not the entire trip!!)

Jim Weiss audiobooks

If someone is screaming, I roll all the windows down and play some awesome music until they wear themselves out.

I use yelp or google maps to locate a playground somewhere along the route. Sometimes I have to drive a couple of miles out of the way but it's worth it.

Stop every 2-3 hours whether you feel like you need to or not. As adults we're programmed to just get where we're going but kids really need to get the wiggles out. Your trip may last an extra hour but everyone will be happier.

[Kathryn]

Not a problem at all. We used to do two days of ten hour driving every summer there and back. Especially with a DVD player, it's not a big deal.

[zoobie]

We regularly drive 6-8 hours away (which manages to take us 12-14 hours, lol). We start early, stop for an early lunch, then an afternoon snack (and usually walk around a Target or something), then try to get wherever by dinner. Breaking it into 2 days sounds hellish. I'd rather drive than drag crap into and out of a hotel twice.

[Jean in Newcastle]

What makes the 2.5 hour trips so difficult for you?  If we know, perhaps we can make suggestions on how to avoid "triggers".  

[Annie G]

Ten hours is not difficult.  You can do it!  The more you do it, the easier it will be. We've lived 900 miles from our parents for the past 20 years and we make lots of trips home...several a year.  The more kids ride, the easier it is. 

 

The only bad thing is that once you get there, when you need to get in the car to go somewhere, very young kids might cry because they think it's going to be another all day drive.  

[banker281]

I agree with leaving early so they will sleep the first part of the trip. 

 

[alisoncooks]

We have done it but I don't like doing it.  

 

Here's how I'd plan it:

- a bathroom stop every few hours --  stretch legs, hand out a baggie of snacks, potty

- have something fun for them to open every few hours --  a small toy wrapped in a box, a new dvd, a new coloring book

- we definitely utilize dvds and books on tape (Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Mr. Popper's Penguins, Igraine the Brave were big hits with my 5 and 7 yr olds)

- eat lunch while you ride, if you don't want to make a long stop mid-trip...  a Happy Meal would keep my kids busy for about 45-60 minutes... :p

 

Oh, and my kids' favorite thing:

I have a small car with velcro on the bottom of it, stuck to the inside ceiling of our car.  Take masking tape and make a road across the ceiling, from the driver's door to the passenger door.  Write on the tape any major landmarks (or towns that you'll hit every hour or so along the way).  As your trip progresses, move the car along the "road."  Helps them to see how much further and then you don't have to answer that question 100 times...

[wapiti]

Doable.  We just got back from such a trip with 6 kids in a suburban with a dvd player.  Plan stops carefully - you can search on-line for playgrounds in advance!

 

FWIW, our trip was about 9.5 hrs of driving time and the return trip took about 11-12 hrs thanks to traffic and lengthy meal stops.  Load up on dvds from the library.  Ipads are a bonus.

[vonfirmath]

I have many fond memories, growing up, of our car-trips to see the grandparents. (TX to TN To OH)  That was 3 days driving. 20H

[Pawz4me]

Ten hours isn't a big deal at all.  Barely even qualifies as a trip.  When our kids were that young we'd leave early (4:00 a.m. or so) and they'd go back to sleep for two or three hours.  Stop for breakfast, drive another couple of hours and stop for a bathroom and stretch the legs break.  Drive a couple more hours and it's time for a lunch break.  And then you've only got about three more to go.

[Night Elf]

What have you done on your 2.5 hour trip? Did they have enough to do? Like others, we left super early in the morning so the kids could sleep for a while. We also bought activity books and coloring books. We used lap dry erase boards as a hard surface. We packed lots of snacks like juice bottles, popcorn, goldfish crackers, and pretzels. We drove with pillows and blankets to make sleeping easier. We didn't have dvds at the time. The longest trip we've taken is 15 hours but my kids were a bit older than yours the first time we did it.

[J-rap]

I think 10 hours is definitely doable, especially if you know you're saving a lot of money.  If you're comfortable driving at night, you might want to consider leaving at around noon.  That way, the kids might want an afternoon nap while driving.  Then, when you stop for dinner, they get into their pajamas and drop off to sleep an hour or two later.   You have the rest of the drive at night, but with the kids sleeping you don't have to worry about them being bored.

[bettyandbob]

Honestly, maintain control through airport layovers sounds worse. 

 

Get audio books from the library.

Get a new movie or 2 (save one for the way home maybe)

Pick a few cheap new to dc toys to pull out during the drive 

Plan snacks and lunch and pack in cooler.

Pack the car the night before. 

Leave between 4 and 5 am with kids in pajamas. 

Drive as far as you can before dc are really awake, stop for a light breakfast and coffee for mom and dad. 

After the first stop plan to stop every two hours to run for 15 minutes, make one of these stops a picnic lunch from the cooler

 

Make sure you really take those 15 minute breaks or people will become crabby. Relax about arrival time. Do not skip 15 minute breaks because highway construction has slowed traffic, adding 2 hours to your trip. Running around at break is mentally important for the adults as well as the kids. 

 

 

[Barb_]

What makes the 2.5 hour trips so difficult for you? If we know, perhaps we can make suggestions on how to avoid "triggers".

Good point. Jean.

[chiguirre]

We do a trip like that once a year. We split up the kids in a 3 row vehicle, so GW is in front, Geezle is with the adult non-driver in the second row and T is in the back. We listen to podcasts, music, and short stories. Geezle and T each have an old kindle or ipad. We've never had any problems because there's nobody for any kid to fight with. We stop every couple of hours to switch drivers. I love the jump rope idea. That would make GW very happy at rest stops.

[catz]

What have you done on your 2.5 hour trip? Did they have enough to do? Like others, we left super early in the morning so the kids could sleep for a while. We also bought activity books and coloring books. We used lap dry erase boards as a hard surface. We packed lots of snacks like juice bottles, popcorn, goldfish crackers, and pretzels. We drove with pillows and blankets to make sleeping easier. We didn't have dvds at the time. The longest trip we've taken is 15 hours but my kids were a bit older than yours the first time we did it.

 

I almost thing shorter trips are harder because we don't plan.  We're all just sitting there waiting to get there with nothing to do and lose patience.  We do not put in the DVD players in our minivan until we hit about a 6-8 hour trip.  We intentionally did not buy a mini van with hardwired DVD players because we didn't want to have kids requesting for trips across town.  We have the ones that need to be installed before a trip. 

 

A well plan back pack, water bottle, snack bag, appropriate technology can go a LONG way. 

[Rebecca in KY]

We did it all the time when I was growing up. There were 4 kids. We drove from Oregon to Oklahoma, Arizona to Miami FL, Washington to Missouri...we moved a lot! It becomes normal. My mom was really good at tuning out noise and letting us work things out on our own. If we got too rowdy, she'd make us have quiet time where we all sat on our hands (so nobody could hit anyone else). A few times, my dad threw toys out the window while driving down the freeway...that usually kept us from fighting over them anymore!

 

For us today, we prefer to leave near bedtime and drive through the night. For a 10 hour trip, we would leave around 8. DS falls asleep between 9-10 and sleeps until 7...and then there's only 1 hour left of the trip.

[prairiewindmomma]

We do 17-19h one-way drives all of the time.

 

My kids are happiest when we have audio books, limit toys (we hand out a new thing after lunch and after supper to everyone) and lots of snacks. Learning to travel is a useful life skill. I don't allow quibbling to start.

 

Portable dvd players were helpful when my kids were 4, 3, and baby...this last trip we didn't watch much.

[fraidycat]

10 hours is a breeze, IMO. With a little planning and packing (snacks, toys, audiobooks, dvds) it'll be fine.

[HappyLady]

What makes the 2.5 hour trips so difficult for you?  If we know, perhaps we can make suggestions on how to avoid "triggers".  

 

 

Well, the most difficult part is that I have a really hard time staying awake after about an hour.  Actually, more like after about 45 minutes, even if I'm driving, I start dozing no matter what I do.  We just bought our minivan so prior to that we were all in a little car and I couldn't recline my seat to get comfortable (or else I'd be lying on top of one of the kids) so I'd fall asleep sitting up and wake up with the worst neck pain.  I don't ever sleep for long, but it happens the whole car ride.  I literally can't stay awake!  I would read, but I get nauseous so I'm either just staring out the window or head-bobbing.  I would get a book on tape or something, but if I put headphones on my then I won't be able to talk to my DH, which he says helps keep him awake (he usually does all the driving).  So as I'm head-bobbing I'm feeling guilty because I should be talking to him, but like I said, I can't stay awake no matter what I do.  If anyone has any suggestions on how to stay awake, that would be great.  :)

[Χά�ων]

I have done this. 

We've done it without DVDs, just a basket of new books and toys special for the ride. We planned stops to stretch along the way.

 

For stops, I encourage finding a nice big playground to let them run off steam.

[Kertie]

Honestly, it sounds like fun to me.  What happens during a 2.5-hour drive that makes you want to claw your eyes out?  The answer to that might shed some light on how best to handle a 10-hour drive.  Do the kids fight?  Whine?  

Dh and I drove 12 hours with a 2.5 yo and a 1 yo years ago.  We left at their bedtime.  For the first hour, we thought our plan had massively backfired because the 1yo screamed bloody murder, probably because she couldn't sleep on her tummy.  But after that, they slept the whole way.

I've done a 10-hr alone when the kids were 4.5, 3, and 1.5.  We had a huge basket of books for the older ones, and some books and toys for the younger.  The 4.5 yo and I got sick at different points of the drive--fun times.  I'll admit that at 2-3 hours left, I got really good at pitching packages of fruit snacks to the back of the minivan every time one of them made a peep!

Now we just do what everyone else said--audiobooks, books, water, and snacks.  

[bettyandbob]

 If anyone has any suggestions on how to stay awake, that would be great.   :)

 

chew gum

drink diet coke (this makes me need to go and thinking about needing to go keeps me awake. I try not to drink diet coke otherwise, but on a car trip I will drink it.)

sing 70s disco hits  (I do this with dd 16)

do seated exercises in the car (tighten your stomach, march in a seated position, I'm sure there's more exercises listed on a website somewhere)

[gardenmom5]

I used to do a 15 - 18 hr (one way.  speel limit changed) trip every couple years.  with four kids. 

plenty of room, plenty of entertainment, stop for run around time and potty breaks, plenty of SNACKS that can easily be eaten in the car.  usually ones we don't normally stock.

 

oh, and flying that trip was 2 1/2 hours tops ground to ground.

 

 

[KatieJ]

Totally doable.  We did 16 hour road trips with our kids about every other year to see grandparents.  10 hours is how far away  we live now, and I have grandkids that come visit me sometimes 2-3 times a year.

 

I usually was able to get some new toy they were excited about and save it for the trip.  As they got older, Adventure in Odyssey tapes were bought new for every trip. Find  snacks that work well for your family and are fairly neat in the car.  (No cheetos)

My kiddoes all have fond memories of canned cheese , summer sausage and crackers served up from the glove box in the front seat.  Ok, not healthy, but they loved it.

 

Stopping halfway for a good long stretch helps. We usually just stopped at wayside rest stops and found some grass to run around in.  We were all about getting the driving over with, so no amusement parks halfway there.   DQ was always an incentive to hang in there. 
Pinterest I am quite sure has tons of ideas for what to do in the car.

 

When we graduated up to a Suburban as our main vehicle, we did a lot of switching around the seat assignments.  Older kids got to take turns sitting up front with Dad, and I took turns sitting in the back with the littles.  Variety helped.

 

Note: I use to fall asleep as soon as the car was on too.  Eventually I was DX with sleep apnea.   Now that it is treated, i am fine in the car.

[creekland]

Our kids are others who grew up with long road trips and enjoy them.  Both hubby and I did as well, so there could be a genetic component.

 

Some of our best conversations have been on road trips.  Not only will a good conversation help keep you awake ;) it also makes the time fly by.  Conversations can be serious (life discussions) or crazy (where do you think the best place to live would be if the world went to anarchy, and similar).

 

Our kids were always encouraged to look at the scenery, but they had "help" here in that we tried to stay off the interstates on our road trips... being in firm agreement with Charles Kuralt:

 

"Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything." - Charles Kuralt

 

If we had to be on an interstate or travel was otherwise boring, they could watch videos or read or sleep.  Hubby and I always talk (with or without the kids).  We never really run out of things to talk about no matter how long the trip is.

 

And for the kids, plan breaks where they can run and stretch.  We'd stop at fast food and let them play while we ate, then they ate theirs in the van.  Or, we'd do the same with a grocery store and park.  They loved it - as did we.  When they were older we'd plan some geocaching or other hikes for stretch breaks for us all.

 

In early elementary school in a parent-teacher conference we learned that my oldest "corrected" another student who thought he had taken a "trip" to grandma's house when that "trip" was a mere 45 minutes away.  My guy told him he couldn't count it as a "trip" unless they went somewhere far enough away to spend at least one night elsewhere and not with a relative.   :lol:   We never told him anything of the sort... but it sure was cute.

 

I hope you have fun...