My Road Trip Rules traveling with Kids

I have rules to my road trips that my father never would have allowed. When our car leaves the driveway we start our journey, not when we arrive at our destination.

The first rule being, all stops must be at great places.
I understand wanting to get somewhere in decent time, but stopping is the best part of a road trip and should not be rushed. I’m not suggesting a sit down meal, unless of course it’s Cracker Barrel, which is another topic altogether.  But going in and stretching your legs a bit looking for treats is key. A great stop simply has lots of choices. We have 5 kids in our family and every one likes something different.

I’m partial to a little spot off 95 in South Carolina that serves up ice cream, soda pop in a bottle and homemade breads if you’re there on a good day.  Our family knows it’s open if the dog is hanging out on the front porch. For my husband purchasing a great t-shirt, or a Johnny Cash cassette, makes him happy.

The second rule is I haven’t allowed a dvd player on road trips yet. We make family music playlists.
We used to make road trip cd’s and now we make playlists on the ipods. Everyone gets to choose their own music and each list gets one “bye” as in goodbye, that song stinks.

I enjoy interacting with my children in the car and  yes, listening to them bicker has made me consider leaving them in a few places.  Overall, having them cooped up in a car with nothing to do but talk, or sleep, for hours on end is a great way for me to learn more about them.