Do you dread holiday road trips with kids? Here are the top three items that help me survive our holiday road trips with kids.
I have been traveling to Ohio every holiday for the past ten years. Driving 6+ hours each way was always a time to unwind from my life in the city. Then one day, everything changed… I became a mom! I wondered how I would ever survive our holiday road trips with kids.
Each road trip had to be planned around the kids. We left at all hours of the night so the kids would be sleeping, I dehydrated myself so that I wouldn’t have to stop or use a public restroom, and the request for Barney and Elmo music overruled my choice of music. I went along with this for years, hoping we would make it to our destination with as little drama as possible. I came to dread the holidays.
After years of searching, I am here to tell you that I have finally discovered the top three items that help me survive our holiday road trips with kids:
1. Crayola Color Wonder Markers
If you ask my three-year-old, Crayola’s Color Wonder Markers are “magical.” They make art in the car possible without the mess. They come in kits with themes, coloring books, coloring pages, and blank paper. The markers will not appear on anything other than the special Color Wonder paper. My kids try to draw on themselves and are disappointed when they see no color. During the drive, the kids can make holiday cards or letters to hand out once we arrive. These are super fun, mess free and will make it easier to survive your next holiday road trip with kids.
2. Headphones (preferably pods or buds)
I finally found the key to my Zen for holiday road trips with kids. I pop in one AirPod, turn on an audiobook or podcast, and I can handle anything that comes my way. The battery life coincidentally lasts until we are about 10 minutes away from our holiday destination. My go-to listens are sports news podcasts and inspirational audiobooks. Often these can be downloaded ahead of time to prevent wi-fi or service interruption while traveling. Any brand will work, and I highly recommend using only one headphone while traveling. One year, I made the mistake of listening to a podcast on the car speaker, and of course, as soon as everyone woke up, something inappropriate was said. The rest of the road trip was spent explaining why adults can say certain words that kids cannot.
3. Portable Toddler Training Toilet
My favorite item for surviving our holiday road trips with kids is the portable toilet… and probably not for the reason you think. I have often found myself in a pickle where I was the only adult in the car. I did not want to take my baby or toddler into a rest stop bathroom where they would surely fall, crawl under the stall, and stick their hand in a toilet (yuck)! Instead of damaging my bladder, I decided that this item can be used for kids and adults, in a pinch. Blankets can be hung from the handles to block the windows or draped over to hide the toilet. Rest assured, this is only done in emergencies. It has been a lifesaver more than once and possibly the only way I survive our holiday road trips with the kids.
Traveling during the holidays can be challenging. Add kids to the mix and it can often spell disaster. I encourage you to find items that make life a little easier and will help you survive holiday road trips with kids.
