Tassie Wrap-Up: Travelling with the Kids

I just found the notes I had on my Tasmania series wrap-up. It’s probably a moot point now providing a summary of the trip I took over six weeks ago. And hasn’t time flown since then? With Christmas, New Year, a busy work schedule and an active social calendar February has just snuck right up behind me and yelled boo! Anyway, I digress. I thought that I might use my new found notes to write a little post on some ‘travelling with kids tips’, because they dominate my thoughts of the trip. So without further ado … 5 tips for maintaining your sanity while travelling with kids:

1. DVD or No DVD: A recent trend seems to be to go for an in-car entertainment system with DVD in the rear for the kids. There are some really nice units out there and I’m sure that some find them a useful way to amuse the kids, keep them quiet for a while. Personally, I think that they’re a waste of time and money and spoil the real fun to be had. There and are plenty of ways to entertain the kids without reverting to the new ‘opiate of the masses’.

2. Games: Call me old fashioned, but there is nothing wrong with eye-spy and punch-herbie. That’s what our parents did with us back in the day when having a tape deck in the car was a luxury item. Our kids actually enjoy these games too. Add some colour pencils, and an activity book for good measure.

3. Music: Ever considered letting the kids choose the music? Yes, I know it’s difficult to concentrate when the Wiggles are all mash-potatoes and squashed banana or George and Monica are going “glump, glump, lardy, dardy, da”! However, think about how the kids will remember your trips, subjected to listening to your tunes. I’m still working with a therapist due to repressed memories of a Kenny Rodgers cassette being on continuous loop from Melbourne to Sydney. Think about it.

4. The Journey: I’m well known for this saying … “Remember its about the journey, not the destination.” Cliché yes. Wrong? No. The most important thing when travelling with kids is to break up the journey and take your time. Stick to your routine. If you wake the kids at 5:00am so that you can hit the road early and avoid traffic, they WILL be crabby and irritable. Plan your trip so that you leave at the same time you usually leave for work, or school and you will find that everyone copes much better. And break up the trip with regular stops. Let the kids play in a park, have some lunch, check out the sites. Even a 10-minute walk along a beach can make a kids day. Remember the journey!! Smell the roses.

5. Planning: While on the subject of planning, share your plans with the kids. Let them know where you will be going, what you will see on the way, where you will stop etc. On the Tassie trip we even gave our kids an itinerary of the trip and copies of some maps with our routes marked on it, so that they could follow along. It worked a treat. They thought it was great and it really involved them and kept them interested in travelling in the car.

So, there we have it: just a few of my tips for travelling with the kids. I hope you find them of some use. I know that a lot of people find it a nerve-racking experience and dread the thought of a road trip with kids. I really love travelling with my kids – I hope you can manage to do the same. Remember, have fun.

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