Apr 1

Apr 1 What am I thinking? Guide to taking a road trip without electronics!

Do you know the minivan stigma? It has never bothered me. I couldn’t wait until I had enough kids (and money) to be able to afford one. Back in 2012, I got the van of my dreams: a Honda Odyssey Touring edition--complete with navigation and DVD player! This is the perfect road trip van! However, next week I’m driving from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale with just my older girls and leaving my husband home with the twins and the minivan. We’re taking the (oh the horror) mid-sized SUV without a DVD player.

How will I manage to keep my 9 and 11-year-old girls occupied on such a long drive without the beloved DVD player?

Well, Cara, have you ever heard of a thing called tablets? Yes, reader, I have. However, what kind of blog post would that be if I just said “let them be on tablets?” In a display how forward thinking I am, I have prepared a couple of alternatives to the traditional road trip tablets and DVD players.

Road trip games.
- We often play the alphabet game on road trips where you have to identify every letter of the alphabet on road signs. First one to Z wins! J’s and Q’s make champions and crush dreams. Come on La Quinta!!!
- Buy a travel Bingo board game. It’s bound to keep them quiet for at least 30 mins and I don’t have to participate (Heck yeah! Time to listen to my true-crime murder podcasts?!)
Crafts—are you crazy?
- Origami - Think of crafts that don’t make a huge mess.
- Knitting - My daughter thinks she’s 80 years old and can knit…
- What else can you think of? Comment below!
Podcasts and Audible—podcasts are free!
- This isn’t REALLY cheating. Books are great!
- There are great Podcasts for kids and families. Look up podcasts about your destination. Are you driving to Walt Disney World? Check out the Disney Dish among many others. https://disneydish.bandcamp.com/
Snacks
- Teach them to eat when bored at an early age—help develop healthy habits. (But seriously, a snack can go a long way for a hangry kid)
- I make my famous “travel cookies” for most road trips. Ask me and I just may share my recipe.
Tablets
- Praise the Lord