This photo is from: http://seattletimes.com/html/traveloutdoors/2018593948_maps04.html
This is a guest post by Julie Henning, the Feed Me and Geocaching editor for Road Trip for Families, a site for families who love the open road. An expert in family-friendly Wisconsin, she has written two iPhone apps, Madison Loves Kids and Milwaukee Loves Kids. A member of the Midwest Travel Writers Association, Julie is a regular contributor to her hometown newspaper in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, where she lives with her husband and three young children.
Some of our most formative memories happen away from the monotony of the daily grind – and no place better than on a road trip. From forgetting grandma at the gas station to swimming with dolphins, family vacation can bring out the best (and, yes, the worst) parts of your personality. As an editor with the online family travel website Road Trips for Families, our party of five frequently packs up, crams in, and heads out on the open road in the name of education, adventure, and togetherness.
A mom of three, boys on either side of a “girl sandwich”, this weekend we left the “meat” at home with her dad and set off for our very first mother/son adventure. Reducing the kid count by 1/3 and completely removing a gender instantly changed the dynamic of our group. To begin, we all fit in the smaller, more fuel efficient car (not to mention, everyone within arm’s reach and crumbs and clutter contained to one row – yes!). Barbie and Ken planned a staycation at the community pool, while Darth Vadar and Luke Skywalker really needed a change of scenery.
Planning for fewer arguments and more general agreement, the boys (ages 7 and 4) seemed even more amped at the idea of a “big” adventure. I was thankful our itinerary in Chicago Southland was packed full of large-motor activities including swimming, miniature golf, a children’s museum, baseball game, and nature center (read all about our adventures on Road Trips for Families here and here).
I’m not a behavioral expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I did observe the boys were more excited, less focused (sitting “still” for an entire meal at a restaurant has slightly worse odds than playing the lottery), and easier to tire (cry, complain, obsess over “how many more minutes”) the longer we were on the road. As a result, we broke up the three hour drive from Wisconsin to Illinois and implemented many of these survival tips:
Miniature Golf at Tinley Junction
- Incorporate at least one or two “tire them out” activities/day (swimming or playgrounds are fantastic summertime options). Toss a basketball, soccer ball, baseball, or Frisbee in the trunk for rest stop emergencies.
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The Caboose Ice Cream Shoppe at Flossmoor Station
Eat frequently and stay hydrated—fluids are key to stretching out an activity or surviving the last fifteen minutes in relative peace.
- Encourage map reading and activity planning. When possible, let each kid pick their own restaurant or venue. One of my boys loves checking the local weather on using the iPhone.
- Take breaks (trust me on this one). Boys need mental down time. On this particular trip we had the luxury of returning to the hotel for episodes of Phineas and Ferb between activities.
- Allow for spontaneity (we regularly geocache and this helps our family get off the beaten path). Some of our most favorite adventures have started with the question, “Hey, what’s down here?”
- Try not to freak out when someone finds a frog (this encourages said frog to be moved closer to your face). Also, try not to think about the condition of any men’s bathroom.
- Take lots of photos – apparently if you feed them and care for them daily, boys eventually become fine young men and move out on their own.
