What is the charm of family car rides?
Traveling with the whole family has its advantages:
– No need to worry about children left at home;
– Parents and children constantly communicate and exchange new impressions from new sights;
– No one is in a hurry to go to work or school;
– When problems arise on a trip, children have a unique experience of solving them by adults;
– There is no tension due to the possibility of being late for a train or plane, as no one depends on the timetable for public transport.
Travelling all together means to experience joint emotions, take care of each other in new conditions, find the route options that suit all travelers.
How to plan a trip in a car with the whole family?
Being able to organize a joint family vacation is not an easy task for adults. It becomes a little easier when the child is very small (up to 4-5 months) or already a teenager, who has some experience of traveling with parents. But if there are two or three kids, and they are of different ages and gender, and everyone expresses their wishes of where to go, this is sometimes a problem.
First of all, of course, take into account the budget factor. The financial situation of the family determines the duration of the trip and its route. Another important thing is the health status of both adults and children. A quick change in climate and winter road trips are not for sickly children. If any of the family members have asthma, allergies are possible, then countries with a tropical climate, sharp smells of nature do not fit. In any case, when planning, consider options that are suitable for everyone.
The next step is the planning of meals. It is necessary to decide whether the family will cook by its own (hence, it is necessary to buy products, including perishables) or to use options of roadside canteens and cafes. As a rule, many auto travelers prefer a mixed version: breakfasts (and sometimes even suppers) are cooked independently using burners, and lunch happens in restaurants, trying local cuisine. Some perishable products, as well as fruits, can be bought along the way in local shops and markets. Sometimes to cook a full-fledged children’s breakfast it is enough boiling water and concentrates. However, again everything is determined by the family’s budget.
The organization of overnight stays should also be planned in advance: in tents, in motels or guest-houses. A special planning article is the choice of the route and set of sightseeings which you want to see and capture in memory, photo and video. The Internet and recommendations of tourist sites will help here. However, you should not always rigidly adhere to the chosen route. Sometimes it is worthwhile to stay for a couple extra days in a very pleasant place, or to drop into the recommended town on the way. However if you drive abroad, it is better to rely on the planned timeframes and planned route. In addition, it is not always possible to import some products from home, so the option with self-cooking in this case might be not fully suitable.
What should you take to the car for a family trip?
Of course you should start with the documents. All passports and birth certificates, domestic and international driving license, medical insurance policies and recipes (if necessary) are placed in a separate folder.
Depending on the season, each member of the family needs comfortable (better sportswear) clothes, several pairs of underwear, a waterproof raincoat and shoes (comfortable, in which you can walk a lot).
If children are small, then take a stroller. For babies and young children take everything they need: diapers, bottles, wet napkins, a pot, etc. You need disposable dishes. Books and toys will be useful too, but do not take half of the children’s room with you. It is enough what children want to take themselves (with the restriction of only one book and one toy). Adolescents of course prefer gadgets for watching movies, reading books, listening to music. Take care of chargers and power banks, including for photo and video equipment.
Do not forget about the first aid kit, taking into account the health of all family members.
What do we bring with us from the trip?
T-shirts, magnets, mugs, key rings, pens, flags and other souvenirs with the symbols of a particular country or the depiction of local attractions are often brought from trips. Do not buy them in huge quantities, it is better to advise children to choose gifts for specific people left at home: grandparents or friends.
But souvenirs are not the main thing. Impressions of what you see in the new place, the feeling of familiarity with the unique historical, architectural and natural monuments is much more important. Photos and videos will help to save them. It is better to agree in advance with each other who will be responsible for the photo and video capturing. It is also possible to do this in turn (if children are teenagers).
After the end of the auto travel, you can make a family movie or a multimedia presentation with children and summarize the trip. As a rule, successful family trips rarely remain the only ones. Immediately after the end of the trip, the next one begins to be planned, and this is no less pleasant than the journey itself.
Thank you for reading, and don’t forget to apply for an international driving license. Driving your way across the world confidently will keep yourself out of unnecessary problems, which are quite enough in a family car journey.
