Harry all smiles on our road trip
Our latest holiday with the kids (5 and 3), was a road trip through NSW.
We went to Coonabarabran to see the big telescope in the Wurumbungles, visited Dubbo Zoo, visited The Dish outside Parkes, saw the sites of the POW Cowra breakout, drove on Mount Panorama, plucked the strings on the big guitar at Tamworth, sang with the Tenterfield saddler and tried some wine in Stanthorpe – all in 6 nights. Harry (3) asked every day “new holiday today, Mummy?”, and he was right. The round trip was 2,460km.
Telescope near Narrabri
Here are some top tips for long car trips with kids. Some are obvious but good to note and others we’ve discovered on the journey.
1. Before you go, get the car serviced and check the tyres, including the spare
2. Pack an “in car bag” and a “boot bag” with snacks. Buy enough for the first few days so you don’t have to buy supplies straight away. It’s then easy to restock when your “in car” bag is empty. We used a cooler bag which was great to keep drinks cold! The kids love the juice boxes and juice buddies.
3. We gave the kids each a wallet and $20 for them to buy “special things” they found on the way. This worked really well. We used it as a reward as well so if they knew they were good in the car, they might be able to buy a treat with their money.
4. Get the kids excited before they go, let them know where you are going and ask them what they would like to do. Try and incorporate it into your trip.
5. Have the kids write a travel diary every day, it’s a great record of their trip.
6. Play games with the kids in the car. As we drove through rural areas, we saw lots of animals. We played a game of “Spot It, Call it and Write it down”. We had a list of animals and each time someone saw one, they called it and marked it down. We also did a list of road signs (highway number, kms signs, “i’ information symbol, kangaroo signs etc). Our 5 year old loved these games. He added things along the way which was great.
7. If the kids like colouring in, sticker and activity books – get some new ones for each child. They both loved doing these books in their car valets – they packed their books and textas inside and took them into the motel every night.
8. Stop every couple of hours for the kids to get out and stretch their legs. If you can combine this with a playground or park where you can kick the ball, the kids will love to burn some energy and they may well have a nap afterwards!!
9. We always timed petrol stops around meals stops. Find the nearest park or fast food restaurant with a playground. Get the kids out of the car, one of you can let them run around while the other one goes and fills up with petrol and gets something to eat. When you are ready to leave, organize something for the kids to eat when you get back in the car. This way they have had maximum time burning energy, and eating will amuse them for a while when they first get back into the car. With tired legs and a full belly they may even drift to sleep!
- Giraffe feeding at Dubbo Zoo
10. Take music and a portable DVD player and DVDs – this way they can watch them in the car as well as where you stay.
11. If you don’t have a GPS, get maps from RACQ/NRMA or equivalent in your state.
12. From RACQ/NRMA or equivalent, you can also get an Australian wide accommodation booklet which was a lifesaver as we could look at ahead at towns/cities to work out where is good to stay and phone up ahead of time to check availability.
13. Get a car rubbish bin – the car was tidy and it was great to empty it at the end of each day.
14. The kids had their car organiser in the middle of the car seats. We use it every day but it was great to hold their drink bottles and some toys and books they had in the car.
15. Make sure you to take your road side assistance and car insurance contact numbers. Also, make sure your road side assistance membership, rego and insurance are all up to date.
Please visit Haggus and Stookles E-store. We sell Car Accessories and other high quality products for your kids there. Visit now, you can find variety of products to choose from!
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