Half the Fun is in Getting There – Or is it?

Most people will tell you that going on a day out is fun as much for the traveling as for what you actually do when you arrive. There is some debate over how true this is, of course. Some people would argue that if half the fun is in getting there, then it must be a pretty hopeless activity you’re doing when you get there – especially as the other half would surely be in getting back. But you can make a journey perfectly enjoyable if you are resourceful enough. It takes a little bit of prior planning and a lot of patience, but it sure beats sitting there in increasing frustration as the kids shout at one another and the journey seems to get longer and longer.

Some people choose to use a mix CD for the journey, although there are clear drawbacks to this. After all, music is a quite divisive issue sometimes. Think back to when you were a kid. You hated your younger siblings’ music because you considered it too infantile, and/or your elder sibling(s) felt the same way about your music. Better instead to think of some way to make all your kids feel involved. Why not give each of your children a map of the journey, for example, and get them to mark off places as you pass through them? Give one point for the first child to spot the sign for that city (in a calm, quiet way, so as not to encourage shouting!). Alternatively, any one of many variations on the licence plate game can work equally well.