Little Side Trips Go A Long Way

No matter how well behaved they happen to be, kids will be kids on the road. They will wiggle, complain and ask the same question time and again.

Face it, long-distance travel is hard on everyone. With all the sitting around and waiting for the excitement of a vacation to begin, the hours can seem like weeks if you happen to be a kid. It can even seem that way if you’re not a kid.

So, how can parents break up the miles and make sure a ride is a little more fun for everyone in the car?

Little side trips or fun rest stops can make a big difference. Rather than having to wait 800 miles in a car for any fun to begin, brief detours can add a little adventure to the journey. Pick a place at the halfway point or every couple hundred miles to stop for a half-hour or an hour of out-of-the-car enjoyment. Some ideas that won’t necessarily cost you a fortune and are generally found just about anywhere a road trip might happen to take place include:

* Public parks – Rather than eat lunch in a costly restaurant, stop at a city, county or state park for a picnic. The kids will enjoy being able to run around and your budget will probably appreciate a lower-cost meal of sandwiches you can pack in a cooler before you leave.

* Historical attractions – Look for unusual sites that might be on your travel path. Local landmarks, smaller museums and other places of interest can make great, low-cost stops.

* Restaurants with playgrounds – If worse comes to worse, give in to the kids and stop at a fast-food place that happens to have a playground. For example, McDonald’s Restaurant Locator also shows which locations have playgrounds.

Breaking up a trip with little side adventures along the way can make a family vacation a whole lot more enjoyable for everyone. Even 30-minute stops kids can look forward to can make all the difference on the road.