5 traveling tips for the brave at heart
When we found out we’d be moving and therefore driving to Colorado, we started using the term “adventure” with a hint of sarcasm and a wink o follow. I really really wasn’t sure how this whole thing would pan out and was a little nervous about it, it it was happening so I put my big girl pants on and prepped myself for the worst.
As it turns out, this trip was one of the funnest and most chill trio we’ve ever done! Given, we weren’t traveling with babies or timing out NG tube feedings, or diaper blowouts this time around.
The whole experience really was a fun adventure(without the sarcasm and wink at the end!) We saw mountains and deserts, and train tunnels, and wind turbines. We watched every Disney movie the kids haven’t seen yet, followed our route on a real paper map, and ate every snack made to man.
So here are a few things we learned and did that made our long drive the adventure all that it was:
1.I underestimated the convenience of having snacks OUT all the time. We out a carrier in between the kids filled with snacks and they were able to pass them around as needed. After a while, opening up coolers and digging through bags we used was exhausting, so this relieved all of that!
2. We had no idea the sensory toys would be the biggest hit- but every one of the kids played with them for hours - it was magical! They were soft so no one got hurt if they were dropped or thrown in close quarters, they passed them around and took turns with the different kinds - it was all things good and I highly recommend them! We packed silly puddy, molding clay, and sensory balls that light up and were so fun for throwing at the closest sibling. We also found really cool rubber like stretchy bands that made for hours of interesting games, hehe. all in all, all the sensory toys held us together when dvd's began to fail us. (also, remember to child lock windows so that you don't "loose" all said sensory toys in the first thirty minutes of travel....
3. Kids hydroflasks - when traveling for a long time, it’s hard to keep water cool and refreshing. When we take stops and the car is off, everything gets hot or “old” tasting. Plastic water bottles still have a VERY high risk of spilling EVERYWHERE and then you have that mildew smell just hangin around the rest of the trip. Plastic sippy cups work, but any time we got out to rest and then got back in, those things were boiling and there weren't any ice machines around outside of the ten lb. bags at the all in one gas station. So, with the hydroflasks, we didn’t waste water and it stayed cool! Total win.
4. ALWAYS take the kids potty whenever there is a stop! We were so tempted a couple times to quickly fill up gas and skip the potty stop when it hadn’t been that long since our last break - and it always backfired! we packed a massive amount of wipes, paper towels, and extra trash bags for anything that might happen. We also carried extra pullups for long stretches that might entail the phrase " its ok, just let it go, you have a pull up on!". We also got really good at pulling over on the side of the road at just the ride angle so that whoever needed relief had some coverage from on coming traffic. finding grass that wasn't too high but also had some "rugged" terrain was key.... we also carried waterproof pads just in case there was an accident that had to be "sat" in in the carseats till we could get to a washing machine to wash car seat covers. I put the pads upside to to "soak up" and the kids stayed dry.
5. Depending on how many people are in your clan, @airbnb’s are by far the best option after long days of driving. For our family of six, two hotel rooms and lack of space just wasn’t a good or safe option. . We were able to find hosts that provided safe spaces for our kids and us to get some good rest for less $$ than a decent hotel would have been. We always book with superhosts and it has been the most rewarding and stress free part of our trip! We did have a little incident with fire ants in Las Vegas....and we did have to fish toys out of said airbnb's floor heating vents... but hey, gotta make those memories ya'll!
In conclusion, road trips with little humans can actually be pretty awesome for mom and dad too.... if you're brave enough to give it a try.
