One of my worst fears about driving with my children is to be broken down in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. We drive from Houston, Texas to Killeen, Texas two to four times a month and the roads that we take are actually in the middle of nowhere.
Firestone Complete Auto Care has been helping us take care of our vehicles for years. They have 93 years of service experience and work on oil changes, brakes, wheel alignment and pretty much anything relating to car maintenance. There’s more to Firestone Complete Auto Care than tires. Before we take our long road trips, we always make sure that our car is good to go. Some of our road trips have been over 3,000 miles! Firestone Complete Auto Care stands behind their work with a Tripe Promise that guarantees your car will be fixed right, priced right, and right on time.
I’ve taken numerous amount of road trips with my children and have learned a thing or two to help make it less stressful and more relaxing. Here are a few tips that I want to share and hope that they make your road trip a lot more fun and relaxing.
1. Start your trip when your children are about to take a nap.
I’ve taken my children on car rides as soon as they woke up from a nap and they’re not happy. My children need to get their energy out and they can’t do that being strapped to a car seat. If they’re exhausted and ready for nap time at the beginning of the car ride, they’ll sleep for much longer. Plus, I get to have some quiet and peaceful driving time.
2. Prepare fun activities for them.
Liam has been into “Waldo” books. He’s extremely focused in these books. I have to check on him from time to time because he gets really quiet. Coloring books, water paint, puzzles, sticker books, photo albums are some things that children enjoy and can occupy them. We try to keep the electronic devices for the very end. If you do use electronic devices, download movies before in case you’re out of Wi-Fi range.
3. Take as many breaks as you or your children may need.
In the past, I’ve been set on getting to my destination as fast as I possibly can. No pit stops, no snack breaks, etc. But there’s so much joy in stopping and taking a breather. Sitting in a car for hours can be overwhelming and there’s nothing wrong with taking an extra 10-15 minutes to stretch your legs. I’d rather take an hour long break for my children than drive 30 minutes with them kicking and screaming.
4. Pack real food and water.
Fast food is delicious every now and then but if you’re eating a big burger and large fries two or three times a day, it starts to feel gross. I try to make things that will last hours or even bring a cooler for drinks. We love PB&J sandwiches, grilled cheese and mixed veggies.
Our family has been on a handful of road trips from Houston, Texas to Orlando, Florida. We’ve done the drive in one day and have done it in two days. The two-day option is definitely the way to go. One of my fun goals for my family is to go to Disney every year – that’s why we’re very familiar with this route. We love visiting state parks, local restaurants and going to the museums. We try to find things that our children will enjoy to make it more memorable. Here is a look at our itinerary. (I try to not restrict myself with time frames because we never know how long lunch will take, if anything comes up last minute, etc.).
START: Houston, Texas
END: Orlando, Florida
Thank you so much for reading! I hope Firestone Complete Auto Care and I have helped make your future road trips more memorable and joyful.
xo,
Annie
