When you’re driving in a car for 6 or more hours with 3 kids in the back there are certain things you’ll need to keep you sane. While you’re thinking about that comfy bed in the caravan you’re towing, you need to ensure you’re alert and concentrating the whole journey there. Here’s the top 5 essentials for any road trip driver.
- The greatest playlist ever made.
For those who don’t want to suffer through hearing the Frozen soundtrack for the 1000th time, an excellent playlist is number one on our list of essentials for a road trip. After several hours of radio flicking, a great song can be a saviour to keep you alert on the motorway.
We suggest an eclectic playlist, everything from ACDC to Wham! Only the best sing-alongs will do for a long road trip.
- All of the snacks
Sweets, crisps, even carrot sticks! Anything you fancy, just make sure they’re easy to eat and there’s plenty of it. You don’t want to be eating a big messy sandwich, but grazing is always good for when you’re driving. Be careful to ensure the food doesn’t distract you from driving, always be safe on the roads.
We suggest hard boiled sweets and a big bag of crisps, not messy and very, very moreish!
- Keep your brain switched on with car games
Car games have been working for families on road trips long before portable DVD players, smart phones and tablets, so they must be fun right? This is also a great idea for those pesky motorway traffic jams.
We suggest playing the story-telling game if you have people to play with or a good game to play on your own or with fewer people is the classic number plate game!
- Not as fun but very essential, a BIN!
Your car can get extremely messy if there’s people eating, opening new magazines etc. a plastic bin bag will help keep your car clean.
We suggest taking a few plastic recyclable shopping bags and throw them away at service stations or stops along the way, clear car clear mind.
- Plenty, and we mean plenty, of water!
Stay hydrated, stop regularly, and stay alert. Most road traffic accidents are caused by people who are too tired to drive, we know long distance driving can be hard work. An easy way to remember to take breaks is to drink lots of water, your bladder will always tell you to take a break even if your head thinks if you carry on going you’ll shave 30 minutes off your arrival time.
We suggest you stock up on larger 1-3 litre bottles of water and refill smaller bottles to share out between everyone in the car. You could even keep the larger bottle in a cool bag or plug in car fridge.