Planning a family road trip with your kids can be an amazing idea. However, the after-thoughts are laden with concerns, frustrations, and dangers it poses to your kids’ safety. This can leave you with trepidation and stress that you can never strike out completely.
Do not worry; a road trip with kids does not have to be intimidating or scary. Today, we will help you dispel some of the myths associated with road trips with kids and share ten tips to put your mind at ease.
Safety Tip #1 – Stay Well Rested Before and During the Road Trip
One of the most important safety tips for a road trip with kids is to stay fresh. You must be relaxed and exhaustion-free when starting your journey on the road. Before the day of your road trip, we recommend you get 7 hours of sleep. If you can do it for 2 consecutive nights before the road trip, that will be even better!
The best time to start a road trip is early in the morning, after you have had a good night’s sleep. Do not get behind the wheels after a long hectic day. Stress, tiredness, and trying to fight your sleep can threaten you and your kids as your reflexes slow down.
Even if you have had a great sleep the night before, it is always best to take short breaks to rest yourself. Therefore, it would be wiser to plan your stopovers in advance to stay afresh. If you are traveling with a partner or family member who can drive, it would be a great idea to swap the driving duties so both of you can stay rested.
Safety Tip # 2 – Carry out a Thorough Car Inspection Regularly
This is a common safety tip for a road trip with or without a kid. However, the importance goes up a notch when traveling with the young ones. We all hate the idea of harming our kids, especially because of our ignorance.
Therefore, it is always wise to inspect your vehicle to ensure that everything is working as it should. If you are traveling during a rainy season, make sure your windscreen wipers are in good condition and working properly.
Every time you get back into the car after a stopover, it is best to look around to check nails in the tires, fuel in the tank. Also, inspect your car display for any red indications.
Safety Tip #3 – Do not Trust the GPS Blindly
We have learned to rely heavily on our GPS device now that we have it for every smartphone. People will simply punch in the address and get on their way without looking at the route or where they will be going. If the GPS says to turn right, you turn right; it is safe to keep driving. You do not question the guide.
While this is alright in most cases, sometimes relying on a GPS may leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere. Whether it is a car navigation system or Google maps, always check the map to see the bigger picture of the area and location you will be heading to.
GPS-based maps alter their routes in case of heavy traffic, blockades, or maintenance work on the originally suggested track. Therefore, looking at the entire area will help you find good break spots, fuel stations, and other helpful facilities on your road trip.
Carry an updated map with you like old times. Learn to read a map and teach your kids how to read as well. This can come in really handy if your navigation system or your phone battery dies on you.
Safety Tip #4 – Avoid Using Your Phone
Probably one of the most important tips for a safe road trip with kids is to avoid using your phone. Try to resist that itch to pick up your phone and scroll a bit. No matter how wide, flat or empty the highway is, do not use your smartphone (period).
If you have to call or send an urgent text, then use the text to speech feature on your phone. Use voice assistants, i.e., Apple’s Siri or Google’s Assistant, on your phone to avoid looking at the phone. If your car comes with a Bluetooth connectivity feature, then use that to pair up your phone.
Do not take a selfie or record a video while you are behind the wheels. Let someone else take care of it; even then, do not take your eyes off the road to look at the camera.
Safety Tip #5 – Carrying Enough Activities and Snacks
How will carrying snacks and activities make a road trip safe for the kids? Well, it is all about psychological distractions and stress. Bored and hungry kids are going to be complaining, whining, and fighting throughout the road trip while you are trying to focus on driving.
The constant noises and requests for food in a confined space when you are driving can cause undue stress. The frustration may result in judgment error, especially on a busy highway. Therefore, pack enough snacks in insulated snack bags, and do not forget to carry refillable water bottles.
The activities like board games and coloring books will also help keep your kids busy, so you can peacefully focus on the road ahead—a simple but crucial tip for a safe road trip with kids.
Safety Tip # 6 – Keeping the Kids and Yourself Hydrated
Speaking about water bottles, always keep the water bottles full. Children often complain about dying of thirst when in the car for a longer period. Therefore, ensure that your refillable bottles are full before you embark on a road trip.
You may love a cup of coffee to keep yourself wide awake. An ample supply of water will eliminate the need for unnecessary stopovers. This can also help keep your kids hydrated, especially during road trips during summer.
Safety Tip # 7 – Bathroom Safety
Stopovers for a quick nature call are inevitable when on a road trip with kids. Therefore, if you need to stop at a gas station to use a bathroom, carry your own sanitization supplies. For instance, you can carry antibacterial spray or wipes to clean the toilet seats.
It is important during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that your kids wear the masks. Do not forget to carry your own toilet paper in the car to avoid contact with the publically used supplies in the bathroom.
Safety Tip # 8 – Do not Broadcast Your Whereabouts
We live in the future, where adults and kids love to broadcast everything on social media. However, you have to be careful about who sees where you are or the destination you are heading towards. It is ok to share your stopovers, pictures, and videos with your loved ones on a secure Facebook account or via WhatsApp. However, you do not want the entire world to know where exactly you are.
Let’s be practical here, the world is not as nice as you are, and certain people love to take advantage of tourists or people new to the area. Therefore, sharing your location leaves you vulnerable to certain dangerous elements, especially you are not sure where you are going. Teach your kids not to go live and broadcast your location on Instagram live or YouTube.
Safety Tip # 9 – Hiding Your Valuables
Will you be carrying any valuables with you on a road trip with kids? In that case, you must take precautionary measures and do your best to hide the valuables away. In case you will be leaving your car unattended, such as staying at a hotel/motel at night, always take the valuable inside with you.
If you leave your car for a quick stroll in a park, shopping mall, or nip into a shop, always hide the valuables in the vehicle. A visible valuable may encourage the local vandals to break the car windows or break into your RV.
Safety Tip # 10 –Helpline Number on Emergency Dial
In addition to the above-mentioned safety tips, you must also ensure to carry all of the emergency helpline numbers with you. Any unforeseen car problems, roadside mishaps, or health emergency can leave you or your little ones at risk on a road trip.
Therefore, you must have all the numbers you may need to call someone for help. It is always a wise thing to teach your kids about dialing the relevant numbers god-forbid anything goes wrong on a road trip with kids. Furthermore, you can also assist others in need of help on the road.
Additionally, carry extra power banks, USB chargers and adopter for cars to ensure your phone is fully charged at all times.
Conclusion
Road trips with Kids can be a fun ride through and through. However, taking all of the above-mentioned tips will help you to tackle any possible emergency and unforeseen circumstances.
