KEY POINTS:
It's school holiday time again and, with the weather improving, that means many more of us will be travelling in cars full of children, either heading for the coast or the ski fields.
Not only will there be more bodies crammed into the car, but the sheer volume of traffic on the roads will almost double. Not only will tensions rise in the car with bored children and irritable parents, there's also a greater risk of road rage in heavy traffic on narrow country roads.
Some would say travelling with children is challenging and it can be if you don't take a few pre-planned precautions. Try the following sanity-saving tips:
PLANNING
Involve every member of the family in the planning stage of the trip. Let everyone know the route and the places being travelled through, and discuss the journey. If you think the trip is going to take five hours, allow for six and a bit. With a decent time-buffer, if there is a hold-up there's no need to panic about being late. The extra travel time also allows for unplanned stops and flexibility.
BREAKS
Plan a few breaks during the journey. Don't try and complete the trip in one big hit - make it an adventure by getting off the beaten track and sightseeing. Make sure your planned excursions are near rest stops that have toilet facilities and an area to move about so everyone can stretch their legs. The only time you shouldn't stop is if young children have drifted off to sleep. Enjoy the peace and quiet and keep going.
PACKING
Get the children to take a bag with some, not all, of their favourite toys, music or books. They will then be able to entertain themselves and, with more than one choice, should be able to chop and change without getting too bored. Take a coolbox or similar full of drinks, snacks, sandwiches and fruit. But don't forget to take wipes to clean up any mess in the car. And, most importantly, don't put the coolbox in the boot - have it in the car so it's easily accessible.
SAFETY
Ensure children are correctly strapped into a baby seat, booster seat or the car seat itself (depending on age and size). Make sure everyone's comfortable and not surrounded by various bits of luggage or sports gear. If youngsters are in the back together, place anything they may share between them to avoid a fight over who can have what.
ENTERTAINMENT
It's not always necessary to take a bundle of board games and electronic gizmos on an extended road trip.
In fact, some of the most popular travel games require little more than imagination or keen observation skills. I-spy is a good old faithful one.
A more entertaining visual challenge is to spot a licence plate and try and work out if it's a personalised plate with a message, either hidden or obvious, or a random collection of numbers and words. If the latter, try and make something up using the letters and numbers on the plate.
A long trip is the perfect opportunity to catch up on reading those books you've been meaning to get to during the past few months.
Talking books, or books on tape, are a great way to entertain a car full of people and will avoid any motion sickness usually associated with reading in a moving car. It's not too difficult to find a story on tape that will appeal to all but the youngest travellers.
Many newer cars now have built-in DVD players - creating hours of movie entertainment for passengers. If your car doesn't have a DVD player fitted, consider taking a laptop computer that can play DVDs.
Lastly, consider the time stuck in the car with your family as time to get to know them, especially if you have children, because they are now a captive audience.
A car trip doesn't have to be a chore, it can be a fun-filled adventure.
