Ideas for a 16 Hr Road Trip (FL)

My suggestion with kids (especially of that age) is, if you can do it, leave close to or just after their normal bedtime so they will go to sleep and sleep a good portion of the trip (less entertaining, complaining, and/or bathroom breaks needed). They may even sleep longer than normal.

Also, especially for the older one, play I Spy in various ways (colors, shapes, letters, specific items, etc) and be prepared to sing some songs.

No, roadtrips do not bring us closer...with my spouse it tend to cause some hostility. He's a bit of hostile driver at times and is a horrible passenger. He expects me to sit and watch every road sign even when we don't have to make a turn for 100 miles (I would like to read a bit). He doesn't give directions just points as you are about to miss your turn (and sometimes you can't even see him pointing) so me driving isn't an option for long.

Check tripadvisor for hotel/motel suggestions. Also consider spending $50 on a AAA membership. It's good for discounts, and mine has paid for itself many times over each year. Check the website for the State departments of transportation for routes to see which roads are best. Sometimes the back roads are nice - makes the trip more enjoyable but there will be an occasional traffice light. But some people HATE any kind of a traffic light so they'll only go on the interstates - even if it means sitting in traffic.

As for entertainment - my kids were little way before smart phones and ipads so I'm not much help. I do recall that we bought a portable VCR (with a tiny screen) before a long road-trip when our kids were 2 and 5 and we commented many times how that VCR was a life saver. I memorized the words to more spongebobs songs than I ever wanted to on that trip since they watched the same few videos over and over and over and I could only hear the words from my seat in front!

We also used to try to get most of the miles done in the evenings - so we'd leave around 5:00 pm with sandwiches for dinner, kids in PJs and drive until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. We'd get up early, let them run around in the morning to get some wiggles out then get back in the car and hit the road by 9:00 AM. We made sure to have lunch near a play ground or a McD's with a play area. If we were lucky we'd make it to our destination by late afternoon/dinnertime (then fall asleep with the kids at 8:00)!

My husband and I do have good times on these road-trips. We end up finding plenty to talk about and even when it's quiet it's kind of nice to be near each other. We learned on these trips how much we'd grown as parents when our 2 yr old threw up all over himself. We calmly pulled over as 18 wheelers screamed past us, one of us changed him, the other cleaned up the car seat and we just got it done, got back in the car and kept going. We marveled at what a team we had become and how efficiently we handled that trauma. Now our kids are 13 & 16 and we still giggle about that episode. Fortunately my son doesn't remember it but my daughter does!

It's the odd things that happen on vacations that make them memorable.
Sounds like you're prepared - I love road-trips...

No, I would say it doesn't bring us closer. It tests us to the limit esp w/kids
Having said that we do take them. We have to a we don't have any $.

What makes it easier on us?
Taking food, devices (DVD players & iPods) & FREQUENT breaks.
We would all go crazy w/o the breaks.
We stop, use the restroom & walk around a bit whenever we need to or
feel stir crazy. Esp w/the little one.
Bring lots of snacks.
Stop for lunch, let the kids walk around.

And definitly break it up into TWO 8 hr days of driving spending the night in a hotel! This will be your saving grace. And actually, your two days of
driving will take longer than 8 hrs but that's because you stop, stretch
your legs, take potty breaks, stop for lunch, stop for dinner etc. All worth
it!

Bring a bag of new toys the kids haven't seen. When they get stir crazy pull them out. Voila a surprise! Also, have them bring their fave books to look at.

Google points of interest to stop along the way to see something new!

We are not a road trip family.. just can't pay me to do that. If it is more than a 2 hr drive, we fly.

That said, some families love road trips. My neighbors for instance have 3 girls and they routinely drive to Colorado, NC, etc. They leave at night, close to bedtime and drive all night. The girls sleep.

You can play I Spy with the 5 yr old pretty well on the road.

I don't know a route but keep in mind, sometimes the longer route is still faster when you factor in traffic, etc.

What part of FL are you headed? We LOVE San Destin

I'm assuming your 5 year old knows her alphabet. Play the alphabet game. We used to play it all the time growing up. You had to find letters of the alphabet, in order, on license plates, street signs, trucks, etc. Finding Q, was always difficult, but that's what made it fun. We also played punch buggy and pediddle (one headlight on the car) Also, when you find out your route, find landmarks along the route to have your 5 year old be on the look out for, like a scavenger hunt. Have pictures of them, and when you see them she can color them in or cross them out. I know they make the portable desks that go on the carseat, it maybe worth investing in to keep your 5 year old entertained. You can get crayons and other craft material. DVDs are great, but I would assume you couldn't get your kids to watch 16 hours straight of DVDs. As for the 15 month old, I don't know what to tell you. When we flew for 10 hours with my daughter at that age, we bought a DVD player and let her eat the gerber puffs right out of the can. The can of puffs kept her occupied for over 2 hours. However, we had a difficult time keeping her entertained. We flew at night thinking she would sleep and she didn't, only about 1 hour of the whole trip. She also liked playing with flash cards. I just gave them to her, didn't try to go over them with her and she loved them.

I do this trip about once a year or so. My parents live 30 minutes from Tallahassee. Basically, we take i-20 to us-49. There may be faster routes, but we like traveling the familiar. And many times (like this summer), I am traveling alone with the kids and I want to stay around major cities and not off the beaten path in case I run into car troubles. I think the roads we take are fine...Louisiana often leaves something to be desired in the highway dept, but I remember improvements there on our last trek through.

When I travel with my husband, we take shifts and drive straight through. When I am alone, I basically drive until I can't any longer and get a hotel room for the night. I pick from the better known chain motels places and I haven't run in to many issues along the way. We don't necessarily love the drives together, I mean really, who WANTS to drive 17 hours? But we enjoy the destination and the uninterrupted time together.

As far as entertaining kiddos. I fill a little basket next to each kid with a few items. I try to make them things without a lot of pieces. Younger kids drop things and then need help finding it. Things get lost, kids get upset, etc. So things like mp3 players (with kid headphones so they can't turn it up to loud) filled with music and stories. Etch a sketch, magnadoodles. Books or magazines. I avoid crayons and coloring...we had an incident with red and pink crayons that melted in the carpeting. Snacks, snacks and more snacks. Find it tubes. I try to keep things at a minimum and choose things that will really entertain my kiddos.

I have soft trays (so they are safe in case of an accident) that clip to the seatbelts, so they don't slide off. These are great for snack tables and playing on. At one point my son loved playing with hot wheels cars. Since the sides of the trays are raised, the cars stayed put. My son is 7 now and he will remind us to pack the trays because he likes them so much.

The last time I traveled by myself a momma on hear suggested a surprise bag. I went to the dollar store and clearance items and got a few surprises. When kids got bored or fussy, I would pull something out. It was a great distraction, especially for my youngest who was 2 the last time I drove it alone.

Take lots of little breaks. I bring a ball on every trip and try to use rest stops. That way the kids can run and play in the grass for a little bit. A little run will help make the trip much easier. And we don't really do fast food very often, but on these trips almost every meal stop involves a playground. It's special treat for the kids and again, gives them a chance to run and play. And we usually stay a motels or hotels with swimming pools. We hit that up before bed. It helps wear kids out and make bedtime easier.

Safe travels!

ETA...we do NOT like leaving at bedtime or traveling at night. It makes us tired and the kids never sleep well, so they are crank pots all day. Personally, my night vision isn't all that terrific either. I know friends who love traveling at night. It just doesn't work for us.

Download books to your phone or music device and enjoy a good story. Makes trips very bearable.