Thinking of taking a road trip with kids? READ ON...
- Sarah
- Aug 19, 2020
- 8 min read
Updated: Feb 10, 2021
Looking back on our epic three-week 2020 Road Trip USA with children (and during the time of COVID19), I thought about what information and tips I would pass on to others who are considering hitting the road. (Don't be put off. The experiences are worth it!)
LOGISTICS:
Make sure your planned trip is actually possible and realistic in the time that you have Since we were aiming to travel around 6000 miles in three weeks, we needed to drive around 4 - 5 hours per day. This meant that we couldn’t stop in one place for very long. We stayed at 17 different hotels over the three weeks and spent around 100 hours in the car. We had three 2-night stays but all of the other stops were just for a night. This meant that we were always on the move and living out of our car A LOT.
Plan how everything will fit in your mode of transport
We had to keep the car organised and regularly clear it of rubbish/ trash. At times it felt claustrophobic with every inch of the car being used but we kept to a system of where things had to go each time we loaded up and we became more efficient throughout the trip. It was like putting together a 3d puzzle and making sure the pieces fit each time.
Allow time for packing and unpacking if you are making stops at hotels or campsites
At every hotel we had to load and unload 5 cases, a food/cleaning supplies bag, an electronics bag, a cool bag with drinks, our 5 hand luggage bags, a blow up bed and bedding for Alaina (-our youngest) and sometimes our swimming bag (-whenever the hotel had a pool that was open and not too crowded).
Organise your supplies according to when they are needed
Many of our supplies stayed in the car (except when we needed them), including: three inflatable boats and plastic oars, two small cases of birthday presents (as we celebrated two birthdays on our trip), a bag of trainers & water shoes, a picnic mat, a box of food/ household supplies for instant meals (-mainly tins, microwave meals, long life milk cartons, toilet rolls and some utensils/bowls, etc.), our raincoats, a snack box, car organisers with books, activities and games, a first aid kit, travel pillows, travel blankets and car cleaning supplies. (The windscreen had to be manually cleaned on a regular basis because it got so filthy and I wanted to take photos through the glass.)
Consider a roof bag or additional storage
We are a family of five so fitting in a car with all of our luggage was never going to be easy. We invested in a robust roof bag and non-slip mat (for our trip to Niagara Falls last year) which made it possible. This held four cases and several softer bags. Roof bags are far cheaper than buying a hard roof case and rack, however they are noisy when driving at higher speeds. You can hear the vibration of the bag or straps in the wind and the straps let in a small amount of air where they press on the door seal. Despite this, the bag we chose comes highly recommended as it withstood Roy’s speedy driving and our excessive use of it during the trip. It can also be taken off the roof completely when the car is parked overnight.
The process of leaving the hotel and loading the car took about thirty minutes. This means we spent around twenty hours dealing with our luggage during the three-week trip!
The thought of all the time spent dealing with luggage, may make you consider an RV or a camper-van instead of the car and hotel option but arriving in a clean and different hotel room each evening was worth it. A chance to relax, recharge and escape the confines of a car. We also valued the hotel facilities such as WiFi, numerous charging ports, TV, a bath/ shower, laundry rooms, pools, jacuzzis, breakfasts (although many were grab and go due to COVID) and not having to clear up afterwards.
Be organized with bookings and read reviews
I used Booking.com for nearly all of our hotel reservations so that they were easy to manage in one place. I also downloaded all of our trip reservations and plans to a folder in my cloud storage. Nearly all of the hotels allowed us to ‘pay on arrival’ and had free cancellation up until a day or two before (due to COVID19). Prior to booking, I read reviews that had been left by other customers and I filtered by ‘most recent’ to find out how they were dealing with COVID and to see what facilities were available e.g. ‘the kids loved using the pool’. I also checked they had parking and tried to find deals that included breakfast.
Work out costs and sleeping arrangements
Most of our hotel rooms had two queen beds and some also had a sofa bed. Alaina slept on her own inflatable mattress for consistency each night. (We were able to inflate and deflate this quickly with the electric pump.) This room arrangement meant that we only ever needed one room. In total, we spent $3557.53/ £2725 on hotel accommodation which averages at $178/ £136 per night. Not bad for 5 of us! The hotels were all 3* or higher on Booking.com and had user reviews higher than 8/10. Most came with a microwave, fridge, TV with cable channels, breakfast (of some sort), coffee maker, free WiFi, etc. A few had parking charges.
EQUIPMENT:
Here are some of the items we found useful on our trip…
For the car
A roof bag and non-slip mat to go underneath it
Car headrest mount for tablets and phones
For on the go
Additional SD cards for the camera
Multiple charging port strip with USB and plug outlets
Reusable face masks
A travel potty and liners
Mini hand sanitisers
For our adventures
Inflatable boats and oars
Coastguard approved Swim vest (for younger child)
TRAVELLING SAFETY DURING COVID19:
Plan ahead and be aware of changes that may occur
We were initially worried about travelling during this time of COVID19 and we had planned our trip carefully to avoid the high-risk states, (especially since they were on the New Jersey quarantine list, meaning that we would have to stay at home for two weeks after the trip). This wasn’t too difficult initially and we adapted our route (and hotel bookings) as the state situation changed. We were checking several websites to stay updated. Unfortunately, we needn’t have bothered because states were added during the time we were travelling and the cluster of higher risk states on the return journey could not be avoided. Oh well - What’s two weeks when you have just done several months of lockdown?
Be prepared
We had packed the car full of baby wipes, hand sanitiser, gloves and masks (so we were all set for avoiding COVID19 as much as possible). We also had some mini sanitisers in our handbags and hand luggage and I had antibacterial cleaning products for any hotel room that didn’t meet the expected high standards.
Establish good habits
It didn’t take us long to get into good habits. Masks on whenever we entered an indoor space or whenever we were going to be outside in close proximity to others. We used our elbows for pressing lift buttons and opening doors. After using gas station restrooms, we would wash hands with soap and water, then use a paper towel to unlock and open the door, then sanitise again upon entering our car.
Even Alaina (-our 4-year-old) understood the rules. We were sat in the baby pool at one of the hotels and another little girl got in and started eyeing up Alaina’s Barbies. Alaina backed away and told me we should move so that we wouldn’t catch Coronavirus. It is kind of sad in a way as before she would have been happy to have a new playmate.
Focus on what is in your control
The hardest thing about the new world is that even if you stick to the rules, others do not. There are always individuals who choose to ignore, despite the obvious signs and recommendations. I chose to try and avoid judgement and we just did our best to keep safe. Everyone has their own perspective and the risk is different for each of us.
Avoid situations that feel unsafe
A week into the trip we felt much more at ease with the situation. The girls were used to practising social distancing and didn’t need constant reminding. They knew when to use a mask and when to sanitise, the hotels felt safe and extra clean (-mostly) and we hadn’t had to turn back due to any signs of illness. We still remained vigilant by choosing outdoor activities, mainly eating in our hotel room or car and avoiding crowded areas.
Teach your children how to be safe in this new COVID19 environment
Overall, it was a good way to teach the girls how to behave and manage in the new world and to get used to wearing a mask. Each had their preferred style and fit. (P.S. Thanks to Julie for the homemade masks which were so very useful alongside those we already had.)
REALITIES:
This type of trip requires motivation, planning and organisation beforehand.
During the trip you need a sense of adventure and a desire to explore (-even when you are tired/ fed up), patience (-whilst waiting for others), flexibility and adaptability (-as not everything will go exactly to plan).
The kids will probably not enjoy the road trip as much as you do, even if you plan lots of great activities along the way. You need to accept that it is not their ideal type of holiday and be ok with this. Our kids missed many of the sights as they were watching movies, playing games and sleeping in the car. They loved the hotel pools and the more active stops that we made.
If you are travelling with a family you cannot get anywhere fast, someone always needs to stop for something and you may need a supply of in-car toilet bags or travel sickness bags!
TIPS:
Plan your route beforehand
Use Google Maps to plan your trip. You can check the time to drive between destinations and you can look to find places to stop. Try to break up longer drives with something to do around the halfway point. This may not always be possible but it makes travelling more fun. Your hotel doesn’t always need to be at a place you want to visit. It could be on the way to somewhere you want to see or just outside it.
Make time on the road more fun
Audiobooks are a fantastic way to pass the time in the car, especially if you can play one that the whole family can enjoy.
Use in-car chargers to keep devices topped up.
Think of games you can play together or take turns to choose music to listen to and have a sing along.
Back up photos and keep a journal as you go along
Get into a good routine of clearing space from devices by backing up photos and videos to the cloud each evening (if you use Google Photos to automatically back up, you can then swipe down to clear space on your phone as it knows which photos are backed up). This is important because you don’t want to run out of space when you are stood in front of a sight that you really want to capture.
If you are going to write a blog then it is easier to do it when it is fresh in your mind. Roy wrote our blog each evening to document the day.
Be prepared
Each evening, download new movies/music for the next day.
Keep a box of snacks in the car and a cool bag of drinks. We also took our drinks into the hotel each evening to chill them overnight. We tried to buy large packs of water/ juice/ soda in supermarkets or gas stations, rather than paying for individual drinks in hotels.
Live in the moment
Your trip may be a once in a lifetime experience, especially as there is so much of the world to see. Make the most of it and 'don't leave any stones unturned'. It is nearly always worth the extra effort and in my experience, some of the biggest "wows" can come when you are not expecting them!
コメント