Car Trip Packing and Survival About This Page:

[krisk11]

Shannon
The DVD players are so cheap now that I don't know of any place that rents them anymore. Look at Walmart or a store like that and I think you can get a small one for less than $100.

[ShannonW]

I was afraid of that..... darn....

[gottalluvmickey]

For our trip, approx. 24 hours, I bought the cheap garage sale stickers that are multile colored circles. I used three of them to make 'Mickey' heads. I placed 24 of them on the ceiling of our mini-van and let my DD (6yrs. old) take one down each hour. She asked once in awhile if it were time to take one down, but only a few times. It was a great way to help her understand how much long until we were there! It was the best thing I've ever done on a long trip

[bobwerner]

I'll probably drive to the World this time. Last time I flew, the time before that I drove (I think I switch every other year ).
It's about a 12 hour drive, so I think I'm going to leave Saturday the 29th. That way I don't have to hurry. I can relax and drive.
What will make my drive easier this year? I have Sirius radio in my truck so I can have all music all the time.
So, my question is this:
I normally stop around Valdosta GA for the night. Should I stop sooner? (Macon?) or later? Somewhere in FL?

Thanks!

[Teresa]

I think that everyone has had some great ideas - my only added "help" would be to say DO NOT take crayons!!

The sun in FL. can get really intense, and if one crayon has gotten away from the kids, you could end up with melted crayon all over your seats (can you tell I did that?) Take coloring pencils instead. Work great, don't break as easily, and you can sharpen them easily when the "point" is gone (something that seemed important to my girls)

[pinkrose]

We always drive down. This past Nov., I made my kids WDW activity books. They are ages 9 and 12. One section was journal pages (complete with Disney clip art) for them to write about their trip. Another section was a map that I printed out our route on from windowslive.com. This way, when they asked where we were, I could tell them and they'd be able to see about how much further we had to go. Another section was activity pages that I had copied from a WDW activity book I had bought on another trip. The last section was WDW coloring pages. I printed these out online. I placed each of these pages (with the sections divided), in a "soft" binder. The front of the binder had a clear pocket so you can put a cover sheet in it. I made cover sheets that said "The _____ Family's WDW Family Vacation", the dates of the trip, and some Disney clip art.

The books turned out great and kept the kids busy. Now that we are home, they are great keepsakes!

[ashbee]

It takes about 12 hours for us to get there. We only have a three year old the only thing is to plan for frequent stops along the way.

[Chrissi]

Originally Posted by Teresa

I think that everyone has had some great ideas - my only added "help" would be to say DO NOT take crayons!!

The sun in FL. can get really intense, and if one crayon has gotten away from the kids, you could end up with melted crayon all over your seats (can you tell I did that?) Take coloring pencils instead. Work great, don't break as easily, and you can sharpen them easily when the "point" is gone (something that seemed important to my girls)

My mom (works for Crayola) recently recommended the new Twistables for using in the car. They're made with a harder wax that doesn't melt as easily and they need no sharpening ever. Color Wonder markers are the bane of my existence. They are petroleum-based and they may not write on other surfaces, but they do stain.

[sk8mom6]

Having done this many times in the past, I would suggest that you ban "Are we There Yet?". We always told our kids they wern't allowed to say that until there were signs for Orlando. Our youngest was 2 on the first road trip, and he did better on that trip than he did on a trip to the mall. We also got up early in the morning and left about 3 am, so they slept for a while. The traffic was also lighter. We came from NW Pennsylvania (Between Erie and Pittsburgh).

[DISNEY03]

WE ALSO HAVE 2&3 Y/O'S. WHEN WE DRIVE FROM LONG ISLAND NEXT YEAR THIS HAS ALL BEEN VERY HELPFUL FOR US.
ONE MORE TIP, I JUST READ IN THE NEW PASSPORTER E-BOOK TO BRING DRY ERASER MARKERS SO THE KIDS CAN WRITE ALL OVER THE WINDOWS. SOUNDS LIKE THAT COULD KEEP THEM ENTERTAINED FOR A WHILE.
HAVE FUN AND GOD BLESS YOUR LONG JOURNEY!

[DISNEY03]

ANNE,
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WONDERFUL TIPS, WE'LL BE USING A LOT OF THEM. WE'VE DRIVEN A FEW TIMES BEFORE W/ & W/OUT THE KIDS AND THOUGHT WE KNEW IT ALL BUT YOUR IDEA'S ARE GREAT!
THANK YOU

[dawz1026]

Just returned - 18 hours there and back 18 hrs ...ugh 11yr dd 10month ds...it was a long trip....flying next time

[Sirbogoff]

I don't think I would fly again. To expensive with 6 going. Also, that gives you way more room for those oh so needed souvenirs.
We have 18 hours to drive from Indiana to Orlando and do it in one shot. We just split the driving between myself and my wife. No problem....says he who used two think driving for more than two hours was a major trip. It's amazing how your thoughts change when you move from a country that is only the size of Florida to this place. Two hours was a trip that we would stay the night somewhere and then come home the day after. And I used to think England was huge.

I just became a U.S. citizen so get to stay...

Any way, my tip for the road trip would be a bottle of Benadryl for each child....no, just kidding.

Have them change seats regularly. We make them sit in a different seat each time we stop. It gives them a slightly different view so kind of breaks things up for them. Plus each of them has his own back pack to keep their own things in.

Oh and no Chili. The 2 elder boys thought it was funny to fill up with chili when we stopped for a bite to eat. That won't be happening this year or they will be on the roof rack.

[applejenn]

We drove from western NY last April to Disney World with a 2 yr old and a 12 yr old, we stopped twice to stay over night, first in Wytheville Va, which is south Va, then again in Savannah. We packed snacks, and stuff to eat, and what we did was stopped at the welcome centers when we got into each state, and went to the restroom, walked, had a snack or ate if we needed to. I was very surprised that the kids didnt get more restless than they did, but just driving occupied the lil one and seeing the different sites occupied the oldest, my oldest got a kick out of keeping track of how long it took for us to get into each state, hed write down the times of when we got in and when we left, and took a picture of the welcome sign.

[genhand]

We're planning a trip with a 2 and a 4 years old next summer and we were wndering plane (3h) or car(26h from montreal) but with all you're suggestion, i'm thinking car can be a lot of fun... When I was young, we travel a lot with my family and we use to listen to story on cassette or CD!