Less & More: The WFH Mom Edit

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Ah, summer. The magical season where we go to fun places like the beach, mountains, lake house, etc. Only problem is, you have to GET THERE. Whether it’s a beach weekend, a visit to grandma’s, or a long-haul road trip to somewhere magical, car travel with kids can feel like a horrid chore that lasts forever. But as two moms who have done a LOT of traveling with kiddos in tow, here are some of our best hacks for making it seem like the time actually passes faster and there are just a few less rounds of “are we there yet?” 

1. Withhold, until the road trip. 

Taking a trip to the library to stock up before a big trip seems like a no brainer, but here’s the insider angle: don’t let the kids look at the books until you’re in the car en route to your destination. I never get more free, quiet time than for the first two hours after a trip to the library when all the material is fresh and unread, so allow that magic to unfold ON your road trip instead of on the trip home from the library. 

Another library-focused tip? You can rent educational STEAM-centric tablets with games pre-loaded on to the device at our library (and hopefully, others as well!). This was a fun addition to our most recent road trip, though it is a little more on the “screen time” side of things. 

2. Download audiobooks and give ‘em their own headphones.

We always cruise through Libby and Hoopla before a road trip so the kids can pick out some fun audiobooks to listen to (maybe a future post about some of the best ones our kids have loved?!). In the past, somehow I have stupidly ONLY facilitated this activity through the car’s speakers, meaning that I too had to listen to all the same materials (I mean, I love Splat the Cat, but enough!). This summer I got wise. I bought this cheap headphone jack splitter for $5 on Amazon and now they can BOTH plug into the iPad, leaving me free to listen to my own audiobook, chat with Dan or really … anything I want! 

3.  Limited screen time allowances.

My kids do not get a ton of screen time, even on road trips. I’ve just been served too much content about the power of being bored, letting them figure out how to pass the time creatively, etc. However, I’m not insane. I know that a little bit of screen time in the car can be a life saver when the going gets tough. We usually dole it out based on how far we’re driving and how far apart the to and fro trips are. For instance, our beach trip is about five hours and lasts a week, so we generally let them pick a movie for the way there and the way back. If we’re just doing a weekend trip somewhere, maybe it’s only one. We TRY to get them to save it until the end of the trip, since we all know that THOSE minutes go on forever. Sometimes it works out perfectly and the final two hours pass in perfect peace, with the occasional giggle coming from the backseat. 

4. Car Picnic! 

Instead of taking time to stop for meals, we always pack a car picnic. If we’re leaving first thing in the morning, sometimes we stop for bagel sandwiches on our way out of town, but we also just make them at home and pack roast beef, turkey or peanut butter, along with some portable veggies and fruit. We almost always allow the kids to pick one car snack that we don’t usually let them have – Combos, Cheetos, Gatorade – and they can have it once they’ve finished the rest of their picnic. This fills the time and encourages them to eat a regular meal during a dysregulated day instead of snacking the whole time (which I am personally totally tempted to do on car trip days!). 

5. Build a joint karaoke list. 

Sometimes, we have our business together and we prep a Spotify playlist before we leave the house (follow the rule about not indulging in it UNTIL you leave, since that will build up the excitement about it!). Sometimes, we build on the fly using the queue feature in Spotify. Either way, everyone gets REALLY excited when “their song” comes on and with the average song lasting 3.5 minutes, it doesn’t take TOO many rounds of each person’s song before a whole hour has passed and all you’ve done is jam out. 

6. Games galore. 

Our family LOVES games. And travel games have come a long way since I was a kid. We just got this magnetic version of some of the kids’ faves – Trouble, Sorry, Guess Who and Connect 4 – to play in the car. There was a little bit of fighting of course, since who could resist getting competitive over sending their sibling back to Start in a rousing game of Sorry, but for the most part, these provided a good deal of entertainment AND you can play them at your destination if there is a rainy day or day trip within your trip. 

If you don’t feel like forcing your kids to play TOGETHER, mine also love individual puzzles you can take in the car. A no brainer is a Rubik’s Cube, but this slider puzzle really takes things to the next level and is fun for adults too. Here’s another 3D puzzle option, too! 

7. Plan your breaks strategically. 

There will always be the errant stop where you had to because someone had to pee, but we try to plan our stops about halfway through the trip (or even just a bit further, if feasible) at some place where there’s something to see or do in addition to a bathroom (and gas station!). We’ve stopped at parks for the kids to run around for a few minutes or landmarks we’d wanted to see. On our most recent trip, we stopped for our first ever trip to Buc-ee’s and did not leave disappointed. 

Sarah’s family did a roadtrip last summer and leaned heavily on the Roadtrippers app to find unique, fun, and educational stops along the way. Mickey Mantel’s childhood home, the biggest rocking chair in the U.S., and a metal animal exhibit. We saw it all! And the app was helpful in planning the trip overall and projecting drive times. 

8. A Small Surprise Bag

Much like keeping the library books a secret, Sarah always packs a small bag of “little happies” when embarking on a family trip. Nothing crazy and maybe not even anything brand new. A little fidget, a new notebook to journal about the trip in, a little assortment of Legos from their rooms, or a handful of pipe cleaners to make pipe cleaner sculptures. The kids look forward to seeing what awaits them and it helps to pass the time. 

9. Mandatory Quiet Time

Sanity and time to decompress are vital on any trip! Depending on how long a particular stretch of driving is, the whole family has mandatory quiet time to read or zone out to the podcast at hand or playlist. It helps us all to re-center and reset, even if it’s only a few minutes!

10.  Be Prepared!

It won’t surprise anyone that one of Sarah’s biggest tips is to be prepared for all the things when road tripping! We keep a first aid bag of sorts under the passenger seat that has OTC meds, a thermometer, bandaids, etc. I also keep baby wipes, a small garbage bag, and a roll of paper towels within reach for any spills or messes. 

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Closing Tip:
No road trip is perfect — but with a few of these strategies in your back pocket, it can be a lot more peaceful. Got a tried-and-true travel hack of your own? Share it in the comments!

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