Keeping them engaged

The idea of a road trip means fun for every child. While the first few hours will be very fun for them, be prepared to be shot with “How many more hours till we get there? I’m bored!” after the excitement of the road trip wears down. To keep boredom at bay, you could give them coloring books and a box of crayons. Play games like “Who are they?” where you choose another car on the road and try to imagine the passengers’ stories. Get creative and make up your own fantasy stories with them as heroes, villains, spies, etc.  Listen to audio books. You can have some fun blowing bubbles out of the car. Also, just belting out to songs on the radio breaks the monotony!

On Packing

Do not let your child pack his/her own suitcase unsupervised. While kids love getting involved and packing their own things, they could get carried away sometimes and pack unnecessary items, leaving the essential items behind. Pack light, pack right.

Finding treasures along the way

To make your little ones more enthused about the ride, you can list out major landmarks on your way to your destination and create a map. When you get to the landmarks, hand out little “surprises” for them; doesn’t have to be very big. Pack a fun activity book and crayons or little treats in a paper bag and wrap it. The excitement to unwrap the surprises alone keeps the kids excited along the way.

Eating inside the car

Carry along some munchies with you. Fresh fruits are the best options on snacking. Also, nuts, carrots, string cheese, hard boiled eggs are some great options to snack on. If you are taking packaged foods, carry those that are easy to eat, clean off and dispose.  Stick a straw through yogurt packaging to avoid spillage. Sippy cups and travel mugs are worth investing in for a spill-free ride. Use plastic cups for snack service.

On organization, hygiene and health

Road trips can get messy no matter how much you try. Make use of a large paper bag to dispose wrappers from all the packaged food you consume on the road trip. Ziploc bags are a great way of organizing on a road trip.
Carry wet wipes for easy cleanup of all sorts of mess. Make sure you pack a mini first aid kit filled with Band-Aids, antiseptic wipes, cloth bandages, and other basic supplies.

Have a happy trip!

Mickey Munchie Mix!

Prepare a bag of this Mickey-themed mix to keep your kids excited and full. Mix up pretzels, chocolate chips, yogurt covered raisins or marshmallows, and red and yellow MMs.

Mickey Mouse cupcakes!

If you have the time to bake before the trip,  Mickey Mouse cupcakes only require some mini Oreos and red cupcake wrappers. Bake chocolate muffins and top them up with two mini oreos each to make Mickey’s ears. TA-DA!

Mickey Mouse Pizza

Kids love pizza! And they love Mickey Mouse! Turn a regular old pizza into a Mickey Pizza with pepperoni and olives and cut square pieces to pack for your trip.

Another Disney themed snack mix!

Mix up marshmallow, pretzel sticks, orange jelly beans and chocolate covered raisins. And voila! You have your own Olaf themed snack mix.

Olaf on a string cheese!

We can never have enough of Olaf! Draw snowman faces on plastic wrap of the string cheese with a sharpie. It’s simple and your kids will love it!

Pack a Bento box for your child!

 In the picture you see apple slices, baby carrots in a silicone cup, peppered turkey, cheddar cheese cut with a mini bear cutter and pretzel sticks. So simple!

You can also get more creative with the Bento box like shown above (or at least try to).

Fish in the river!

This is almost too simple. Cut up celery ribs to a length that you want to pack, pipe up cream cheese in it, stick some goldfish crackers and you have your very own “Fish in the river”. This is a great idea for parents who want to tempt their kids into eating celery.

Finger foods!

Kids will love anything that looks fun to eat. To make PB&J sushi rolls, start by cutting off the crusts. Flatten the bread with a rolling pin, lather it up with PB&J, roll and cut it into bite-sized pieces.

Toss in veggies like carrots and cooked meat (any meat) in a rice wrap and you have yourself easy-to-eat food for the road.

 Put it on a stick!

Try cheese and ham roll skewered on a pretzel stick. Lay a slice of ham on top of a cheese slice, roll it up and poke a pretzel stick through it.

You can also skewer some fresh fruits on a stick for a healthy option. Fancy a fruit Kabob, anyone?

Let’s get cooking!