Whether it’s a summer vacation, a skiing vacation or a visit to grandma and grandpa – a long car trip with children is unavoidable for many families. Often this involves a lot of stress and worry for the parents. At the latest when a child asks "when will we finally be there?"both parents realize that the rest of the journey will certainly not be easy.
But with a little preparation, planning and creativity, you can turn the long car ride to your well-deserved vacation into a little exciting adventure for kids. With the right activities, toys and a lot of comfort, the little ones feel completely at ease in the car, too.
In this detailed article, we have summarized everything you need to know about long car journeys with children. How to start your vacations without any worries or problems!
This article is part of the great "children on car trips" series ("the top 20 toy recommendations for playing in the car, baby in the car, the reboarder guide, joke questions and black stories for school children best apps for kids for the road and the best youtube series)
Our checklist and packing list for long car journeys as a PDF to print out!
Simply download the checklist as a PDF, print it out and tick it off.
How to prepare for a long car journey?
To organize a car trip with a child in the best possible way, you should plan well in advance. This includes researching the route, breaks and planning how best to stow everything away. This is the only way to prevent the children from getting bored, uncomfortable or even sick on the long car ride.
Tip: You can involve older children in the preparation and planning. This prepares you for the experience and creates clarity. Often creative ideas come into play that you might not have thought of before.
secret tip: prepare surprise bags for the trip. Depending on the progress of the journey, bags are then opened and the contents marveled at. The bags also give the children an idea of how far it is to go. Often, "two more bags" is better than "100 km to go" or "two hours to go".
It is also worth packing a large backpack for toys and only handing out the toys bit by bit to keep the excitement level high.
How to drive stress-free with children for a long time?
It is recommended not to drive more than 500 km per day with children in the car. With enough breaks and trips on the highway, that’s about one hour. Eight hours of travel per day.
If your destination is far away, it makes sense to make a stopover overnight. Sometimes it’s worth taking a little detour to get there. Friends or a family member may live on the way? Or maybe a beautiful landscape or sight is only a few kilometers away from the highway? Then do not stress so much to arrive quickly at the vacation destination. As we all know, the journey is the destination!
It’s also worth traveling off the beaten track. You will see more of the nature and landscape and you may also pass one or the other sightseeing place. However, if your child is prone to motion sickness, it is better to take the most direct and fastest route to the destination.
When is the best time to leave with children??
Opinions often differ here. Some say that you should leave as early as possible so that you may still have something of the destination on the day you arrive. But this often creates fatigue for the driver and others involved, leaving you too tired to do anything after arrival.
Others say that it is better to start the long car trip with children after lunch, because then the little ones spend a large part of the trip with an extended afternoon nap. But often the kids are too excited to go to sleep right after the trip starts. The advantage of this planning is that you have the whole morning to pack, stow and go through the checklist.
Traveling at night seems appealing, but it also hides one or two disadvantages. Especially when you start the long car trip with children after a day at school or work, tiredness often creeps into the driver’s mind. This can be a risk for the whole family.
We think that the best time to start a long car trip with kids is after breakfast. After a good night’s sleep, a healthy light meal and, above all, after the stressful rush hour, it is best to start your vacation.
Our son usually plays with the books and toys for an hour or two before he falls asleep quickly after the lunch break, and we can drive for between four and six hours.
How often should you take breaks on a long car trip with kids?
Especially with small children all 1.take a break for 5 hours. This satisfies the urge to move, gives the opportunity to have a snack, change diapers and visit the toilet.
At least once on a long car trip with children, you should take a break for more than an hour. the best time to do this is at lunchtime, when you can take a walk and rest for a while after a heavy meal before the journey continues. This gives the children a chance to really let off steam, so that they can quickly find their way back to sleep afterwards.
It’s best to research in advance where you can find rest areas with playgrounds, restaurants with child-friendly menus and possibly exciting sights along the route. The ADAC has a list of child-friendly freeway service areas compiled. Alternatively you can visit the website "raststaetten.De" plan your route and select "play facilities" in the filter to find the best rest stops for a break. We especially recommend the rest stops "A9: "hirschberg ost" near hof" and "A19: rest stop recknitz-niederung west" with a great playground for running around. We usually take breaks away from the highway. It’s more relaxed and safer than being "surrounded" by trucks and people in a hurry.
But on long journeys with children it comes firstly differently and secondly than one thinks.
What else to consider before departure?
Especially if you are traveling in the summer, you need to be aware of the sun’s rays on the car. Place the child seat on the side that is largely spared the heat from the sun. For example, if you are driving north in the morning, it is best for the child to sit on the left side of the car. In the afternoon, the child seat can then be placed on the right side.
If this is not possible, a sun protection system can help on a long car trip with children. Professionally applied sunscreen films provide the best heat protection without restricting the view of the outdoors. if this is not available spontaneously, it also helps to put a towel in the window.
The children’s clothing for a long car trip should also be planned in advance. It should be comfortable, loose and easy to remove. On every trip you have to be prepared for temperature differences and spill accidents. A warm jacket and change of clothes should also be stowed within easy reach.
Speaking of stowing, good planning of course includes a comprehensive packing list. Here too we have some tips that we would like to share with you next.
What do you need for a long car ride with kids?? the ultimate packing list!
The nightmare of any road trip, with kids or not, is stowing the luggage. This is where the skills gained from playing tetris early in life come in handy.
But it’s not just the loading of luggage for the vacation that becomes a task, but also the planning of what should be ready to hand during the long car journey with children. This is what our packing list is for:
- plastic bags. These can be used for litter, but also in an emergency for travel sickness.
- Towel. This serves either as a sunshade clamped in the window, as a blanket when it gets cold or helps with small spill accidents.
- Sleeping or neck pillows. Nothing is more annoying to children than a stiff neck when they wake up.
- Wet wipes. If you are particularly concerned about the environment, you can pack a damp washcloth in a waterproof bag.
- Sunscreen. Whether in the car or during a break, sunscreen spray should always be stowed within easy reach.
- Bottle warmer for infants. Nowadays, these are available with a charging cable for the cigarette lighter.
- travel tablets. If one or more passengers occasionally suffer from travel sickness.
- Disinfectant& toilet paper. For the unpleasant toilet visit, if it is not adequately clean times.
- Pacifier chains and strings to tie toys to the child’s seat. This avoids having to perform acrobatic contortions to grab the toy from the floor.
- Umbrella. If it suddenly rains on the way to the rest stop or restroom.
- change of clothes
Further down in the article we also go into what you should pack as travel provisions and to keep the children occupied
Also pay attention to safety on the long car trip with children!
When preparing for the big trip, you should also think about the safety of the family. But there are a few things to consider, especially for a long car trip with children.
We use the britax romer kidfix i-size for our three-year-old son. In case you need a reboarder here is an article with various recommendations for you.
Before the trip
Until the age of 12. From the age of 150 cm, children must always be secured with a suitable child restraint system appropriate to their body weight, which includes a child seat and the appropriate seat belt system. If the child has already reached a height of 150 cm, it is sufficient from this point on to secure the child with the three-point belt for adults. If you consistently comply with your seat belt obligation and teach your children to wear the belt themselves as early as possible, it will quickly become a habit for life.
Especially for a long car trip with children in the summer, the child seats should be covered with a light-colored fabric. fully enclosing the seat prevents the child from having to sit on plastic parts that heat up particularly strongly. The metal bar of the safety belt can also heat up in the sun.
The luggage must be stowed absolutely securely so that nothing can fall onto the back seat in the event of an emergency stop. Care should be taken to ensure that the first aid kit is still easily accessible. Additional warning vests for children are not compulsory, but are also recommended in case of emergency.
During the trip
Instead of constantly having to turn around from the passenger seat, the installation of a second interior mirror is recommended for a long car trip with children. This allows you to communicate with the children at all times with eye contact and also quickly check whether everything is still in order.
Feeding should be avoided during the drive. In case of hard braking, the little ones could choke or hurt themselves with the spoon or on the bottle. It goes without saying that you should not change diapers in the car while driving.
The air conditioning should not be set too hot or cold. A large difference between the outside and inside temperatures puts a strain on the body and can cause cold symptoms. This quickly spoils the upcoming vacation.
The most important rule for long car journeys with children, especially if they take you through freeway service areas, is: do not get out of the car until the driver expressly allows you to do so. there are a lot of vehicles in these parking lots, so always make sure that the children leave the car safely.
travel provisions for a long car journey with children
When kids get bored on long car rides, a quick snack usually helps. Above all, the little ones love it when there is something special to eat at the beginning of the vacation. But be careful: don’t pack anything that can drip or crumble. This prevents unpleasant surprises in the back seat. No one wants to spend the start of the vacation scrubbing car seats!
You should also avoid drinks with carbonic acid. Water, cold tea and unsweetened juice are better choices. In winter, you can also pack a thermos flask with hot tea, which you should only open during breaks when the car is at a standstill.
Also pack a few extra bottles of water for the long car ride with kids to be on the safe side. If you do end up in an uncomfortably long traffic jam, mine has an emergency ration with it. Water is also suitable for a little cooling down over the head and neck or can be used to clean children’s hands and objects. Bottle holders are perfect for keeping small water bottles handy and secure in the car.
For snacks we recommend:
- Bread with sausage, cheese and salad. Cream cheese is more suitable as a spread than butter, as it does not melt as quickly and binds the other ingredients better. It is also healthier!
- Wraps. Wrapped in aluminum foil or butter paper, nothing can fall out.
- Vegetable sticks. Cucumbers, carrots, kohlrabi and peppers are particularly suitable because they do not drip.
- Fruit. Apple slices, pear pieces, bananas or grapes taste good and are healthy.
- Nuts (for older children who no longer choke)
- Cereal bars. By the way, you can also easily prepare them yourself!
- Dried meat. Salami sticks taste best.
A cool box keeps everything fresh and cool in the summer, provided you have space for it in the car. This serves later at the travel destination for day trips or to cool the beer or white wine for the parents in the evening – of course, only if you do not have to drive anymore! Many coolers come with a battery charger for the cigarette lighter and are therefore super practical for on the road.
We recommend using tins and snack boxes to store snacks, as this protects the environment and prevents the food from falling out of the aluminum or transparent foil and contaminating the car.
But even the most delicious food can’t keep little ones happy for long. It is also necessary to provide enough occupation on a long car trip with children. But even here we have a few tips, which we would like to discuss in the next section.
The snack tips also as PDF!
Simply download the list as a PDF, print it out and simply check it off.
How do I keep my child occupied on a long car journey??
Eating, sleeping and breaks cover only a part of a car trip with kids. In between, the little ones want to be entertained or to be told. Need enough materials to keep yourself busy. Since you also want to relax yourself on the long car ride with kids, or at least get some rest, it’s important to be prepared.
Here again: involve the little ones in the planning of the trip. They know best what they want to play or how they can occupy themselves for a long time alone. But if the child doesn’t give much away or creativity is lagging behind in vacation preparations, the following tips can help.
What can kids play in the car?
Nowadays, when it comes to entertainment on a long car ride with kids, the tablet or cell phone immediately comes to mind. Not a bad idea, because these aids are guaranteed to keep the little ones quiet for a long time. But here is where caution is needed! Too much screen time and looking down all the time can lead to travel sickness. This also applies to video games and books.
Tablets can also be attached to the back seat. This prevents neck pain. Since the child does not have to hold the device with this device, they may also look out the window from time to time, or possibly fall asleep. Bluetooth headphones do not restrict the freedom of movement and avoid disturbing the parents in the front seat.
To prevent travel sickness on a long car trip with children, audio books are recommended. These are entertaining and the child can look into the distance, which can prevent dizziness and nausea.
Even better are games for which you don’t need any aids and which involve the whole family. These include:
- ‘i see something you don’t’. An absolute classic and especially popular with toddlers.
- ‘who am i’. Someone thinks of a character and all the others have to guess who he is by asking 10-15 questions.
- I know something/someone you don’t know’. There are no limits to the imagination here. This variant is better suited for older children.
- I’m packing my suitcase. This is another classic that you should never go wrong with.
- Continue telling and making up stories. The best way for an adult to start is to think of a story about something they have seen. For example the rabbit on the field next to the highway is on his way to his friend, who is not doing very well at the moment. Why is he not well? Here, a child can take up the story and, using his or her own imagination, continue the story ad infinitum. this game often leads to a lot of giggles and laughter.
- Guess license plates. It helps to have a list of german license plates with you to help the little ones out a bit. With this game you also get to know the german geography better.
- Guess trees or animals. Especially when traveling from the north of germany to the south or the other way around, the nature and landscape changes in an enormous way. This can also be used to teach the little ones about geography, weather systems and botany. Sure, this is not interesting for everyone, but with the right technical aids, this can also be made interactive. For example, play to the little ones the songs of a bird they don’t know from home or show them the newborns of the animal species. Learning is fun!
- Atlas. One person names a country, city or region and the next person has to use the last letter of the word to name another place. This can also happen with animal names or other things. It is best to pick up on the children’s areas of interest to customize this game.
- Guessing melodies and sounds. For example with this noise quiz.
- Answer joke questions. Z.B. How to get an elephant into the fridge? The answer and 100 different joke questions I have for you collected here.
- Black stories guess. This is something for older children. An example: a man gets out of your big vehicle and takes his own life. What happened? The children must now guess the creepy facts and the parents may only answer with yes and no. the solution and 70 more blackstories also as PDF for download can be found here.
- ABC games. List all the terms after the ABCs, z.B. All the animals according to the ABC, all the cities, all the food, etc.
If you get bored or just need a breather, toys can help. More about this in the following paragraph.
What toy is suitable for the long car ride with children?
Basically, it should be ensured that the toy is not too small and can not be swallowed. A small ball can, for example, roll forward under the brake pedal, which can be life-threatening. If a child nibbles on a lego brick during a full stop, this can quickly lead to swallowing or an injury.
Cuddly toys, on the other hand, are not only soft and harmless, they also prevent homesickness and help you fall asleep. Many children also tell their teddy friend about their new, unique experiences, which helps them to process the unfamiliar impressions.
also popular are kneeling trays with raised edges. This prevents toys, pencils or even snacks from falling down. If the surface is coated in such a way that you can draw on it with a felt-tip pen and then wipe it off again, the little ones are guaranteed to be busy for a while. But again, only try this if the child is not prone to motion sickness.
This also applies to magnetic board and card games, which may sound appealing, but are perhaps better unpacked on solid ground during a vacation. Here I have compiled all recommendations for ideal toys in the car.
What is always guaranteed to go down well and keep kids happy on long car rides are surprise bags. You can fill these, for example, with snacks, new toys or sweets that you might not otherwise allow your children to have so often. Vouchers, for example to choose a song, to sit in the passenger seat for a while or to get an ice cream at the next gas station, are also a good idea. The only condition to get a surprise: be good!
Another tip to distract the children from the length of the journey is to explain to them in an understandable way how to get ahead and when to arrive. And one should not lie and answer the question "when are we finally there??"don’t answer with a simple "soon". Many small children are not yet able to tell the time either. Better are indicators that are easier to grasp. For example, the position of the sun or the change in the landscape.
so you see, when it comes to occupation on a long car trip with children, the right preparation is the absolute A and O. This also applies to sleeping in the car.
For emergencies we always have smartphones and tablets ready to bridge important waiting moments. Here are our recommendations for the best 15 learning and playing apps for toddlers and another article about the best kids series on youtube and how to easily "download" them to a tablet