Know where you're going. With a little preparation, getting lost is an avoidable evil that doesn't have to play a factor in your road trip. Use an easy-to-read map or get step-by-step directions from Mapquest.
Stay hydrated. Fill a cooler with lots of bottled water, sports drinks, and juices boxes. Juice boxes are great if you're traveling with kids. They're small, have no caffeine and have less sugar than sodas which can leave your kids wound up with no place to go.
Have snacks on-hand. Snacks like fresh fruit, boxed raisins, granola bars, trail mix and crackers make great road trip snacks. Try to stay away from, or limit, snacks that are high in sugar like candy or cookies.
Keep the kids entertained. Go online and print ideas for fun car games that the family can play together. Also, before the trip, go and buy a bag full of fun travel-appropriate activities. Try to get a good mix of both group and solo activities to keep your kids occupied. At the beginning of the trip, hand out a few of the solo activities. Hide the rest of the activities under your seat and bring them out as rewards or incentives for good behavior.
Prepare welcome distractions. Bring along your favorite music or books on CD to drive away boredom and drown out road noise and unruly children.
Make semi-frequent stops. Every so often make a special fifteen to twenty-minute stop so that everyone in the car can get out, stretch their legs and have a little fun. Bring along a flying disk, football or bubbles for stops like these.
Have a great time! This is a vacation, after all. Don't sweat the small things and remember that trips like these are the stuff memories are made of.
