Traveling with the family in a car

I started actively traveling only after I had two kids !! That too after my second kid was more than 5 years old. Traveling with your family is great fun and at the same time a great challenge as well. I will give some idea of what to expect when you travel with your kids and what I generally do to ensure we have a safe and pleasant journey.

Making two kids sit in an enclosed automobile for 6 to 12 hours is a real challenge. Kids have attention span which is lesser than the time between two shots in a MTV video !! So boredom sets in quite fast and f they are bored, you are sure to hear about it :)) Once they start either nagging or crying, headache to you will be inevitable. So when you set out with your kids, the first thing you should take care is to ensure they are occupied for a major amount of time.

In case your car has a DVD player, your task becomes easy. But many of us poor souls either dont have it or dont want to have it. So you will have to look at imaginative ways to keep them occupied.

One of the best ways is to let them sleep !! In case you have a car like Maruti, Santro or such, you can fold the back seat completely, put on a bedspread and give them a pillow. This will enable them to sleep for an hour or two. In case you have a car like Innova, Qualis or such, you will not have much problem of space. So if you plan to travel regularly with your kids, buy a car which gives them space to sleep. Cars with a boot dont allow you to fold the rear seats completely and getting space for kids to sleep will be a problem.

The next option to keep them away from boredom, is to feed them at regular intervals :) Yup, they seem to develop an insatiable appetite when they travel. So it is always a good idea to carry with you some chips, wafers, biscuits etc. As usual, kids like junk food more (which the parents like as well but dont admit the fact), which is not very good for health. So give these stuff in small doses. Nowadays you get cornflakes of various flavours in small packs. These are healthy and the kids seem to like eating it without any milk. Try and carry eatables which are dry so that you dont need to stop at regular intervals to wash your hands !! Also carrying some tetra packs of fruit juices would help.

Next option is to carry lot of music that the kids like. Depending on their age group and their peers, the music would vary from 'Karadi Tales' to the latest rage. Ensure you play music which you like once in a while. Otherwise you may get frustrated by the music that they play and your road rage will increase !!

Another option is to start playing some word games. These generally keep them occupied for some time. The type of games you play depends a lot on the age group of your kids. You can invent some games as you go along like asking them to look out and tell you all the objects that are green in color. Maybe not a great game, but hey, it keeps them occupied.

The important thing when traveling with the family is to time your stops properly. Proper planning becomes very important. Food has to be provided at appropriate time and the place should be such that all of you can take a hydraulic break. So check out where the best stops are along the way and then decide when you would like to leave from home. For example, if you are going from Bangalore to Kushalnagar, you can plan for a stop at Kamat Lokaruchi at Ramnagara for breakfast and you will be in Kushalnagar for lunch.

Also remember, boredom sets in even at the resort where you will be staying, especially if they dont have a TV with cable connection !! Lots of Jungle Resorts will fall in this category and so you need to be prepared for it as well. Since you cannot play out in the night, take some indoor games with you like Ludo, Cards etc. Encourage kids to paint / draw. The best option is to get them to bed early :)) Some resorts have camp fires which the children enjoy immensely.

You also need to ensure that you have your First Aid kit ready and the important medicines with you. You can sometimes be in a remote place and getting to a decent medical shop would be a problem. The least you should pack are tablets for headache (Saridon), fever (Crocin), antacids (Zinetac, Eno, Gelusil), stomach ache(check with your doctor), vomiting (domstal) etc for the parents. If any of you has motion sickness or feels dizzy on ghat roads, keep some betel nut powder and a pack of Poppins with you. Visit your doctor before a long drive and check what medicines you need to pack for the children.