Keeping a Good Mood on Road Trips!

My husband and I like to go on road trips. I enjoy them because it's just us spending time together. It allows us time to talk without all the distractions. I recently drove several hours by myself and then hit a dead standstill on the freeway due to an accident adding an additional 3 hours to my already 4 1/2 -5 hour drive. So I began thinking up this list.

1. Drive during the day
2. Check weather conditions
3. Check road conditions
4. Know what radio stations will give you updated reports on road conditions
5. Drive during good weather
6. Drive with plenty of rest
7. Take a friend to keep you company.
8. Bring a book to read out loud
9. Listen to a book on tape/CD
10. Bring a book to read to yourself.
11. Try to spot license plates from all 50 states.
12. Find all the letters in the alphabet, starting with A and going to Z (look at billboards, license plates, signs etc..)
13. Estimate the time you are going to arrive at your destination, by looking at the mile markers and timing yourself, or watching the speedometer and see how the arrival time changes.
14. Have everyone guess a time (down to the minute, maybe even second) when you're going to arrive.
15. Play I'm going on a trip and I'm going to bring a….(each person has to repeat all the previous things in order and then add an additional item or else they are out).
16. Tell a story where each person picks up the next paragraph…And when she woke up…(next person)
17. Bring your favorite snack and eat one every five miles (30 minutes or whatever) to break up the trip.
18. Watch a movie/DVD.
19. Tell stories about your favorite past trips.
20. Bring a book about the place you are going and read all about it.
21. Geocache along the way.
22. Stop at cool historical places.
23. Stretch or run around when you stop.
24. Sing silly songs.
25. Talk like you've never talked before.
26. Look at the beautiful scenery.
27. Day dream while you look at the scenery.
28. Listen to beautiful music to go with the scenery.
29. Play a card game, laying the cards carefully on the seat.
30. Take a nap, if you're not driving.
31. Bring Word Puzzles, Suduko, Logic Puzzles.
32. Read the Newspaper.
33. Take a GPS, atlas, and a print out of the map (you never know when the GPS will go out)
34. Bring Water in the car.
35. Bring plenty of snacks
36. Bring extra car supplies (oil, jumper cables, windshield wiper fluid).
37. Never let your gas tank go below 1/4 tank
38. Be polite to other drivers
39. Play I spy with my two little eyes?
40. Play 20 questions.
41. Eat somewhere you don't usually get to eat at.
44. Swim at the pool if your hotel has one.
45. Make a plan of action for when you arrive at your destination.
45. Make up a song ( do an add on song, like the add on story)
46. Leave in plenty of time to get there…especially if you have a deadline.
47. Watch people in other cars and guess what their currently doing, where they're going and what's going on in their lives.


These Last Five I got from other websits.

http://tutorialninjas.net/2008/07/01/15-things-to-do-on-a-long-car-ride/

48. Write on the car windows with dry erase markers w/ kleenex's handy

49. Give disposable cameras to people and have a picture contest. The most interesting picture wins!

http://heartkeepercommonroom.blogspot.com/2009/07/more-things-to-do-in-car.html

50. Give kids pipecleaners to play with. They make great stick figures, numbers, letters, shapes and jewelry.

http://www.commonplacebook.com/jokes/pranks/fun_things_to_d_1.shtm

51. Occasionally wave a stuffed animal/troll doll/Barbie out your window or sunroof. Feel free to make it dance.

http://www.momsminivan.com/ [This site has lot's of great things for kids].

52. Make a Car Bingo.