Summer is coming and what better time than now to start thinking about your travel plans. Despite the weakened pound, many families will be jetting off abroad to Europe or more faraway places like Thailand, yet an increasingly popular option this summer is to embark on an old fashioned road trip.
If you’ve ever seen the family favourite film, RV, which encapsulates the sense of adventure and bonding to be had on a road trip with your family – you’ll know this can be an attractive option for families wanting to explore the UK or nearby countries. Know more about down payments for a RV.
It’s now easier and faster than ever to cross the channel – with more and more families taking long distance summer road trips to coastal regions of France and Spain, indeed many people are even looking at property for sale in mougins and other areas in the South of France due to the fast transportation links.
Whilst flying can be much cheaper and more convenient with low cost airlines able to transport you to such destinations in less than a couple of hours, flying as a family can be somewhat hasslesome; there’s a certain independence that comes with taking a road trip, yet family road trips aren’t without their challenges.
Here’s a few tips to manage long distance family journeys this summer…
- STOP OFF ALONG THE WAY
The days of arguing over a paper map are mostly over – as now, at least, there is a common enemy to get mad at when the SatNav gets it wrong. However, it’s a good idea to plan out a route that allows for some interesting stop-offs along the way. Driving straight down the motorway for five hours might be the most efficient way to get to your destination, but the thing with road trips is that they are just as much about the journey as they are getting to the final destination. Review the places you are going to ahead of time and look for local ‘days out’ sites, like this one for Norfolk.
- KEEP YOUR CHILDREN ENTERTAINED
The trick here is to ensure your kids have plenty of engaging activities that don’t require adult participation – whether that’s watching a film on a mobile device or something more ‘old school’ like a colouring book and some crayons.
- KEEP THE ADULTS ENTERTAINED TOO
It’s important the adults have something to keep them entertained too; often this can be as simple as a great soundtrack for the journey, a good book, or an interesting debate to keep the driver engaged.
- EAT OFTEN
There are plenty of pharmaceutical and alternative remedies that help travellers with motion sickness but one of the best tips is to eat little and often throughout the journey with an adequate supply of fresh air. Ideally, eating outside of the car is best for people that suffer with motion sickness and ensure a decent supply of mints or boiled sweets are available for this appears to satiate the symptoms of motion sickness surprisingly effectively.
- HAVE A GREAT SOUNDTRACK
A great game to play with your family, particularly if you have a Spotify account or similar, is to create a playlist before you go on your trip that includes the favourite songs of each person in the car; presuming you have access to the internet, an even better way to go about this is to pass the device around the car in turn so that each person selects a song.
TopTip – If you’re planning a family road trip and need to rent bikes for a more enjoyable journey, you can see them here at various bike rental shops in Phuket. This way, you can explore the beautiful destinations along your route with even more flexibility and fun.
Planning a trip abroad with kids? Have a look at this great post from Big Family Little Adventures.
