Driving to Disney? Tips for the Happiest Road Trip on Earth
My family loves a good road trip. We look forward to spending time together in the car, talking and playing games. We enjoy seeing the country as we pass through.
We're aware that this is not always the case. For some families, a road trip seems like torture, even if the final destination is Walt Disney World. That was me when I was a kid. I was sandwiched in the back seat between my two stepbrothers with a Sony Walkman and a pencil and paper for entertainment. My, how the times have changed.
So in this post, we're sharing our favorite ways to survive a road trip.
Bring the necessities.
So, what are the necessities? Food, water, and comfort is what comes to mind. Here are the things we typically pack for comfort in the car.
A cooler with icy water, gatorade, and adult beverages for later when we're at our lodging.
Snacks like twizzlers, jerky, trail mix, dried fruit, cookies, and granola bars
Travel pillows, like this one.
Have a system for pit stops.
Ask a kid "Do you have to go to the bathroom?" and the answer is often no, even though maybe they kind of do have to go. The answer will be "no" for a kid until it's an emergency.
This is why we introduced the rating scale early on. "On a scale of 1-10 where 1 is "not at all" and 10 is "I'm peeing my pants", how bad do you need to use a bathroom?" is now what we ask. We stop when we're at a 6-8, if possible. After some practice with the scale, you can start asking your kid to let you know. So now, what used to be "Do you have to go to the bathroom?" "No." is now "Let us know when you are at a 7."
Kid lets you know, you have time to find a pit stop. End of story.
Also. If one family member is making a pit stop, it's non-negotiable for the rest of the family. Everyone is going to give it a go. I once had a Scottish tour guide, who I like to recall during these times when I get pushback. I affect my terrible Scottish accent and say "Just set a whiiiile. Let nature take its course. See wat happens."
Have some planned activities.
Yes, you can let your kids bring their iPads or MP3 players or portable DVD players and that might be good for a little quiet time once in a while. But you are on vacation together, so have some fun together. My family really likes games when on the road. Here are our favorites:
Would You Rather?
20 Questions
That's where you were born - This game is easy. When you pass a rundown barn or shack, somebody in the car points it out. "See that barn?". When the other person looks, they say "That's where you were born." The goal is to one up each other and find the worst possible place by the end of the road trip.
Counting cows/killing cows - So, being from the Midwest this is a natural for us near our home. Basically, you count cows you pass on YOUR SIDE of the car. Those are points. But if you pass a cemetery on your side of the car, all of your cows are dead and you start over at zero. Basically, you are trying to get the highest score by the time you arrive at your destination.
You can also purchase things to help facilitate your activities.
One of my favorites is any chat pack that seems interesting to your family. If you are traveling with kids, you want to make sure the chat pack is appropriate for kids. Some can get very 'adult'. These usually pose a question like "If your life was a movie, who would play you?" to start a conversation. These are great for when you are looking for less structure but want to have interesting conversation. There are tons under the Chat Pack brand, even one for each state! But there are also other brands like Table Topics and Ice Breakers.
You can also do Mad Libs as a group. There are plenty of Disney related books of Mad Libs.
Or if you want less talking and more enjoying the scenery, but still want some friendly competition, try Rubber Neckers. You can play this a few ways. Either some people (not the driver) can be dealt their own hand and play against each other. Or you can deal a hand for the whole family and play cooperatively. Each card is worth a few points if you spot the item, so you might be given things to spot like "An American flag" or "A mail truck". Some cards are worth double points if you spot it under certain conditions, such as "An American Flag on a bank" or "A mail truck stopped in front of a mailbox". Some cards are easy and some quite challenging. The goal, of course, is to accrue points.
When my family plays, we often have a lengthy game of cooperative Rubber Neckers going while simultaneously using the chat pack to spark conversation, because that's how we roll. Do what works for you.
Bring something to serve as a trash can.
You will create a ton of trash. I'm never quite sure how it all happens, but I assume all those snacks, all those stops for fast food, all those gum wrappers eventually pile up and without a designated place to put it, it piles up all over your car and has to be gathered at every pit stop. That is, if you are good about staying on top of it.
I found it much nicer to bring a tupperware cereal style box (the kind with the flap on top) and line that with a trash bag (more trash bags were stored underneath the first for easy refills). This way, all trash made it to a central location and when that pit stop came and the box was full, you'd take the trash bag out, throw it all away at once, and open one of the other trash bags in your stash.
Set some ground rules.
I'll be honest here, my family is small and we don't often need to set new rules for a car ride. But consider what might make sense for you.
For example, a pretty common sense rule might be "no taking your shoes and socks off in the car" to try to avoid stinky feet smell.
A rule could be "You can't live on french fries and shakes. Have at least one fruit or veg on the road."
A rule might limit soda consumption.
It might enforce cooperation between siblings.
Whatever it might be, set it at the beginning of the road trip so you aren't scrambling to come up with something at the end.
I hope these tips make your potential road trip to Disney feel less stressful and more fun. Do you have some brilliant tips your family uses? If so, please share them here in the comments or on our Facebook page! Until next week...
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