Just needed to vocalize to get it out to avoid passing the feelings on to the fam.
Starting a road trip with two young ones. Kind of stressed about it - we’re doing 30+hrs total car-time over the next couple of weeks.
Have lots of contingencies for the car ride, planned lots of stops, have lots of snacks and some new distractions for the kids.
Trying to tell myself over and over it’s not about getting there, it’s about making a day out of the drives. It’s a very different approach to how I’ve always traveled - usually my wife and I would just power thru and get there. With a potty trainer and a new walker I’m still coming to terms with expecting to stop every 30m. Idk that my heads totally there yet and wanted to share, even if just to put my thoughts on “paper”.
How have other dad’s out there had success with young ones on long trips? Any tips or ideas are welcome :)
I think I put 90 “bookmarks” on Google maps for playgrounds or other activities. Playgrounds near highways are wonderful. Hard part we found was finding decent places on the longer stretches on major highways.
We did the first leg & the big wins for us, were stopping proactively for everyone to stretch their legs and finding a public library in a smaller town when traffic was bad. It was a really good spot to stop when it’s hot :P. Great activities for the kids, clean bathrooms, and AC.
Appreciate the thoughts from folks. The journey continues!! :)