Why wait for the destination when you can adventure in the car!
Get Screen Free (mostly)
Most adventures require a car to get there and most of us use our phones in the car. Don’t get me wrong… technology has its place, even in family travel. But remember this!! Adventures are meant to be experienced! So start the adventure in the car! Make a pact to put the electronic entertainment away. But use the phones and iPads to take lots and lots of photos to commemorate your adventure! You know the old saying…Take only photos, leave only footprints! More than a beautiful notion to post on Instagram, it’s a great philosophy for travel and adventure!
Tips and Tricks to Ease the Cell Phone Pain
TIP: Phones can take the same great photos in airplane mode as they can in ‘on’ mode. SO you can let kids have the phone but not deal with all the text and game distractions. I’m sneaky like that.
TIP: Make it old school. Try an old fashioned Insta Camera. The kids will love it and it will bring back so many memories for you. The magic of instant cameras is back and more fun then ever!
Some parks and historical destinations have apps that work as treasure hunts and that is a GREAT way to use electronic devices because they become PART of the experience rather than distracting from it.
TIP: Silence the alerts. If you absolutely cannot turn off your cell phone because you expecting something super important and it is a distraction you are willing to have mid adventure….Text conversations and phone calls can wait. This is family time and it’s important to be present. That goes for the parents too!
Read with your Ears
Audio books are fantastic! Think about a book that everyone can enjoy together in the car for extended travels. We went through the entire Harry Potter series this way. I highly recommend the series narrated by Jim Dale. He is freaking amazing!
Audio books are a great way to get through a book no one has any time to read and gives you all a whole new topic for conversation and bonding. You’ll be surprised how it passes the time. Here’s a great way to get started with an adventure in the car!
Before there were Adventures in a Car
Before there were car adventures, road trips came in the form of stage coaches, covered wagons, horseback and just plain walking. Just surviving from beginning to end WAS the adventure! What we have now is just plain luxury! Think about it… you can stop at a myriad of gas stations, fast food places, and rest areas and get food you don’t have to hunt and use the facilities without fear of a snake bite on your butt!
Point is, us American’s were road tripping before there were even roads. We’re experts! One REALLY fun thing to do on a road trip is to look up the history behind a road or highway. This can be a fun thing for the kids to do and an acceptable use of the phone on the trip. It is particularly fun back east in places like Virginia where almost every road is 300 years old and has a story. You can’t believe the stories behind the original uses of roads! SUCH great stuff! Some are old Indian trails, some trade routes, some have names for specific incidents that happened there. Just get to your favorite search engine and type in ‘How did _________ get it’s name’ Don’t be surprised if this opens up a whole new game to be played throughout your trip!
Road Trip Games
I’m a big fan of games but let me qualify that. They have to be interactive and not another board game or something with rules. That’s just more stuff to pack and another freaking structured activity for kids. NO! Before the car adventure begins, print out a page of fun things to do as a group. It seems silly to have to do that but we’re such slaves to the tech now, sometimes it’s difficult to think of ideas of even what to talk about in the group. The License plate game is always a good ongoing game…as is the old ‘Punch a Buggy’ game. I like these games because they are interactive and require using senses and brain, not just another structured activity. It’s good for the brain to meander. Great conversations come from that! And don’t forget the ‘How did this road get its name? Game.’ Hours of entertainment (and learning) It’s like sneaking cauliflower in the mashed potatoes!
TIP: Have a cheat sheet of some tongue twisters handy. Print it or keep the photo on the cellular device. Hold a contest who can say one ten times in a row without messing up.
Adventure Mind Set
An adventure can happen any where and any time. It’s all in how you view it. I think sometimes people think of a road trip as a long dragged out not fun means to an end. I challenge that notion! It is a confined space where children cannot escape! It is the perfect time and place to play games, laugh and bring back that old fashioned notion of COMMUNICATION! So put on your optimist hat, your sense of humor spectacles, your roll with it coat, and make it contagious!
Quality Time
Adventures in the car can be quality memory making time! Above all else be together, away from work and deadlines, school and activities. Talk, enjoy each other’s company, and make a memory. Remember, Life is a Journey, not a Destination. Enjoy the ride! (Yup, that’s another Instagrammable quote right there!)
Read Previous Article: How to Plan your Family Adventure
Read Next Article: How to Adventure with No Money
Back to: Adventure 101
Harry Potter Potter one of the all-time best audiobooks!
Yes it is!!!! I think all the different voices help keep me awake during the bleak stretches LOL