We spend a lot of time on the road, especially in the spring when we seek a break from the snow and migrate to the Utah desert. We road trip at least once a month and sometimes more.
West is a pro on the road. In fact, he has exceeded all my expectations of what it would be like to road trip with a toddler. And it’s not just manageable… It’s actually a heck of a lot of fun.
He loves the novelty of everything on the road. At every stop he is running around getting the lay of the land. Toys are not required. The whole world is a toy waiting to be discovered.
We don’t blink at traveling over nine hours round trip for a three day weekend. I don’t worry about our littlest passenger. And because we don’t worry, we go and go often. This is something that hasn’t greatly changed us from our pre-kid days.
Maintaining the adventure of the road feels good. From thousands of miles on the road, we have learned this about raising a road warrior:
Get them going early and don’t stop
West has been on the road since he was six weeks old. We have not held back. Going on an adventure via the car is second nature to him. We’ve been lucky that he’s not prone to car-sickness… or maybe that’s just because he’s grown up roadtripping? It’s just familiar to him.
Toys with many uses are the way to go
Toys that can do a lot of different things are the ones that have staying power in our car. Pipe cleaners and wiki sticks have infinite uses. We have this set of small trucks that go everywhere with us. Reusable stickers are always for the win. We have even found an old-school calculator to be great in the car because you can press the buttons, use it to take fake dining out orders, and pretend to make phone calls.
A road trip should be a thrilling ride, filled with joy, and treats
I make a point of proclaiming loudly every time we get in the car the joy I feel about being on the road and how much fun can be found out there. Then I break out the gummies and we stop for milkshakes and fries. It’s glutinous. It’s luxurious. On the road, there are few rules and that’s the way it should be.
Screens not required
West will be three years old next month and to this day, we have only used screens twice on the road. He doesn’t think they are an option and we would like to keep it that way for as long as possible. Yes, I do get tired constantly trying to keep the child entertained, but the value of the road is the experience and it is our feeling that screens negate that experience.
Break up long travel legs, by staying in fun places
We tend to keep our time on the road per day to under five hours. That may not be our ideal when hauling to far away destinations, but it is in keeping with the notion that the journey is the destination… which is even more true with an impatient toddler. We scour the maps to find interesting stops on our routes, places we might not otherwise stay. Making stopovers only enhances the exploration and prevents an overly grumpy toddler.
