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Quite a few of us in this RV Life have grandkids that travel with us on occasion. We’ve discussed in previous posts those old-school road trip games, some tips for those more modern kids, as well as how to just get along with each other in what can become fairly cramped quarters. Today I’d like to talk with y’all about getting yourself ahead of the game a little bit, so you won’t feel like you’re running along behind the RV trying to catch up with the whole situation while it’s spinning out of the fun category into the stress category. These trips need to be about stress mitigation, and not adding more stress to anyone’s pile.
One of the easiest ways to help reduce stress on EVERYBODY is to do some pre-trip homework. For example, what do these kids eat? Every family has that one kid who won’t eat anything, but find out from his/her parents what they DO actually eat and stock up on that. Also find out what they’re favorite fast food is. I know we’re supposed to be promoting a healthy lifestyle and all that, but this is a road trip with kids and there is a good chance that their favorite fast food restaurant has a PLAYGROUND which equates to one stop for a meal, potty, and indoor air-conditioned fun. Not only that but to the kids it’ll be a treat and may help as a guarantor of decent behavior for a little while if you think of it from a mafiosi’s perspective. Ha! Most of these chain restaurants are online and you can scout the route before you leave to determine wether or not these locations have playscapes before the kids even arrive!
Other ways to get ahead of that curve ball is to determine what (if any) nap schedule the kids have, what their favorite movies are, which toys or blankets are the MUST HAVE/NO-GO items, find out which kid has to potty the most often and how long they can hold it, etc etc etc. You may not have had little kids full time in awhile and those memories of how much work is involved may have (gratefully) faded, but if you get the quickie Cliff’s Notes cheat sheet from the parents, it can save those last few full color hairs from going grey! And if there’s anything you need from us, swing by our website for any and all parts and accessories as well as useful tips like these in our archived blogs!