Are We There Yet? The Key to Happy Traveling is to Never Hear Those Words

I used to love traveling when I was a kid. My Mom? Not so much I'm thinking....

Many times as a child, I would be riding my bike, playing in the back yard, and Mom would ask if I wanted to go for a "ride"? Now, my Mom wasn't involved with the Mafia or anything, so there is no reason that such a simple question should invoke such fear. Oft times I would stand still, and close my eyes hoping she wouldn't see me. But alas, I rarely escaped. My Mom was a compulsive traveller. By compulsive I mean you never knew where the heck you were going, when you were coming back, or what the trip would intel.

I'm thankful for our many trips, today, as an adult, who knows better than to get in the vehicle with Mom, as it is the way I have been able to see 36 of the 50 States of this Great Nation. I have seen the Western Plains, the Rocky Mountains, the Smoky Mountains, the Ozarks, Death Valley, Hollywood, Pugent Sound in Seattle, crossed the Sky Way bridge in Tampa, and have been thrown out due to age from the greatest casinos in Vegas ( I was jammin on the slots too!). The only problem with this happy story is most of the time I was MISERABLE!

I am not a travel person in the respects that I can't sit in a car for more than 3 hours without losing my mind. Even today as a father of 4, my wife says I am worse than the kids when we travel. We've figured out ways to entertain them, but not me. I'll never forget the worst trip of my life was when my Step Father and Mother were contracted to deliver mini-buses to Los Angeles California. We are in Richmond Indiana. By book standards that trip is 1877 miles. By 8 year old Rick standards it is 49,292,305,823,958,023 miles. We drove the bus all the way to California, followed by 4 other people in another bus, towing a lime green 1968 Station wagon. 6 adults, 1 kid. The trip there was great! You can move on a bus. However, guess where the 1 kid rode all the way home...that's right....in the BACK of the station wagon!!! Dear God!!!!!! My entertainment was counting the splattered Jack Rabbits on the road. Not kidding...

Since then, having experienced the joys of Father hood, I have learned some ways to keep the children entertained (if not me), which makes the trip quite enjoyable, and I truly love traveling with my children. I'd like to share a few...

1. Train Your Children
If you are like everyone else, your children are constantly entertained and stimulated. TV, video games, & every other imaginable electronic device, along with school, sports & any other activity they are involved in, keep our children constantly busy and their minds turning. In order to have a fun, quiet trip, your children have to be deactivated.

Usually in the week leading up to a trip, my wife and I begin to desensitize our children. We begin shutting the TV off earlier than usual, turn off video games, etc. and actually, horror of horrors, make them sit quietly and read. Though it gets some resistance, they begin to learn the value of quiet time. Now, a smart parent will know the reading rate of their child. Give them a longer book to read and start them on it 2 days before you leave giving them time to get into the meat and get involved. Everytime I've done this, my children will ask to take their books with them on the trip, so they can finish it. Works like a charm!

While video games are fun, they also emit many many noises that are quite...annoying. The noises are good if you are playing the game, but horrible if you are trying to listen to your wife tell you which exit to take. Since it's not legal to litter, you can't throw the game out the window, no matter how bad you want to. So it's better to wean the child away from the video games in the upcoming days before a trip. A timely grounding always works. Kidding! Sort of.... You must turn your childs mind to handle long periods of low stimulation and quiet.

2. Get Your Child Excited!

An excited child is often a bouncing off the wall child, but in the event you will be traveling, it can be a good thing. Most children will be excited about the destination, but rarely the trip. You can change this!

If making reservations online, or even for simple selection process, let your child help pick the motel(s)/hotel(s) where you will be staying. Allowing them the opportunity to choose amenities, seeing the pool, game room, etc. will give the child something to look forward to about the journey. If stopping in multiple locations, they will be able to map the journey in their minds or even on paper. Also, allowing them to research and find different landmarks, or other exciting things they will see as you travel, will give them things to look for. It keeps their mind off the destination, which always prompts the dreaded "are we there yet" question. A child with a map, with specific locations marked along the journey is a child that has something exciting to do on the trip. Multiple children can make it a game to be the first to see the next item on the map. An entertained child, is a quiet child.

3. Stretch their brain.

I am never afraid to make my children write. I love to see their minds come out on paper. Now that my children are older, (6, 7, 9, 14) I can have them write me things. I will point out an object and ask them to write a story about how it was formed, who was the first to see it, and whatever else comes to mind. This does several things: (a) It gives them a task to perform which usually takes an half hour to an hour. (b) It gives their mind something to do, which reduces boredom. (c) It allows me a peep hole into their perception, which I love. This is a good way to entertain your children, and to help keep it quiet.

These are just a few of the ways I have found to entertain my children, and myself, on trips. There are many other neat things you can do such as variations of classic games. Have them take digital cameras (no need to waste film) and see who can get the first clear picture of a license plate from whatever State. Or, the first to get a pic of a blue car, or a red bird, or whatever you can get them looking for. Note: This is only good for 2 children, as if there is a child in the "middle" they never get good views and fights are sure to break out! If your children like to sing, have them make up silly songs about a road side object. It may be tough to endure, but it can also be very entertaining and time consuming. Have fun with them!

I'll leave you with a list of items necessary for a productive, quiet, peaceful trip.

1. A digital camera, (or several if possible)

2. Paper, pens, pencils

3. Books, whatever type your child can read.

4. Their favorite, yes THEIR favorite, CD's/Music can make a trip go smoothly. Even if you don't like the music, endure. It's worth it!

5. Conversations pieces, not associated with home. Find things to talk to them about that won't invoke stress or worry.

6. Finally, lot's of laughter. A trip without laughter is boring and horrible.

God bless, & Happy Travelling!