Surely many of you are already on vacation, and some more will yearn for the second half of July (how slowly time passes when the rest is expected!). To those who still have a long month of work ahead of them I send encouragement, in the end everything comes, and for the families that must wait for the month of September, tell you that for me it is the best time, since it is not so hot In addition, you can always tell the school that the kids will join a little later.
The point is that good part of the displacements during the vacations are realized in private vehicles, but car and children seems a priori a difficult combination (although it is not so much). The kids would always want to get to their destination sooner, and parents would want them not to complain so much, so what can we do to make our trips more comfortable? Many adults cannot hide that certain parts of our trip are also boring for us: beltways of large cities with heavy traffic, entrances and exits of coastal towns, etc. The same does not happen with panoramic routes or some roads in the interior, nothing like the tranquility of those who know how to enjoy the journey.
We had been here for a long time that in our country children get bored from the 25th minute of being in the car. We will travel 200 kilometers at the end of the month, but many families spend five or six hours driving, a lot of planning is required.
From my travels as a child between Alicante and cities like Valladolid, Madrid or Salamanca, I don't remember being bored, just the indicative signs, the stops to eat - drink - walk a little, the license plates that helped us know what province each one was vehicle, songs and carry my brother in his arms (then we were going without a retention device). Although I recognize that sitting for so long should not be a 'dish of taste' for kids
But let's get to the point, and planning so that the trip is not so heavy,
What are the details that guarantee us success?
Children are reassured that We will explain to you what exactly the route will consist of: what day will we go out, at what time (more or less), what will we take to eat and drink, what activities we will try to do, how long it will last, etc.
Of the child safety during travel We have already spoken on occasion, however we should not overlook some details that can usually be forgotten.
We must check that there are no loose objects inside the car, to avoid injuries in case of braking or impact; the doors must be locked and children must notify when they want to open the window so that we remind them not to take their arms out of the car. It is convenient to check the safety chairs of the children to ensure that there are no sharp objects in them, and to verify that they are anchored.
The itinerary must be thought depending on the interests and needs of our children. The general recommendation is to make stops every 200 kilometers, so that you all recover energy and make the next section more bearable. If the route is unknown, you should investigate the rest areas that are located in them.
Getting rid of traffic jams is ideal, even if it is at the cost of missing a holiday, traffic jams are very stressful for drivers, and desperate for children. There is usually information on the traffic status on the DGT website.
Although in another installment we will tell you some activities that will help us all to entertain (As we did last year), Now is the time to tell you that the family travel survival kit should consist of:
1.-First aid kit.
2.-Travel bag with drink and some snack.
3.-A selection of small toys / games according to ages: dolls, electronic devices, magnetic boards, sticker magazines, etc.
Prevent dizziness: inside a closed car circulating on a day of high temperatures, the last thing we need are strong air fresheners and perfumes. It will also help that they do not eat excessively before leaving, and that they do not spend much time concentrating on any reading or staring.
If possible we will install parasols on the windows, especially if we drive in the central hours of the day.
We wait that these tips have been useful, we will continue in a few days with some ideas of activities and games to liven up the trip.
