Road Trips - How Long Can You Go?

Please don't do it! Ugh. :)

Okay so if you still have to go make lots of stops.

Maybe make it a few more days.

Take lots of DVDs & SEVERAL movies for each child. Buy new ones.

Buy new toys.

Stop often.

Buy magzines, books and again........NEW TOYS they've never seen.

Have a safe, fun trip!

Yup portable DVD. And the kids are still going to be miserable. Sorry, but road trips these days are not like road trips of yore when we could roam around the car freely, lay down, etc. 3 long days in a car (there and back) sounds like way too much for little ones.

IMO, you might want to come up with an alternate plan.

I don't believe in DVD players in a car BUT I do believe in them on long road trips. They were our saving grace on several road trips. You will need one...trust me! Also, a ton of snacks and a cooler w/ cold drinks will be your best friends. Oh, and take the time to stop and see the sights traveling both ways - you won't regret it. Have fun!!!

My mom and dad used to start at 4 or 5pm from Chicago, my sister and i would sleep most of the way and we would get to Ft Luderdale by the next evening, to Grandma's. Mom and Dad took turns driving.

My husband and I leave in the am, about 8ish, drive until we hit Springfield, Ohio, maybe 12 hours,, stay at the AF Inn then can get to Chicago in 6 to 8 hours.

The DVD has saved many a whine and tear throughout the years. Now the only one who uses it is the 11 yo. THe girls are teens and usually read.

One road trip from NC to Chicago, I bought little gifts that they opened throughout the trip. I wrapped music tapes, cookie packages, small boxes of crayons and paper pads, doodle books.

I, too, believe in going as long as you can and in starting when the kids are asleep if at all possible.

In addition to your entertainment options, have you thought of books on tape? Just the rhythm of another voice in the car helped us -- and listening to a story (even one geared for your 5yo) helps keep the driver fresh.

Have fun!

I frequently drive my kids 6, 4 and 2 1/2 to TN and back to see family. It's either a 12 hour day each way OR two 6 hour days. We've done it both ways numerous times. My kids are very good in the car, and we actually enjoy it a lot. We have no electronics of any kind. We just listen to music, talk, my oldest is starting to read books and spells things for me when she doesn't know words. The kids are creative and think of great ideas. I wouldn't spoil it with DVDs etc, but I grew up traveling that way. The key is: Get an early start! So your day is relaxed and you can take breaks when you need to. Drive like the dickens when they all fall asleep at once, even if you have to pee, just put on some miles. If you have the budget for motels, doing 6 hours per day is ideal. Leaving around 8:00am, and taking nice breaks, and stopping late afternoon makes for a non-strenuous day. The 12 hour haul is brutal, and you need to be rolling by 7:00am and be more uptight about breaks. But aside from scheduling, we haven't needed the mindless entertainment. We've had our most special times talking and listening to music on the road together. The kids even love sitting and staring out the window, and I used to love that too as a kid. It's a nice break for the mind to roam. The kids actually need way less entertainment than people think. Books on tape are awesome, and we even bring poems and stuff to memorize.
Also, all these drives were done with just me and the kids. We could have driven longer easily with my husband to help drive, I was just tired by the end of the 6 hour days (which are more like 9-10 hours including breaks).

It does seem like a lot of driving to me unless you plan to do a lot of it at night while they are asleep in the car. It also depends a lot on your kids, how did they do with the 6 hour trip?

The only thing I'll add to the other comments is that we mapped out playgrounds on our route, not just rest stops. Each time we stopped we found a picnic table to eat a meal and our son got to run around and play for 30-ish minutes before getting back in the car.

Enjoy your vacation!

Hats off to you.
I'd bet you that markers & looking out the window will be "over" fairly soon. A few movies might go a long way. I'd get the DVD player for sure.
No way would I be "up" for that!
And I have O. child that would be "plugged in" happily the entire time.
It's me.
No way can I sit in a car for all of that time.
We vacation in DE (from PA) and that's about my max in the car. (7-8 hrs total.)
We used to (before kiddo) drive to the Outer Banks & South Carolina often (12-14 hrs)....
Now, I would need MAJOR sedation for a 14 hr car trip
That's me--just not in my nature to sit/do nothing for that long.
I'd rather have more vacation time & less road time.
I'd fly.

Good luck!

I am in WA state and grew up and have family in CA...it takes 24 hrs to get from where I am in WA to Sacramento, CA where the first part of my family is and then another 24 hrs to get to the bottom of CA where the rest of my family is. I have driven that drive SO many times and it SUCKS but I have done it...but only with really a small kid (like baby-1 yr) or once the kids are older.

We go to the Coast of Oregon every summer for vacation and that is an 11 hr drive and it too is horrible...I am SO ready for it to be over! With kids your age I think the 12 hour drive is gonna be THE TOPS you can do...and if the route you chose says it takes 12 hours you need to factor in at LEAST another 1-2 hours to account for all the rest stops and bathroom breaks your gonna need!

~I would SERIOUSLY invest in a portable DVD player for the kids! It will be a life savor...I PROMISE!!!!!

We were lucky to be able to fly on buddy passes sometimes when the boys were small. Giving them something 'new' helped, like a small set of Legos or Matchbox cars or coloring book. They may sleep some of the time, but keeping them engaged in any activity is key. Have an AMAZING trip! It's about the memories they will keep. Our first trip to Disney (at 3 & 5) was partly about the characters and mostly about the cool pool at the hotel, and eating pizza in bed, and jumping like frogs from one bed to the other, lol.

We do 16 -18 hour drives regularly. We live in Texas, my parents are in S. Georgia (30 min from Tallahassee FL). We drive straight through. I have made the trip by myself too. The first day I just drove for as long as I possibly could, since I knew I'd be more tired the second day. I think I made it about 10 hours. ANd that's without someone else to drive or help navigate.

You may want to reconsider the DVD player. My kids aren't big tv watchers, but on those long trips, they are definitely handy, especially for the three year old. Bring a ball too. When you stop at rest areas, give the kids 10 minutes or so to kick the ball around. We are not big on fast food, but we do hit up locations with playgrounds when we take these long trips...it helps the kids if they get to move a bit. Pack plenty on snacks and water. And when you do stop, try to find a hotel with a pool. Again, you want to wear those kids out. Have a safe trip!

I would if I was you try to get at least 10 hours the first day. start like a previous poster said and go from mn to ky. not sure where you are in mn but why are you going thru st. louis at all? is that the way a gps is showing you? I would think over through wi down thru wi and then In would give you a shorter trip. we drive from chicago to naples quite often and it is only 19 hours we pretty much do it in a day and a half and have since the kids were little. a tip I have though is to make sure you have a hotel with a pool so they can stretch and jump and play. and if your not totally against it get a dvd player or a laptop will do the same thing only bigger screen. it will be worth the sanity you get out of it.

We drove from Dallas Tx to North Carolina a few years ago when my oldest was 5. It was about a 22 hour drive and we drove straight through. Hubby slept in the afternoon and evening before and I kept our son awake until he conked out about 1am. We left Dallas about 2 am, me and my son slept about 7 hours while hubby drove, after I woke up we made a stop for potty, snacks, to stretch etc and then we switched off driving and he slept. He and I switched off a few times, we actually got so far that we decided to just keep going. We of course made some pit stops along the way. My 5 year old was entertained with books, crayons/coloring books and our portable DVD. We got to our family's house late in the evening the next day and the drive wasn't too bad. As a kid my family drove almost annually from Dallas to N. Carolina or Florida, where we have lots of family and many times drove straight through.

we go from kansas to florida, we have family down there. we always "budget" 2 days to get there, but my husband usually wants to drive most of the way, and will drive most of the 18 hours without really stopping. he's a machine ;)

if it's me i take my time. for us it's really just up to the driver - my son (5, but first trip at 2) is a great traveller so that doesn't really factor in.

good luck and have a great time! (ps, we don't do a dvd player either.)

When I was a kid we drove from Ohio to Arizona almost every year, there were two adults and four kids. The trip was about 30 hours and we usually drove it in two days. My mom & dad would take turns driving, my dad would drive about 10 hours and then my mom would drive about 8 hours then we would crash in a hotel, next day drive the remainder of the trip about 12 hours.

Recently we took a trip from Wisconsin to Nebraska, about a 10 hour trip and we did that in a day. There is only two adults and one kid (5 years old), we made between 3-4 stops.

Your break down seems good, if you think your family can handle the push you can break it down to just two days... but stick to the 3 days if you think your family limit of driing will be 12 hours. If the hotel has a pool that will help get out the extra energy and the kids will sleep well that night.

Besides the DVD player, leapsters and crayons/books bring along other items like stickers and plenty of snacks.

Definately get the portable DVD. We do a 10 hour trip every year and usually pick series ie Star Wars, Harry Potter, Oceans it makes the trip go quicker and you are not listening to the same movie over and over again. You can get some good deals on Amazon on the movies.

Also try to travel early in the morning leave at midnight or 2am the first day, next day leave at 4 or 5 am get as much driving as you can while the kids are sleeping.

Taking breaks for the night is crucial.
My kids were wonderful little travelers. They love it to this day.
Just have stuff to keep them occupied, rest at regular intervals. My kids could handle 10 hours like it was nothing. But, they truly loved the adventure of all of it. We sang songs, talked about things we were seeing.
Many people find that with little kids, they get the most miles under their belts driving at night when their kids are sound asleep in the car. No fussing. No "are we there yet" every 10 miles. No "She won't stop poking me!"
Try to time it where the driving and sleep coincide for the kids especially since you say the destination is the desired result as opposed to the actual car trip. If you can travel while they're konked out....it's not a bad plan.

Just my opinion.
I hope you have a great time!

Max of 8 hours a day in the car with breaks every 2-3 hours (rest stops are good for that). Trust me, you don't want them stuck in the car for that long they will drive you crazy because it will drive them crazy. Split it up into 8 hours of driving each day and you'll be happy you did!

When we do a road trip it is with 4 kids and 2-3 adults, depends on hubby and if he goes or not. My friend and I stop every 2-3 hours. The kids get out and run amok. They need to move around to work out soreness and to get their bodies moving. It will decrease your stress levels too. We stop at places like McDonalds with indoor playgrounds, if you don't like the food then plan on a mid afternoon stop there and eat parfaits. We stop at elementary schools in the evenings if it is summer and still light, or if it's break then any time of the day. The benefit of a school is that it is usually kid friendly, has a fence, is quiet, kids are familiar with rules at school so they act better, etc...if you know of a great park that will work as well too.

We get up, eat a huge breakfast, get on the road.

Stop in about 2 hours for BM's and play time, plus a snack.

Stop in about 3 hours for lunch and play time.

Stop in about 2 hours, some may be asleep and you can drive like crazy until they start waking up and needing to go pee and play and eat. This play time is important, it's about half time in the day and they really really need to get all the play time in they can.

Stop for dinner when you start getting hungry. They need to eat and they will need to play but it may not be as energetic as before, they are starting to feel the effects of the sitting in one position, the stiffening of the muscles, the tension in their necks, etc...they are going to possibly be very cranky and whiny.

Depending on what their normal time for bed is, after they play for a while you may want to get them ready for bed before traveling any further. You can get them in comfortable clothes, sweat pants, tees, pull ups, brush teeth if you want, etc...if they fall asleep you can travel well into the night before stopping again. If they don't fall asleep they will need a late night snack and possibly a bit more play time.

It is so easy to travel in the early morning and after dinner. Miles and miles can be covered. If they are asleep drive drive drive, then stop and take time for them when they are awake.

Our trips are mostly enjoyable, the times when we need to stop and the other mom doesn't really want to are the times when the kids are nit picking and arguing, every little thing is a crisis.

Changing the seating after breaks can be fun too. If the kids are up for it and want to. It may be that they do not want to sit by X due to not wanting to hear their music or be annoyed by them.

Have fun, I enjoy road trips a lot.

PS, Another option I like even better is to wait until evening to start the trip. I love to drive at night, it's cooler, quieter, less traffic, etc...we will get in the car after dinner, a late dinner actually, kids ready for bed. Pillows, blankets, loveys, quiet movies and music on the MP3 players, nothing to get them all stirred up. Then head out. If they aren't asleep within an hour stop for a bathroom break and perhaps a late snack. I keep the kids in the car if they are at all calm. I drive until I can't drive anymore and the other driver will often take over then. We keep traveling until the kid wake up and we need to move around too. Works like any other travel day except you got a lot of miles under the belt.

At this point you can choose 2 ways to continue.

1. stop for several hours, kids can swim, play, eat, nap, etc...while the driver that drove all night rests. At some point during the day it's back in the car and on the way again.

2. get back in the car with one adult sleeping, another adult driving, and the kids staying on the stop, eat, play schedule. Continue as long as possible. You can make your trip in 2 days this way.

Traveling at night is so much easier. I start staying up all night a couple of weeks ahead of time so my body is ready and not going to fall asleep. It is my favorite time of the day when we do this. Sometimes if there are 3 adults one can stay up for a while and they can just visit.

I love the suggestions you’ve received thus far. We’ve made the trip to FL once from DC and took turns driving overnight so it only took a day. I would say drive at night and then stop and let the “driver” sleep while the kids played at a hotel. There are plenty of things to do along the way with the kids so they could burn off energy. Children’s museums, jump yards, ect. You can literally drive from 8pm to 8am check in at a hotel, shower/ change and let the kids hang out and play all day.

Sounds like you have it planned out pretty well. I would not drive 8am to 8pm on your first day. I would doubt that the kids would want to go to bed after being in the car all day. The only thing I know about driving with a kid in the car is that when we drove this summer from Texas to California and then back, we drove the 21 hour drive straight thru. Our 3.5 yr old son slept half of that at least! The rest of the time he looked out the window and talked to us, we ate, we played with a game he had. He was a great trooper. So that's my only suggestion really - don't drive the WHOLE daytime. Maybe leave at 5pm, drive 15 hours (switching you and husband) and get somewhere 8am-ish and enjoy one whole day at that place. Spend the night there so you and hubs can get a good nights sleep. Then do the rest the way you have planned.

Well, we have done long long drives a couple of times with the kids. The DVD player was our life saver. My husband would plug on and do 8-10 hours in a day and then get upset when we got to our destination that night and the kids were WILD. Well they had been strapped in a car the entire day, what did he expect? Make sure that you somehow you give them a chance to get their energy out, or you will most likely pay dearly.

Many may think me crazy, but since my fourth was born, I have begun to believe it is best to get long trips over with in one long shot. Drivers take turns driving/sleeping, the adults get there just as tired but a lot faster, and the kids arrive a lot faster and a LOT less cranky. The kids are going to be miserable with 3 (to them) full days in the car, so if they actually only spend one full day in the car, with them sleeping at least 1/3 of the time, it will seem like a much shorter drive. My aunt and uncle go every other year from Cincinnati to south-eastern Fla every other year, and they also make the trip in one long shot, to us, it's the only way to go.

We usually leave around dinnertime, that way on a 24 hourish trip you will arrive more towards night than morning, because everyone will be tired when you arrive, being in the car for hours in exhausting (another reason I like to get it over with)

YIKES - I think that's way too long to have the kids in the car each day. Way way way too long. Not cool. Not good for them. We've gone from Long Island to Williamsburg Virginia. Which should have been a 7 hour trip but due to traffic outside of the DC area, took 10 1/2. We made frequent stops for bathroom breaks and walks and playtime. We had a dvd player for some, but did alot of game playing and talking, and had trays for coloring too. Sounds rough to me for such a long trip...

I see you got a lot of responses, but I'll give you my 2 cents. :P We drove from Virginia Beach, Va to Gardener, Ks. It was like almost a full day drive. Our kids were 4,3 and we had a 3 month old. We, however, did invest in the portable dvd player, but we also had games, books, crayons, and they brought toys they wanted to bring. Ww hit like ever rest stop to let the boys get out and run around, go potty, and enjoyed being out of the car. We drove straight through only stopping to eat, gas and let the kids stretch their legs. We also left in the middle of the night, figuring they would go back to sleep, not a chance. haha. They didn't sleep much on the trip, but they did pretty good.
Also last summer we drove from Va Beach, Va to Niagra Falls. That time we also had our neice and nephew, so it was a full house in the car Plus i was prego. But we had extra hands w/ our boys so it was pretty smooth sailing. To me it all depends on how the kids do. If they enjoy it, its easy sailing. If not, they will make the trip feel longer.
We don't plan to make another far away trip for at least another year. For we have a 3 mo old now, our others are 5,4 (soon to be 6,5) and 18 mo old.

Keep the DVD player in the trunk... Just in case. And maybe some sedatives (KIDDING)! ;)

We drive from FL to PA once in a while and I have found that driving at night when my daughter is sleeping works best for us. We travel during the day if it is just my daughter and I and will stop for one night at a hotel. I try to go as many miles as I can the first day so the second day we are not on the road as long. When it is my hubby and I we will go straight through.
Make sure you have snacks in the car and a small cooler for drinks, small pillow and a couple of blankets. As long as you are on the interstates there will be plenty of places to stop to rest or for the night. I like MapQuest because you can map out your trip and include lodging and restaurant stops. You can print it out or download it to your GPS.

12 hours will be harsh, but it is doable. I always do the worst day first. We have done 14 and 17 hours and regretted it because my d could not sleep well and was grouuuuchhy. Now we say 10 hour max.

The last time we drove to FL from MD it took us 19 hours, because we hit a bad snow storm so it took us 6 hours to get to Richmond, which should have been about 3. We drive at night too. If it's 27 hours, can you and your husband take turns driving and just go straight through? Or plan to do it all in two days? My kids are fine in the car, but they all have their own DVD players, books, coloring things, we have the car games (board games reinvented for travel), plenty of snacks and drinks, and their favorite pillows and blankets.