Most of us aren’t traveling very far with this pandemic. If you’re like us, we aren’t flying anywhere. 

But we are going on more road trips than we had before.

Here are a few things to consider when going on a road trip with toddlers:

Car Activities 

Depending on how far your destination is, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to pack some car activities. Car activities can be tricky, as you’ll need something that is safe to use while the vehicle is in motion. My go-tos are stuffies like dogs that can be combed, stickers for the windows or else a tablet or iPad that’s suspended from the front seat.

The best car activities are more about what’s going on outside, ie. spot the bird or what colour are the trees, but this depends on your route.

Road Trip Breaks 

It can be helpful to stop for breaks if your destination is over 2 hours away. Sometimes you and the little ones need to run off the energy from sitting for so long. It’s a good idea to plan your trip with a stop at parks to pick up leaves/twigs/rocks along rivers for some mild splashing, or else just pull over somewhere safe for a quick set of jumping jacks!

Pit stops at restaurants and coffee shops are a must! Make sure you bring little doodle pads, flash cards or even stickers to keep your little ones occupied.

Hotel Activities

The trick with these activities is to bring them out sequentially. I’ve made the mistake of packing them all together and once my little one spotted them all, she went through everything in twenty minutes.

Some great hotel activities include:

- Watercolour painting (I bring a plastic tablecloth to cover the whole area) with pre-drawn sheets or else blank canvases

- Sticker books

- Activity books (with crayons - I avoid any felts)

- Water only colour books

- Cars that you can wind up

Of course in-room activities aren’t necessary, but I do find that when I bring them, there is less of a rush to get out of the room and I get to sip my coffee for a little bit longer.

Most activities I bring are easy to pack and don't take too much room. And we take home most of what we bring, but if we forget a paint brush or sticker book, it isn’t the end of the world.

Let me know if you might have any more ideas by commenting below :)

Maria