Travel Tips

Traveling by car is still one of the most inexpensive ways to see the country-even with these gas prices! There are many things you can do to make a car trip a more pleasant experience and have the joy of the journey and not just dread having to get back in the car again.
If you have kids in the back seat, a pocket organizer, like the kind you would keep shoes in, is a great place to store books and crayons and other small items in the car and make them easy for the children to find. At the start of the trip give each of the kids a roll of dimes, every tiresome question or needless squabble with a sibling can result in the forfeit of one dime. When you reach your destination they may keep what is left to purchase a treat! When you stay at a hotel, make sure each kid has a business card from the hotel in case they get separated from you.
Some of the best routes for getting through a city are the truck routes. You can often find good places to stay that were bypassed by the interstate, and it often makes for a more leisurely drive. Always call the hotel desk for rates instead of the 800 number. If you are talking directly with the hotel you can sometimes find a special that the 800 number would not make you aware of. You can use disappearing ink to mark your map. The ink will fade after a bit and then the map wont be marked up the next time that you need it. Then pass that disappearing ink pen to the back seat for the kids to have some fun!
If you are staying a night somewhere before you reach your final destination, pack a small bag with the things you and your family will need for that one night so that you dont have a pile of luggage to sort through. Pack a new story to read or a little extra surprise to make getting there fun!
Enjoy the scenery and play games. Part of the fun is getting there so dont just pop in a movie for the kids. Look for license plates and notice landmarks. Traveling doesnt have to be an awful bore. Make it fun for the kids and it will be fun for you too.