Holidays seem to come around so fast for parents.

If you're planning a trip away, your stress levels may be on the rise as you think about the hours you'll spend in the car with the kids.

Dads often operate as if the most important thing about a holiday is leaving at the crack of dawn, getting to the destination quickly and not stopping on the way. This in itself is often a cause for much stress! 

It's time to think differently. Consider the holidays as though they start the moment you get in the car, not when you get to your destination. Make a plan this year to enjoy the journey to your desired location more. Think of the trip as an adventure. Include everyone, and it will become a whole new experience.

Have games to play on the way. Organise it so that each person gets to nominate the game to be played for the next 15 to 30 minutes. Remember the game ‘I spy' and the car number-plate games from your childhood?

Travelling provides a great opportunity for education. The younger kids learn about colours, numbers and spelling while the older children learn more about each other. Have a pack of question cards at the ready, such as Trivial Pursuit cards or Travel Topics To Go from www.parentsinc.org.nz.

Let everyone have their choice of music for parts of the trip - you never know, you may grow to like it. Singing competitions can be entertaining and may be the start of a prosperous career.

Consider the needs of each passenger, and plan them into the trip. Check out the parks, activities and other interesting stops en route. Maybe there's a fun educational attraction on the way. Build up anticipation for the trip, and be well prepared.

Breaks are really important for the driver and the passengers. Let each person in the car nominate a place they would like to stop on the way. If you have young children, pre-select a location and give them some choices. For example, ‘Would you like to go to the playground or the pool?' Have swimsuits handy for a swim stop on the way.

Have food prepared, and organise activities to use that pent-up energy gained from sitting still. A great strategy when everyone is getting restless is to pull into a safe rest area and have everyone run and touch six trees or find five objects. Afterwards everyone will be revitalised and ready to continue the journey.

It doesn't have to be all about you keeping the kids entertained either, having some children's stories to listen to for some quiet time is beneficial too.

 

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