Editor’s Note: If you missed Robin’s morning post on holiday sanity savers, you can check it out HERE. There are definitely some tips I need to incorporate! This afternoon we have Alix Wilson with us sharing tips on preparing for and enjoying the holiday road trip. Here she is:

The holidays are alarmingly close. For my family, this means planning out the annual holiday gamut. Family and friends spread out all over the province only means one thing – a whole lot of driving. It’s like doing the cannonball run, minus all the law evasion!

Seriously though, we’ve done a lot of driving in our two boys’ young lives. I’ve even braved a solo two-day road trip with both boys. Sometimes I’m amazed that I’m still sane! Like most things involving the kids, a bit of foresight and planning can mean the difference between an awesome time and a frazzled “we’ll never do that again” experience. So, get prepared and hit the road.

First things first, get the car ready. Winter driving certainly has its bag of tricks. Somehow being stranded in a snowstorm has less appeal than a breakdown in the middle of summer. Before setting out in your vehicle, consider these tips:

- Winterize your vehicle. Whether you do it yourself, or have a service department do it, be sure to check your vehicle’s systems before you hit the road. This maintenance includes checking the cooling system, the ignition system, the battery, the brakes, the tires, the windshield wipers, the exhaust system, the heater, the defroster, the ighting system, the block heater and de-icing fluid levels.

- Have good all season or snow tires if you will be spending time in snowier climates. Consider carrying chains. Many mountain passes have weather that can put a major wrench in your plans if you’re not prepared, and often it is also required by law.

- Stock your car with emergency essentials. This includes jumper cables, a snow shovel, a flashlight, candles & matches, kitty litter (for traction), a blanket or sleeping bag and extra provisions.

When you’re stuck hunkered down in the vehicle, having water and some kind of sustenance is a must. Often granola bars, or energy bars, have long shelf lives and can be kept in the kit successfully. A trick my mom taught me years ago was to keep high quality dog biscuits in the car. Her reasoning was that you will only eat them when you absolutely have to, and chances are you won’t dive into the stash when you (or the kids) are short on a snack!

- Have an emergency assist plan. This has saved my hide many times! There are many plans available (ICBC, Canadian Tire, BCAA and Rogers to name a few), and they are worth their weight in gold, especially when travelling with kids.

- Not crucial, but I also like to do a thorough interior clean and vacuum and to put an empty garbage bag in an easy to access place. A fresh trip deserves a fresh start!

- For both ends of the trip, let someone know when you’re leaving and when you’ve arrived.

- Prepare yourself. Doing a bit of homework, especially when setting out to places you’ve never been before, can turn down the stress on a long trip. When all adults involved know the plan and can stay on the same page, managing the chaos that sometimes erupts from the backseat is much easier.

- Have maps. GPS and/or other electronic devices sure have made navigation a lot easier, however I feel that having a hard copy to back it up is essential in the case of technological malfunction. Having map books or printed maps from a place like Mapquest is handy, and I find looking at the map with the kids is part of the fun. It helps them with perspective when looking at how far we have to go, and adds the educational component of map reading. Combined with the excitement of a real compass, it is possible to keep the backseat busy for upwards of an hour while on the road - win, win!

- When embarking on long trips, be realistic about how far you can go in a day and how many days in a row you can manage. Unless you are on an all out adventure with unlimited time to check out whatever catches your eye, there is usually a set destination in mind with a certain amount of ground that needs to be covered. For my family between six and eight hours of actual driving time has been the magic number.

Although we’ve done five two-day trips since W was born, we haven’t done more than two days of consecutive car travel (not yet anyway). For the two-day trips, try to make the first day a bit longer than the second, even if just by an hour. Getting back into the car on day two is definitely less appealing to everyone than it was on the first day.

- Before setting out, try to plan where you might be likely to stop for lunch, rest breaks and (for long trips) the final destination for the day. Using your maps, and knowing how far you can push a stretch of driving, you can see where you will most likely be around the stopping points of the day. Get on the computer and check out if there’s anything interesting to see or do in the community you’ll be near. This time of year there are often carnivals, lights displays and other holiday treats to take in.

- Take at least an hour for lunch if you can. Get out of the vehicle to eat, and then let off some steam. If you are lucky enough to be travelling with a packed lunch and the weather is cooperating, try to stop at a park or even a school yard, where the kids can unleash some energy before getting back on track for the afternoon. If you are venturing to snowy lands, pack the crazy carpets and find a hill to have fun on. There’s always someone local around to point you in the right direction.

- Try to finish the day’s driving before dinner. Even half an hour prior leaves time to settle into the hotel and find someplace to dine, or to blow off steam before having to sit down to a formal dinner at great auntie’s house.

- If you are travelling for more than one day, and are staying in a hotel/motel type place, consider finding a place with a pool. The prospect of swimming at the end of a long day really gets the kids excited, and they seem to be able to sit a bit longer if they know that’s waiting for them. Also, finding a place that offers complimentary breakfast helps get the next day’s travel rolling a bit faster.

-Get the kids on board. Whether you are travelling for a few hours, a full day, or multiple days, spending long stretches of time in the car with small children can be challenging to say the least. They can be so excited about the prospect of visiting with favorite relatives, or going someplace new, and when you mix that with general holiday excitement, well, you definitely need a plan to keep them busy.

Like my tactics for long flights, I often over-emphasize the length of the drive to the kids. This way they are expecting a forever day in the car, and our real drive doesn’t seem so bad.

Let them help pick music to listen to along the way. Usually eight out of 10 CDs in our car are kiddo choices. The boys like to take turns requesting songs from the back seat, and playing DJ is a small price for peace in the vehicle.

Let them suggest and select activities and toys that would be appropriate to play with in the car. The worst suggestion I’ve ever gone along with was a kazoo – never again! The harmonica was much better, and could be played softly too.

In my experience (so far), 0-8 months was the easiest time to travel – the baby isn’t really mobile yet, and still naps a lot. When travelling with the hubby, I was able to crawl into the backseat to nurse without us having to stop the car, and entertaining the backward facing infant was much easier than when the car seat faces forward.

From 8 months to 1.5-2 years old has been the hardest time for long car trips for us. The young one is in full go mode, and can’t really play a lot of games or be entertained by singing for very long.

From that point onwards, I have found that as the boys have gotten older, travel has become easier and easier. Their heightened attention spans keeps them focused on activities longer, and they can grasp abstract game ideas much more easily. I imagine once they can really read it will get even easier!

Activity Suggestions

Here are some of the well tested ways we spend time strapped in the car…

- Letter and number games. The sky is the limit with different games you can play here.

- “The hardest knot in the world”. This is one of our favorite games. We have a ½ meter long piece of rope (5mm accessory cord in our case) and take turns tying and untying knots. It’s a faux competition to see who can tie the hardest knot and is determined by how long it takes the other person to untie the knot. Of course the kids always win this one!

- Singing songs is always fun. The classic long circle songs (Found a Peanut, There’s a Hole in my Bucket, etc.) are always popular. This time of year lends itself easily to carols as well.

- Story telling. My kids are totally captivated by hearing about mine or my husband’s youth. We have such tales as “Alix loses her mittens”, “Vanaema saves a bird” and “Chris breaks his arm playing basketball” in our “library”. Equally popular are dad’s versions of slightly scary movies that the boys aren’t allowed to watch, for example scenes from the Mummy, Ghostbusters or any Star Wars movie.

- Books. When the road calls our attention, or we’re tired of talking and singing, we bring out the books. Because my boys aren’t reading much quite yet, the seek-and-find genre of books are best in the car. Crayola colour wonder books are also popular in the car, where we don’t have to worry about marker getting on anything. Having lap desks are handy for these kinds of activities.

- Portable DVD player. On long trips I have been known to break this out.

Roadblocks:

As with any adventure, things might take a turn for the worse, or an unexpected situation might rear its ugly head.

-A vehicle breakdown. If you are driving and this happens, pull over to the right most lane and then pull off the road in a safe place. If you are driving on a road or bridge with no shoulder, keep your vehicle rolling (if you can) until you come to a place you can pull off. It is very dangerous to stop in a moving traffic lane - remember your life is more valuable than your tire’s rim.

If you are stuck in a lane of moving traffic, then turn on your hazards immediately and stay in the car. Do not try to cross multiple freeway lanes on foot. Once off of the road, put your hazard lights on immediately. It is not safe to change a tire or fiddle under your hood on a freeway (as I learned halfway through a tire change outside of Montreal), so you’ll have to wait for a tow to a safe spot to do so. Call for help - either your roadside emergency folks or 911.

-Bad weather. Even if your vehicle is well equipped for snow and rain driving, you may run into weather that your mind can’t handle. When you are caught in bad weather, SLOW DOWN. Authorities recommend driving about 50% slower than normal in really bad weather.

Do not use cruise control in snowy and slippery conditions, as you may need to be able to decrease your acceleration right away.

If weather is unbelievably terrible, consider pulling over and waiting it out (you’ll be prepared with the emergency supplies you packed before). Otherwise, get off of the road as soon as you can and find somewhere warm and cozy to wait out the storm. Risking lives for your mother’s pie is not worth it.

Here are some winter driving tips from the ministry of transportation, as well tips on handling black ice.

-The dreaded ferry wait. Whether due to mechanical difficulties or unforeseen delays, the long ferry wait is always a bummer, adding hours to your already long travel day. This time of year the weather isn’t always ideal for playing at the playground, so be sure to pack easy interactive stuff to keep you all busy. The Ferry Quays often offer interesting things to look at and a way to stretch legs in a warm, dry environment.

I won’t tell you that traveling with kids is always super joyful or a piece of cake, because there are definitely moments that you wonder what you were thinking. With most things as a parent, your attitude about the endeavor is the model your kids will look to. Chances are if you are excited and positive about the drive, and looking forward to it as an adventure – they will adopt the same outlook.

Oh the places you will go!