5 tips for a relaxed family road trip

5 Tipps für den entspannten Familien-Roadtrip

Together with Pia and her book “Vanily” we give you great tips for a relaxed everyday camping life and road trip with your kids in 5 blog posts

Part 1: Car rides

Engine on and go! Few types of travel are as easy to start as vanlife. No journey, no changing, no walking: your holiday begins the moment you turn onto the road in your rolling home. To make the adventure on asphalt as relaxing as possible for the entire trip, globetrotter Pia will tell you her five tips for a relaxed road trip with children.

Vanlife and family: together on the road without stress

1. Preparation is everything

Let yourself drift, spontaneously look for a way ─ that sounds wildly romantic at first, but it can be quite annoying when put into practice. Especially when the child is slowly becoming impatient but there is still no suitable parking space in sight. If you plan a rough route in advance, you will know how many kilometers per stage are realistic, in which direction you should go and what you can experience there (you can find out more about route planning in Pia's “Handbook for Adventures with Children and Camping Chairs”). A look at the map in advance reveals what road conditions await along the way, whether tolls have to be paid and where there are suitable places for a break.

2. Must-have: Snacks & Comfort

Treats help against hunger and a bad mood while driving - at least temporarily. If you prepare a bag with fruit, biscuits and minis of favorite snacks before you leave, you can always use it on the go. This means you can avoid buying something expensive, unhealthy or unloved at the gas station or rest area while on the go. Also important: the feel-good factor on the go. Cuddly socks, cuddly blankets or your favorite pillow sometimes work wonders!

3. Let me entertain you

You've run out of snacks, no nap in sight, but increasing discontent? Now we have to have a program! Books, radio plays and music provide varied entertainment. It's best to download the appropriate program onto your cell phone before the trip and have the Tonie box or CDs ready so that you don't have to rummage around for long when it's important. With a magic board, children can paint on the go without pens or paper, a hand puppet tells entertaining stories on the road and magnetic games are suitable for driving game fun. When we travel, we always have something new as a surprise - for example, an activity book or a new radio play. The unknown often gets attention longer than the familiar and creates joy.

4. Plan to reschedule

Despite all the preparation, the spontaneity is the truly rewarding thing about vanlife. Therefore: stay spontaneous! Some days the group may simply not be in the mood to drive, the route is closed or a storm ruins your plans. Be prepared to throw these out the window and go on an unplanned adventure. Maybe you will discover a stop along the way that is begging to be visited by you. Now you have the time and the opportunity to do it. Do it!

5. By The Ways: Roadside Micro-Adventures

A break brings new energy for the next longer journey. So why not use your spontaneous road trip break for a micro-adventure? Because we think: the journey is part of the trip. After all, there is always something to discover on the left and right of the route that is worth stopping for and at the same time you can recharge your batteries for the journey onwards. If you keep your eyes open, you'll definitely find great destinations along the route during a road trip that are anything but a boring rest stop. There are often new things to discover just a few minutes from the planned route.

Text and idea:
Pia Maack aka dieflashpackerin / Excerpt from her book “Vanily - Vanlife + Family”
Photos: Elena Heymann