Famille Du Pentium

Some more tips for multi-day, multi-stop cross-country road trips. 

• Break up your trip into about two hour legs, especially if you have kids.  Don’t forget to include the down time you spend at your rest stops in your daily travel plans.  Allow adequate time for meals.
• For families with kids, stay at hotels that have pools each night.  Your kids are sitting all day – but they have a lot more energy to burn off than you do.  An hour in the pool (and maybe a playground) each evening will get them wound down and ready to go to bed on time
• Save money by staying in hotels that offer a free continental breakfast each morning.  Holiday Inn Express is famous for this.  Hampton Inns also do this.
• Let your kids bring their pillows with them in the car.  This gives them some level of comfort when they take naps in the car
• Know yourself, and allow enough sleep each night to be fully rested.  Driving is a lot more sleep-inducing than your every day schedule, and you will be fighting to stay awake by 7PM if you aren’t well rested
• I like to keep a belly bag in the car with my road stuff in it, like wallet and phone and so forth – rather than in my pockets.  You can put these items into compartments in your car (if you have them) but then you have to keep grabbing them whenever you stop for a meal, get gas, etc.  With a belly bag, you just grab the bag and go
• This depends on you, so "know yourself," but: it’s generally easier to drive in the morning than in the afternoon and evening.  Start earlier if possible, and then wrap up each day earlier rather than starting late and driving into the evening